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.

Bacolod United, Jakalz post opening wins in VFL

By Jerome S. Galunan Jr.

Last season�s runner-up Bacolod United FC and Jakalz booked their first winson Saturday in the opener of the 2nd Visayas Football League (VFL)/Gov. Alfredo G. Mara�on Jr. Cup at the Panaad Park and Stadium in Barangay Mansilingan, Bacolod City.

Bacolod United demolished Kabankalan City FC, 10-1 in Division 1 behind Jimuel Ariola, Carlo Tacusalme and Marcelo Desucatan�s pairs of goals.

Kabankalan FC had the first nodwith Paul Dionzon nailing the match�s first goal in the very 1st minute of the game for a 1-nil lead. But, striker Ariola opened Bacolod United�s scoring tally with a goal in the 3rd minute as Tacusalme sent two consecutive goals in the 11th and 15th minutes of the match whileDesucatan converted another in the 18th minute for a 4-1 advantage.

Eight minutes later, Joven Bedic joined Bacolod United scoring after hitting a goal in the 26th minute as Desucatan scored his second in the 36th minute and Jalsor Soriano scored the team�s seventh goal with one minute injury time to give his team a 7-1 lead at the break.

The southern squad tried to improve their offense and tightened their defense in the second half but it was not enough as the Bacolod United broke the lane for more goals in the later part of the match.

In the 74th minute, Ariola scored his second and his team�s eighth goal as Nicolas Kalalang and Gregg Gustilo nailed two goals in the 84th and 89th minutes to seal the win.

In the second match, Jakalz blasted Escalante City FC in Division 2, 5-1. Last year�s �Golden Boot Awardee� Jayme Poderoso led Jackalz alongside John Winston with pairs of goals.

Poderoso, as expected, played aggressive in the opening minutes of the match as he nailed his team�s first goal in the 17th minute to post 1-nil lead.

However, Daniel Ramos evened the match as he scored in the 36th minute to end the half at 1-goal apiece. Both squads tightened their respective defenses as they prevented any goal attempt from both ends.

But in the 54th minute, Michael Pacite stunned the Escalante back four as he sliced though the defense to nail Jackalz�s second goal. Ahead by a goal, Jackalz gained the momentum as Poderoso sent another goal in the 56th minute as the squad extended their lead at 3-1.

With the time winding up, John Winston scored two more goals in the 85th and 90th minute to end the match with 4 goals difference. A total of 19 teams are competing in two divisions of the 2ndVFL/Gov. Alfredo G. Mara�on Jr. Cup.

Ten squads are competing in Division 1, led by reigning first runner-up Bacolod United, Sagay City FC, Real Negrense FC, Atletico Bago FC, Minuluan Talisay FC, Football Club de La Carlota, Don Bosco Alumni, Cadiz City FC and Kabankalan City FC.

Meanwhile, nine teams battle each other in Division 2, namely, Magallon United FC, Escalante City FC, Victorias City FC, Silver Dragon FC, Bank of Philippine Islands FC, Jakalz FC, Football Club de Bacolod and Bat-us./

WDJ

Thursday--- August 24th, 2012

Matty V. has a story about Massachusetts Lt. Governor Tim Murry's visit with the team . In many states, the state university moving to FBS would be a state holiday, but we have to be glad with what we get.

In contrast: an Oklahoma kinder-gardener is told by his school administrators that he can't wear a Michigan sweatshirt because they only allow Oklahoma or Oklahoma State gear.

Michigan responds.

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Harry Plumer of MassLive has another "sorta" depth chart article.

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East Coast Bias offers a not very insightful preview of the UMass-UConn game.

Sports Chat Place says Lyle McCombs will run all over the UMass defense. BTW, turn your speakers off.

Desmond Connor does a better job for the Hartford Courant. Note that UConn Coach Paul Pasqualoni continues to say positive things about UMass.

An annual UMass-UConn game would be great for New England and the fans of both schools. It just makes sense. Hopefully, both schools AD's will make it happen.

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The UMass Medical School employees get some freebies.

