THE OTHER YOUNGHUSBAND

Football is not all about strikers or the forward position. The striker needs a catalyst to have opportunities to score a goal. In the Philippine Azkals national football squad, James Younghusband plays the central midfield position. His roles are to defend the midfield from breakaway plays of the opposition and also to create scoring chances for his brother Phil and other Azkals forwards such as Angel Guirado, Ian Araneta, and Nate Burkey. The 6-1, Fil-British is currently on his sixth year as member of the Nationals. He started out on the Under-23 team in 2005, where he had three caps and a lone goal scored. He had since move up to the senior squad and has seen action for 32 matches so far with five goals booted in and made countless assists. In 2007, James played for Staines Town FC in the English League Conference South. He scored a goal in six appearances. During their teen years, James together with Phil, honed up their football skills as members of the famous Chelsea FC Academy. James is expected to play a vital role anew for the Azkals when they play Kuwait in the second round of the 2014 FIFA-World Cup qualifers on July 23 and 28.