Long Earns Spot on Philippines National Team

Tournament Information

LITTLE ROCK – Trojan senior defender Hali Long has officially made the Philippines national soccer team, the country's soccer federation announced late Thursday.
 
Long had been participating in a team training camp over the last month and officially made the final cut for a major tournament beginning next week and running through early August.
 
Long is the first player in Trojan history to play on a country's senior national team.
 
The Philippines' 20-woman roster – Long included – will play in the AFF Women's Championship starting on Tuesday in Myanmar.
 
The AFF is a smaller organization within the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) made up of South East Asian countries. Included in the 2016 AFF Women's Championship will be the Philippines, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Timor-Leste and an Australian Under-20 team.
 
Long's first match will be on Tuesday at 3:30 a.m. central time against Thailand, the highest-ranked national team in the tournament according to the FIFA World Rankings. The Philippines is also guaranteed two more matches against Vietnam on Thursday at 3:30 a.m. central and against Singapore on July 30 at 6:30 a.m. central.
 
Myanmar time is 11.5 hours ahead of central time.
 
The tournament, much like the World Cup, is organized into four-team groups. The top two teams in both groups will advance to a bracket-style knockout tournament. The semifinals will be played on August 2, and championship and consolation games will take place on August 4.
 
Long is one of seven seniors on the Trojans' roster for 2016. A mainstay in the defense for three years, Long played more minutes than any other player on the team in 2015 and played every minute of 17 out of 20 games last year. She was a large part of the Trojans setting a new team record for goals against average in 2015.
 
Little Rock soccer begins its 2016 season on August 19 against Northwestern State at the Coleman Sports & Recreation Complex.