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The Patriot-ledger mentions Khary Bailey-Smith

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The MAC Blog "Hustle Belt" readers pick UMass to go 0-8 in their first season in the league.

The MAC Daily looks at Akron--- new coach, new attitude.

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Ohio loses preseason All-Conference Travis Carrie for the season.

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Josh Samuda gets the rookie treatment from the Dolphins veterans (hear end of the article).

Apparently, that's the new thing in rookie hazing (link may not be work safe)

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Jeromy Miles is making a strong push to be the starting safety for the Bengals. Stories here and here.

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UFL - 2012/13 Season

FROM UFL :

URGENT ANNOUNCEMENT:


All clubs who are interested to participate in the 2012/13 UFL Football Season are requested to submit the following on or before Tuesday, 28 August 2012, to wit:


1) Letter of Intent - addressed to The Executive Committee of the United Football League

2) Club profile and background


Kindly note that there are only EIGHT (8) slots available for new clubs. Clubs will be evaluated and assessed by the Executive Committee and it (ExComm) will make the final selection of the EIGHT (8) clubs.


Kindly email the documents to uflphilippines@yahoo.com.

Fair Play: Will Cebu pass Nov. 16 test?

(This is my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu for Saturday, Aug. 25)
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 saying, I hope it 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.

I RAN MY PART. If you still haven�t signed up, today�s your last chance to do so for the 8 p.m. Run for the Flood Victims at the Cebu Doctors� University. 

This fund-raising effort is organized by Dr. Potenciano �Yong� Larrazabal III and will cost you P300�just a couple of expensive coffees or a set of your favorite beer?

By the way, Bobby Lozada, the guy who had an unhappy experience in the other day, sent me an e-mail, hoping to put a closure in his experience.

Bobby wrote, �Seriously? A three-hour, 30-minute cutoff for the 7th University 25K run? Is a 3H cutoff for a 21k half marathon being eyed? I leave that to the Cebuano runners to decide. However, let me put a closure to this episode. I will donate P10,000.00 to the Run For Flood Victims and run the 8th University Run, if it will be announced that it will still have the same 3:30 cutoff and that it will be strictly imposed.�

I hope only for one thing�that Bobby and technical director Joel Baring get to meet today to iron out whatever differences they�ve had over last Sunday�s race and for Bobby to hand in his P10,000 �registration fee� and enjoy tonight�s run.

Indonesia Compete In Vietnam Under 21

Vietnam is forever hosting age group competitions; so many I can't keep track of them all. However Indonesia will be competing in one of them!

The Thanh Nien Tournament will be held in Gia Lai in October and according to ASEAN Football Indonesia will compete alongside Malaysia, Singapore, Iraq and Syria. I presume the hosts will also be taking part.

The Thais have also been invited but not yet replied. It does seem that Thailand, so long the dominant power in the region, have all but give up on international football; a consequence of a popular, and politicaly strong, domestic league.

SLeague's Blankety Blank Return

After a month's hiatus, when the League Cup and the League Plate took centre stage, the real action returned to Singapore last night with a couple of games.

Leaders Albirex Niigata were held 0-0 by Home United while Balestier Khalsa and Geylang United emulated that score at Toa Payoh.

1 - Albirex Niigata 18 11 4 3 28-16 37
2 - Tampines Rovers 16 11 2 3 33-15 35
3 - DPMM Brunei 16 10 2 4 33-17 32
4 - Home United 18 9 5 4 36-23 32

17 - Frederic Mendy (Home United)
9 - Shotara Ihata (Home United), Jordan Webb (Hougang United), Mislav Karoglan (SAFFC)
8 - Shahrezan Said (DPMM), Jozef Kaplan (Geylang United), Aleksander Duric (Tampines Rovers)

Busy September For Indonesia

05/09 Espanyol B
10/09 North Korea
15/09 Vietnam
22/09 Vietnam (A)
26/09 Brunei

Thai League Cup

Thai Port v Muang Thong United 0-2
Bangkok Glass v Chiang Rai United 3-1
Suphanburi v BEC Tero 1-3
TOT v TTM Chiang Mai 3-0
Ratchburi v Pattaya United 1-0
Pattani v Wuachon United 0-1
Samut Prakan United v Buriram United 0-1
Customs United v Chonburi 0-2

Quarter Final Draw

Buriram United v BEC Tero
Bangkok Glass v Chonburi
Wuachon United v Ratchburi
Muang Thong United v TOT

Ties to be played home and away early September.

