Raging Bulls

For me one of the success stories of last season's SLeague was the return of Tanjong Pagar. They officially add United to their name but that's plain daft. United with what?

Anyway, they got thumped by all and sundry but they also had a real go at some of the bigger teams and earned themselves a handful of good results with such a young squad. OK, it was 12 games before they got their first win and they only won three games but they did give a good account of themselves.

This time round they have already won four games half way through the season. And they have managed just 11 goals this season in their 17 games.

But on Friday they travelled to Choa Chu Kang Stadium, a venue where home team SAFFC once went yonks unbeaten, and won 1-0!

Yes SAFFC are a pale shadow of those heady days and yes they had Noh Rahman red carded. But it doesn't matter. What matters is Tanjong Pagar earned themselves a famous victory.

I bet they thoroughly enjoyed the coach trip back after the game!

Global Fc sign German

Global FC has signed midfielder Kevin Capolei from Germany

His previous club was TuS Sachsenhausen.

He is a friend of fil-German and Global FC player Patrick Reichelt

Transfermarkt

Springdale starts strong in Milo Olympics

DESPITE fielding a relatively young lineup, Paref Springdale is starting strong in the secondary football event of the Milo Little Olympics Visayas Finals, routing Blessed John XXIII, 8-0, yesterday at the Cebu City Sports Center.

�Most of my players are Under 14s because we really lost a lot of players,� said Springdale coach Mario Ceniza, who is coaching in his first tournament after the lifting of his three-year ban by the Cebu Football Association.



But despite the age disparity, Springdale looked good in their debut yesterday, running roughshod over a struggling BJS squad, needing only two minutes to get the first goal.

Ryan James Haosen redirected Pericles Dakay Jr.�s cross past Martin Ubas for the first attempt and first goal, while Sabin Veloso flirted with a second goal in the 10th, but his quick turn and shot kissed the crossbar.

But lady luck smiled on Springdale anew as it had two quick goals in the 12th and 14th.  A BJS defender redirected Dakay�s corner to their own net and before they could recover, Veloso finally got on the scoresheet with a wicked shot from left flank to make it 3-0. 

In the 22nd, it was Dakay�s turn to hit the cross bar but three minutes later, Dakay found an unmarked Haosen who got his second goal in a simple tap-in.  In the 27th, Haosen could have gotten his hat trick but his effort from right flank just sailed a few feet wide.

If BJS expected Springdale to take it easy in the second half, they were wrong.  Enzo Ceniza�whose sleek passing from midfield caused headaches for the BJS defense�got on the score sheet, while Dakay Jr. completed a second half hat trick for the final score.

The win earned Springdale the right to face the winner between the University of San Carlos and Bright Academy for a spot in the next round.  Bright earlier routed Woodridge Academy, 8-0.

Also yesterday, Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu banked on Andrew Joseph Pelikano�s three goals to rout Look National High School, 4-0, with four players from Look getting ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct.  Sacred Heart will face the winner between Compostela and MTI in the next round. MTI got off a strong start last Wednesay with a 12-0 win over Talisay. In the other games, CIC-Mandaue routed St. Joseph, 6-0, University of Southern Philippines Foundation blanked St. Thomas 2-0; and Maria Montessori International School beat Bankal National High School, 4-1.

In the next round, CIC-Mandaue will face Abellana National School with the winner taking on MMIS, while USPF was set to take on defending champion and football powerhouse Don Bosco Technological Center.

In the Elementary Division, Sacred Heart School-Hijas routed Stl Joseph, 4-0, while Woodridge got past by City Central School, 3-2, and Springdale blanked CIC-Mandaue, 3-0.

Team Phil routs Team James

Karl Decena, InterAKTV

Philippine football star Phil Younghusband edged his brother James in their first encounter against each other, firing three goals to carry Team Phil to a 5-1 victory over Team James in the CLEAR Dream Match Saturday night at the University of Makati.

