One of the stories of the Women’s World Cup was the Philippines’ historic first win as a nation. Now, four coaches and two players from that special squad are reunited at Perth Glory.
In the high-stakes, high-pressure environment of a World Cup camp, two of the Philippines’ star players were convinced to join Perth Glory.
It wasn’t a contract offer that persuaded either Jessika Cowart or Quinley Quezada; in the heat of a World Cup campaign, club football was the last thing on both of their minds.
Cowart and Quezada were instead convinced by the coaching methods and player management of four members of the Philippines staff, who now all call Perth Glory home.
That includes the club’s Liberty A-League head coach Alex Epakis, who says the “life-changing experience” of working under Alen Stajcic in the Philippines ranks helped him develop as a leader – and also to improve his Glory squad with the signatures of the two Filipinas stars.
“It came out of the blue,” Epakis says, reflecting on receiving the chance to go to the World Cup. “I wasn’t expecting it. When I was told that there might be an opportunity, obviously, I was super excited.”
Epakis was recruited by Alen Stajcic as an opposition analyst just weeks out from the World Cup campaign. He was also tasked with analysing Japan – a potential knockout opponent for the Philippines, flying up and down New Zealand following arguably the best team of the knockout stages.
“To go to the World Cup was something I never would have imagined doing in any capacity other than as a fan,” Epakis said. “So being involved as a professional staff member within that was awesome.
“It was a life-changing experience. I was there only at the end of the journey from a Philippines perspective, but to see what that win against New Zealand meant to the players, the staff and all the supporters was a vivid memory that I’ll never forget.
“For the players themselves and the staff, it was just such an unbelievable rollercoaster, it was just really, really good to be part of the whole thing. It went in a flash. I just did my best to make sure I took in every moment.”
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Epakis is preparing for his fourth campaign as Glory head coach – but this season, he’s joined at the club by three new faces who shared the experience of coaching the Philippines through the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
Stajcic is the biggest off-season arrival at the club; the former Matildas and Central Coast Mariners men’s boss, who took the Philippines to a maiden Women’s World Cup and orchestrated a famous victory over co-hosts New Zealand, is in charge of Glory’s Isuzu UTE A-League Men’s outfit.
His Philippines assistant Nahuel Arrarte has taken the same position under Stajcic in Perth. Stevan Antonic, former Philippines performance analyst, has done the same.
Epakis believes that working so closely with Stajcic through the World Cup has created a unique environment at Glory, with the men’s and women’s football departments more interconnected than he’s ever seen.
“It’s not something I have heard of,” Epakis says.
“He’s really focused on the A-League Men just like I am with the women’s team, but there’s a lot of crossover between him and I. We talk once a day, whether it’s in the corridors or in each other’s office or on the phone, we’ve got a really strong working relationship and I’m really benefiting from that.
“It’s a really strong bond and I have so much respect for (Stajcic), both as a person as a coach.
“(The World Cup) probably came at the most perfect time in my coaching career. I’ve been a head coach for eight years and I’ve been lucky to have some really good mentors, but it’s not very often as a head coach (that) you get the opportunity to work under another head coach and cross-check your processes.
“He’s a benchmark coach in the country. Just to be able to do that and observe his processes was really eye-opening.”
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Epakis approached both Cowart and Quezada with the prospect of joining Perth shortly after the Philippines’ group-stage exit of the World Cup.
Quezada sits second on the list of her countries’ all-time goalscorers. Cowart is a dynamic defender and midfielder who does it all for the Philippines.
They both said yes to Epakis in a heartbeat.
Walking through the halls of their new club, thousands of kilometres from home, Quezada finds comfort in the familiar faces she encounters every day.
“I didn’t know when Alex approached me that Alen, ‘Naz’ (Arrarte) and ‘Smiley’ (Antonic) were going to come over and be part of the men’s team,” Quezada said.
“I had that in the back of my mind when I made the decision. But the decision as a whole was an easy one, it really was.
“They’re definitely still a huge part of our lives. Even when we’re in the Philippines camp they’ll message us their best wishes. Seeing them here passing by, we’ll stop by and have a chat about anything. It’s always a good time seeing them.”
Quezada lives in a sharehouse with Cowart, as well as Grace Jale and Millie Farrow – all four of Epakis’ international recruits in 2023-24. Cowart and Quezada admit their first intention was to live alone in Perth, but they’ve since relished the company of both Jale and Farrow.
Both Filipinas wear a broad smile when they mention that Jale, a New Zealand international, was on the losing side of their World Cup clash just months before they became teammates in Perth
“It takes me back to a college house,” says Quezada. “Right now we’re really into painting. We went to Kmart and got the paint-by-numbers canvases, so that’s keeping us very occupied at the moment.
“It’s comforting but also really nice to have a shared experience with someone else.”
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Quezada and Cowart are both preparing to make their debuts in the Liberty A-League, following the lead of Philippines internationals Sarina Bolden, Jaclyn Sawicki and Angie Beard by testing themselves Down Under.
Last season, Filipinos flocked to Western Sydney games to catch a glimpse of Bolden flying around the Wanderers’ attack. In Melbourne, the same phenomenon was occurring as Western United flew up the table with both Sawicki and Beard playing key roles for the new Liberty A-League club.
This season, the Philippines takeover has crossed the country, and Glory’s two new recruits expect the mania to transform the stands at Macedonia Park to a sea of red, white and blue.
“For Filipinos, it’s always been known that basketball is the national sport. But I think we surprised people with just how much support there is for women’s soccer,” says Cowart.
“It’s crazy. Any little thing that happens is the next big story. There’s such a big Filipino population here too, so they were super excited to have us come here and move here.
“The support at the World Cup was outrageous. It was insane. There were times is felt like we were in Manila, with how many fans were there cheering us on, following us and giving us their support.
“Just being there felt like a one-in-a million thing, and then scoring a goal feels like another one – and then winning a game was just the cherry on top. It made the experience all the more exciting and special. After that, you saw just how much of an impact football, and especially women’s football, has on the country.”
“Filipinos are everywhere, it’s crazy,” adds Quezada.
“They’re loud, they will make their presence known. And I think the best thing about Filipinos is they’ll come into any community and make it their home. Having Jaclyn (Sawicki), Sarina (Bolden), and everyone in the A-League, the fans going to take it over.
“Especially here with ‘JC’ and I, they will definitely celebrate, they will cheer for the A-League now as well. Even when it was only Jaclyn, Sarina and Angie here they were like: ‘We need more Filipinas in the league!’ And on social media, they’d just go crazy about the A-League or any team that posts about us. So we definitely have their support no matter what.
“I hope to see them all at Macedonia Park. I feel like the community of Filipinos online has heard about us being in Perth, so I’m excited to see the turnout – and I hope it will be huge!”
James and Perth Glory begin the Liberty A-League campaign at home to Western United on Saturday, October 14.
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