Malaysian Youth Signs For Italian Team

A 15 year-old Malaysian footballer, Sean Gan Giannelli, will join Italian Club Atletico Arezzo's Under-17 team in the Tuscany region on Aug 20 after having impressed the club's coaches and technical staff.

Sean, who is of Italian-Malaysian parentage, is a student of Bukit Jalil Sports School and trains and plays with the Under-17 Bukit Jalil squad, the feeder squad of the Malaysian national team.

His father, Massimo, told Bernama from Milan that he was proud of his son's progress in the sport as he is the first Malaysian to enter Italy's youth football club system after attending trials in June.

"He is a very ambitious young man and his goal in life is to play professional football at the highest level in Europe and from what he has achieved so far, the sky is the limit," he said, adding that he was now making preparations for Sean's stay in Italy.

He said Sean, a striker, impressed with his pace and technical skills at Arezzo, a Serie D club now led by head coach Abel Balbo, a former Argentinian national player who had played alongside soccer legend Maradona.

Balbo, who had scored 150 goals in Italy's Serie A as a striker, had played with AS Roma, Udinese, Fiorentina, Parma and Boca Juniors.

SOURCE - Malay Mail

Malaysia Cup First Games

PKNS v Johor 1-1
Johor FC v LionsX11 0-0
Kedah v ATM 0-2
Terengganu v Kelantan 2-0
Felda United v Negeri Sembilan 1-1
Sime Darby v Perak 1-1
Pahang v T Team 3-2
Sarawak v Selangor 2-1

FIFA Tell Si Sa Ket Pay Up

FIFA have actually made a decision. Nope, it's not April Fool's Day.

Like much of South East Asia, Thai club Si Sa Ket have been dicking FIFA round for a pretty long time. They were ordered to pay former coach David Booth $225,000 back in February but of course they never bothered. (Complete story can be found here).

Now FIFA have decreed Si Sa Ket must pay 483,000 Thai Baht or face being deducted six points. If they fail to pay then the club will be automatically relegated.

Good luck to Booth, who is now coaching Phnom Penh Crown, getting his money back. But aren't FIFA's threats all a bit hollow? Do Si Sa Ket even exist anymore?

FIFA have shown in the past they are all piss and wind when it comes to South East Asian nations; with the exception of Brueni who they suspended but then they are a tiny country and no one goes there for holidays.

The Indonesian FA have been happily ignoring FIFA for several years and the world's governing body have done nothing beyond send some stern letters.

What makes anyone think this will be any different?

Negros Hermanas bags Girls U16 bootfest crown

By Jerome S. Galunan Jr.


The home-squad Negros Hermanas swept all its opponents to grab the crown in the just-concluded Girls� U16 Invitational Football Tournament played August 20-21, at the Panaad Park and Stadium in Bacolod City.
The Negros Hermanas booked its first win against Negros Oriental Football Association, 2-1, courtesy of Negrenses� Johanna Martinez and Thea Claire Concepcion�s goals.
The Negrenses posted their second victory after defeating San Carlos City FC, 3-1, on the three goals from Michaela de Asis, before blasting Foundation University, 4-1, with De Asis scoring 2 goals, and shares from Chelo Marie Hodges and Johanna Martinez.
De Asis wasn�t done yet as she scored her sixth goal in the tournament to give Negros Hermanas its fourth on a 1-nil triumph over Rizal Football Association.
The Negros Hermanas is bannered by De Asis, Hodges, Concepcion, Martinez, Carmz Gaviola, Irish Navaja, Trixie Faith Jalbuena, Janna Lagman, Cathleen del Castillo, Mariane Ruiz, Tashka Lacson, Margie Centina, Maria Christine Duran, Jenelyn Cerbito, Angelica Suspene, Marielle Eusebio, Ivy Lopez and keeper Katherine Montelibano.
Meanwhile, a close camp of Top 30 Elite Team will be held on October 23, revealed National Girls U16 team manager Rafael Lizares. He added that players who will be selected from the recently-ended tourney will form part of the Philippine Girls U16 squad who will compete in the upcoming Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Girls� U16 Qualifier on November 5 to 12 in Manila. The Philippines is grouped with the teams from Australia, Thailand and Myanmar./