The younger Younghusband scored the first goal of the match, finding the back of the net at the 18th minute to give his team the early lead.

Phil continued his rampage moments after, firing a goal from outside the box to put his team up 2-0 at the 22nd minute.

Ossenyou Diop then scored at the 42nd minute to cap the first half dominance of Team Phil, which grabbed a comfortable 3-0 cushion at the half.

Team James trimmed the lead at the start of the second half courtesy of a goal by its captain in the 62nd minute.

But Team Phil quickly countered as Yannick Tuason of Kaya FC scored at the 71st minute.

Phil then sealed the victory for his team after bagging a hat trick at extra time.

Despite starring in the match, Phil still lauded his teammates for the victory.

�We had a very good mixture of players who played very well,� Phil said.

James, meanwhile, remained proud of his team despite the loss.

�We still played well today. We kept fighting, but it wasn�t enough,� James said.

Apart from seeing celebrities and football stars play in the match, fans were also treated by a performance by singer Rico Blanco during the halftime break.

After the match, CLEAR handed awards to players who stood out in the charity match. Loyola Meralco Sparks player and Team Phil member Park Min Ho won the Most Valuable Player award, while teammate Saba Garmaroudi of Kaya bagged the Best Goalkeeper award.

Yves Ashime of Pachanga, also from Team Phil, bagged the Best Defender award, while teammate Eric Tai of Philippine Volcanoes got the People�s Choice award.

Team James player Mikko Mabanag of Ateneo football team, meanwhile, got the Best Midfielder award.

Proceeds of the celebrity football match go to Tuloy sa Don Bosco Foundation in Alabang.

Interaksyon

Fair Play: Cebu eyed as Challenge Cup host?

TO MY non-Cebuano friends, perhaps you should start practicing these simple phrases, "Sa San Carlos bay�metro ta 'noy...usa ka set bay, kanang bugnaw."

I had no idea when the inspection by the Philippine Football Federation officials for the Cebu City Sports Center field was supposed to be last Saturday, so, I just tried my luck and went there at 2 p.m.


I missed it, of course, but, I got some juicy bits from the folks who were present during the inspection.

The field's OK and needs just some minor adjustments.  Ricky Ballesteros said they've also identified the designated dressing rooms, officials quarters and media room.  I also suggested that instead of putting the media section at the grandstand,  to put the reporters in the badminton area, just beyond the goal line since that could accommodate 200 reporters or more.

Unlike what I experienced at Rizal Memorial Stadium for the Kuwait vs. Philippines home game, the reporters won�t be crammed, everyone would have ample room, and a desk for their laptops. And for the nervous types, they can spend time puffing away their nervousness in the badminton court. 

But that's not what the most interesting thing I heard that Saturday.

It seems they were inspecting the field not just for the Nov. 16 tournament but for an even bigger one.

"They also mentioned a bigger tournament, one week, not just one day," Ballesteros said.

And stupid me assumed they briefly disccussed the Paulino Alcantara cup, which Bacolod will host next month.  That tournament, was offered to Cebu during the initial discussions that led to the Nov. 16 friendly, but that didn't push through because of the limited time.

It turns out that "bigger tournament" wasn't the Paulino Alcantara Cup, but, guess this, the Challenge Cup.

Yes sir, yes ma'am, the Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup, the tournament where the Philippines won its first football medal.

"So the Nov. 16 game will serve as a test for the Challenge Cup hosting," Ballesteros said.

Would it be for the qualifiers or the Challenge cup finals itself? Both of which, the PFF plans to bid on?  I have no idea, but a four-team qualifiers could be the perfect next step for Cebu.

We have the Cebu City Sports Center field and the soon-to-be-finished University of San Carlos Football Stadium.  Practice venues? No problem!  We have the Don Bosco field in Liloan, the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu field and the Aboitiz Sports Field and all three are easy to secure.

Best of all, Cebu's got all the hotels and there are direct international flights--our distinct advantages over Bacolod--and after the Nov. 16 game, I hope we can all say that we have the crowd support, too.

