MANILA, Philippines -- Scott Cooper has signed a contract extension with the Philippine Football Federation (PFF), and is set to guide the Philippine Azkals for the foreseeable future.

Cooper, who has previously coached teams in Thailand and Indonesia, has kept the Azkals in contention in the Asian Cup and World Cup joint qualifiers.

PFF president Mariano "Nonong" Araneta commended Cooper for the strides that the Azkals have made under his watch.

"I think the team has improved under him, and we look forward to him taking the team to another level," he said.

Cooper took over as head coach of the Azkals in September 2018 on an interim basis, stepping down when Sven-Goran Eriksson briefly took over the post for the 2019 Asian Cup. He returned to his post as head coach in January 2019.

The Philippines is currently in third place in Group A of the joint qualifiers, with seven points.

Syria is on top of the group with 15 points, while China also has seven points, but is ahead on goal differential.

Cooper guided the Philippines to a goalless draw against China in October 2019 -- an impressive result that set them up well for future matches.

However, the qualifying tournament was postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.