WDJ

UMass Depth chart for UConn

UPDATE:  The 2012 roster is up.

UPDATE II: Ahhh, maybe somebody from football needs to compare notes with whoever is working on the roster. It does not list Blake Lucas or Rob O'Connor and most of the recruits and transfers have no bios.

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Matty V. has a post on UMass' depth chart for the UConn game.

The following is a cut-and-past from part of the article with links added by me.

"Offense

QB- Mike Wegzyn - A.J. Doyle will back him up.

WR- Alan Williams - He'll also play some running back, but he's a starter at receiver
WR - Deion Walker and Tajae Sharpe are still battling a bit to see who'll start, but both will play.
WR - Marken Michel - No surprise here.
TE - Rob Blanchflower - Derek Beck will be the No. 2 at least until Brandon Howard is healthy

RB - Chris Burns, Michael Cox and Jamar Smith are all in the mix to play at running back, which one will start has yet to be determined.

"Jamar Smith has really come on in the last couple of days," Molnar said. "He put himself in the competition. He deserves to have a shot to run out there for the first snaps against UConn."

C - Quinton Sales
Tackle - Nick Speller, Jamie Cassleberry and Stephane Milhim will all play tackle, which ones will start is uncertain.
Guards - If Milhim doesn't start at tackle, he'll start at guard. John Wallace and Michael Boland are competing for the other. Both will play.

DEFENSE

"We're rotating eight guys for the four spots on the defensive line. The four healthiest guys will probably start," Molnar said.

DE  - Stanley Andre, Ryan DeLaire, Kevin Byrne, Brandon Potvin will all see the field in some rotation.
DT - Chaz Thompson, Galen Clemons, Hafis Williams and Daniel Maynes - Same as at end.

LB - Perry McIntyre, Tom Brandt, Greg Hilliard will start. - Tim Brandt. D.J. Adeoba. Jovan Santo-Knox. Rob O'Connor, Leo Krizanovic could all see the field.

S - Darren Thellen, Christian Birt - Ed Saint-Vil is a likely backup here.
CB - Randall Jette and Antoine Tharpe will start. Trey Dudley Giles and D'Metrius Williams will play. "I can see all three of those guys playing."

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Some surprise missing names: Chad Hunte (58 TT in 2011) and Anthony Dima (11 games played in 2011). Hurt?

Eleven transfers or true freshmen mentioned in the above depth chart, if I counted right.

Dream match slated

Brothers James and Phil Younghusband become rivals as Clear Philippines holds the first-ever Clear Dream Match on Saturday at the University of Makati football field.
The match will feature some of the best players from the United Football League, members of the Philippine national team, some of the country�s best collegiate players, and celebrities.
The Clear Dream Match was launched last June 25. Fans chose from an all-star ballot of 60 players through the event�s Facebook page. The list was trimmed to 40 players who will form two teams that will meet for the Dream Match.
Each team will be captained by the Younghusband brothers.
Team Phil�s roster includeS Saba Gamaroudi (Kaya FC), Park Minho (Loyola Meralco Sparks), Yves Ashime (Pachanga FC), Roxy Dorlas (Loyola Meralco Sparks), Armand Del Rosario (Kaya FC), Eric Tai, Fabio Ide (Team Socceroo), Rafael Rosell, Paolo Bediones, Daniel Matsunaga (Team Socceroo), Tony Toni, Yannick Tuason, Davide Cortina (Loyola Meralco Sparks), Byeong Jeong Yeol (Loyola Meralco Sparks), Dexter Versario (Loyola Meralco Sparks), Janrick Soriano (Pachanga FC), Alvin Ocampo (Green Archers), Oussenyou Diop (Pachanga FC), Paulus Reyes (Team Socceroo) and Micheal Menzee.