The CCSC field is perfect for visting fans, within a 20-minute walking distance of the venue, there are hotels and pension houses of all types--from the seedy ones, to the brand new ones, to the Crown towers.  Take your pick. (Next week, I'll come up with a list, with all the necessary details for those fans who want to book their rooms).

And it's Cebu, fans who want to do a lot of non-footie related activites before or after the game can have their fill.

So, my dear friends, please practice this--"Sa San Carlos bay.. metro ta 'noy...usa ka set bay, kanang bugnaw."

Clear Dream Match today : Team Phil 5-1 Team James

Clear Dream Match , a celebrity/charity match  between Team Phil Younghusband and Team James Younghusband will be played today at 8 pm at UMAK stadium, Manila

Live on AKTV .

Official livestream link


Team Phil : 
PYH, Ashime, Dorlas, Tuason, Saba, Armand, Park Minho, Cortina, Jung Byung Yeol, Anto Gonzalez, Diop

Team James : 
JYH, Durian, Rudy del Rosario, Romero, Bocobo, Cuaresma, Anton del Rosario, Burkey, Raymark Fernandez, Santiago, Batisla-Ong.


22 Min 1-0 Team Phil. Phil Younghusband
26 min 2-0 Team Phil. Phil Younghusband
37 min 3-0 Team Phil  Diop

3-0 HT

62 min 3-1 Team James, James Younghusband
71 min 4-1 Team Phil, Yannick Tuason

94 min 5-1 Team Phil. Phil Younghusband

Limpag: Will Cebu pass its Nov. 16 test?

By Mike T. Limpag

Fair Play

Friday, August 24, 2012

NOW that the Nov. 16 friendly between the Philippines and Singapore is final, the two most pressing questions for fans are these--how much will the tickets cost and where can I buy one?

As early as a month ago, when this story broke, some fans were already asking, �where can we get tickets?� while hoping that these won�t be that expensive.

I�m sure this will be one of the things the Cebu Football Association is considering and I am pretty confident that their concern will be filling the stands, rather than raking in the sales. For an event of this magnitude, I don�t think you recoup your investment through ticket sales, but through the stories of the fans and players who will travel all the way to Cebu and tell all their fans and friends how much they enjoyed it.

So how much should the tickets be? P1,000, P500, or P300? I don�t know, really, but what I hope the organizers would do is offer the more expensive tickets first, at least a month before the event. That way, folks who are not from Cebu--and, judging from experience, fans who travel are always the first to buy them--can secure the their tickets before booking their flights and hotels.

The sales of the expensive tickets, too, could be a gauge for the organizers to whether offer the rest of the seats at a cheaper rate or at the cheap rate they intended it to be.

For a couple of years now, fans have been hoping for an Azkals game here, �Sus kung sa Cebu pa ni giduwa,� and now that we have our chance, let�s not miss this for the world.

Remember the two �ifs� that Dan Palami said the other month.

If the hosting is a success and if the Azkals make the Suzuki Cup semifinals this December, we could host it. Besides, has work on the Rizal Memorial Stadium started?

By the way, it�s great to see the change of attitude the Cebu City Sports Center management has when it comes to the football field. I remember in 2000, while doing a story on how poorly-maintained and dangerous to players it was, I and a photographer did a walkthrough at high noon. We wanted to know how much crap we could gather in one walkthrough and there were plenty�pieces of glass, nails, barbecue stick, sharp rocks and metals and what-have-you.

Now, CCSC manager Ricky Ballesteros announced a couple of weeks ago that he wants the use of the field regulated. And that should be the case because we don�t want to become the city-without-a-pitch, again.

The Nov. 16 game will be Cebu�s test�not just the CFA�s or Cebu City�s�and I hope everybody will pitch in to make sure Cebu passes the test.

www.cebufootball.blogspot.com)

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on August 25, 2012.