Team James consists of Anton Del Rosario (Kaya FC), Nate Burkey (Kaya FC), Pat Bocobo (Green Archers), Jonah Romero (Kaya FC), Patrick Deyto (Green Archers), Rudy Del Rosario, Eric Dagroh (Kaya FC), Andrew Wolff, Marvin Kiefer, Jolo Durian, Jake Cuenca (Team Socceroo), Slick Rick, MikkoMabanag (Ateneo), Patrick Ozaeta (Loyola Meralco Sparks), Raymark Fernandez (Diliman FC), Ronald Ong (Pachanga), Andrew Santiago (Diliman FC), NicoBolzico (Kaya FC), Steven Silva (Team Socceroo) and Ref Cuaresma (Loyola Meralco Sparks).

Malaya

Phl to bid for AFC Challenge hosting

By Olmin Leyba

The Philippines wants to bring the AFC Challenge Cup � the tournament that served as venue for the Azkals� milestone bronze medal last March � to local shores.
�We will bid for the hosting of one of the qualifying group stages of the Challenge Cup somewhere between the periods March 2-17, 2013,� Philippine Football Federation Nonong Araneta said yesterday.
The qualifiers will feature a bunch of four nations playing in a single round robin (league system) with the top two teams advancing to the Challenge Cup�s final round in 2014.
�And if we do qualify for the final, we will also bid to host it in 2014,� said Araneta.
The Azkals hope to take advantage of the homecourt edge to boost their chances in the bootfest among developing football nations, with the end goal of possibly reaching the 2015 Asian Cup. Champion of the 2014 Challenge Cup gets rewarded with a spot to the top-tier competition against the likes of reigning titlist Japan and powerhouses Australia and South Korea.
In the last Challenge Cup, the Azkals had to go through playoff for a place in the qualifying stage, beating Mongolia on aggregate, 3-2. They then placed second to Palestine in Group A to reach the final round in Nepal, where they surprised the field with victories over former champs India and Takijistan to advance to the semis.
After losing to Turkmenistan in the semis, the Pinoys beat Palestine for a rare podium finish for Phl football

philstar

Recruiting 2013-- Jude Brenya

NJ.com says Jude Brenya, a 6-3 235 pound DE has verbaled to Old Dominion.

Brenya chose Old Dominion over offers from UMass and four FCS schools.

Thursday---August 23rd, 2012

One week to the start of FBS football!

Matty V. has an interesting story about Coach Molnar's path to UMass.

Matty also has a daily run is a necessary part of Coach Molnar's day. Former UMass head coaches Jimmie Reid and Kevin Morris liked to have a daily run. I don't remember if Coach Brown ran.

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MassLive's Harry Plumer has a feature on Freshman receiver Tajae Sharpe's FBI.

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NCAA football, no less, has a UMass football preview.

They also preview UConn and say the Huskies may contend for the Big East title.

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iSportsWeb.com says Michigan will steamroll the Minutemen.

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The Sun Sententile thinks Josh Samuda has made the Miami Dolphins roster.

Samuda is the #2 center on the Dolphins depth chart.

This article features Samuda.

Image credit unknown

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Meet the new fans, same as the old ones?

Steve Addazio talks in front of a girl in a dunk tank, while the Diamond Marching Band sounds better than ever in the background.

For at least the third time this summer, representatives of the Temple football team reached out to the Temple football fans.
It's now high time for the Temple football fans to reach out to the Temple football team.
If one thing is critical for Temple's success in the new Big East, it's that the 271,000 living Temple alumni (we'll give the dead ones a pass) embrace these wonderful representatives of Temple University.
Temple's good name is riding on these guys and, ultimately, us.
Wayne Hardin once said that for Temple to fill the stadium, it will have to do so with Temple people. He pointed out then that there were 135,000 living alumni, 30,000 students, 12,500 fulltime employees.
Now the numbers are 271K and 39K for students and about the same number of employees as back in the Hardin days.
Looks like the "Joe Philadelphia" fans will be clinging to the Eagles for awhile but the "Temple people" have a more exciting and more local team to root for so they should do it.
While we need the old standby fans, the ones you see in Lot K every weekend, we need an infusion of new blood, too.
With an event in Ocean City, one in New York City, one in Los Angeles even, Steve Addazio has been reaching out to those fans for needed support.
Yesterday's event was a "kill-two-birds-with-one-stone" deal at Xfinity Live.
Media Day (canceled earlier due to Garrett Reid's passing) combined with the scheduled Fan Fest.
From all accounts, a good time was had by all.
Because my 2004 Chevy Cavalier kicked my butt before inspection yesterday ($683.50 for a front bumper at Classic Auto Worxx and $385 for rear breaks; don't ever park in a Walmart lot), I was unable to attend. I did get around to an event in New York City and, of course, got a healthy dose of Vitamin A at the season-ticket holders party.
So the old Chevy is now fully inspected and ready for the season.
That's when I'm most needed as a fan and when Temple's fans, both old and new, are most needed.
One week to go.
The Villanova game attendance will send an early message to the Big East that our fans our ready. It could be the usual 32K but an upgrade in the 35-37K area would send that message. Villanova returned more tickets than ever this season, so it will have to be all Temple fans (as usual in this four-game series).
Let's pack the house, get loud and stand more than sit this year.

Bernard Who?

Villanova (and Rutgers and South Florida, among others) have never seen anything like Montel Harris.


What can be said about Montel Harris that hasn't already been said?
We all know the facts, that Harris was the second-leading rusher in the HISTORY of the ACC, that he was LAST YEAR'S runaway choice for Preseason Player of the Year in that same conference, that he once ran for 252 yards and five touchdowns in a 52-28 win over North Carolina State and had 22 games of over 100 yards against ACC teams such as Florida State, Virginia Tech and Miami.
Much bigger-time teams than even the ones he will be facing in the Big East.

David Wilson and Luke Kuechly were first-round NFL picks.
Danny O'Brien is the starting QB at Wisconsin. Few considered
them nearly as good as Montel Harris in the ACC media poll.

All I was interested in finding out Tuesday during a media sitdown with the new Temple running back (and quite possibly this year's Big East Player of the Year) was finding out if Montel Harris was 100 percent because, if he is, he will make people forget Bernard Pierce.
No bigger Bernard Pierce fan than me but, as good as Pierce was (and still is), a healthy Harris is better.
There's a lot of empirical evidence out there to suggest that. Harris had more yards in a much higher level of football playing roughly the same number of games as Pierce did.
Harris says he's 100 percent. I believe him.
If that holds up, people might be saying Bernard Who if not by September, then certainly by October.
He says he's fine and so does head coach Steve Addazio and the cuts he made on the field on Tuesday said so the loudest.
"I'm feeling 100 percent," Harris said. "The knee is good. It was the left knee, but most people aren't able to tell."
When I first saw the many video highlights of Harris, his running style reminded me a lot of not Pierce, but Matt Brown, the other half of Temple's 1-2 running punch. Harris is bigger and heavier. Brown might be a tad faster. Both are tough and both can make runners miss and make what Addazio calls "explosive plays" downfield. Throw in a great running quarterback like Chris Coyer and a spread offense that opens the field up and a few bulbs could break this year on the Lincoln Financial Field scoreboard.
"I'm a balanced runner able to make things happen in the open field but also able to break tackles," Harris said.
Even though Harris ran into some trouble at Boston College, I think he will be a solid citizen at Temple.
"I'm just here to say I'm here to play football and I'm a great football player and I have great character off the field," Harris said.
Everyone at the E-O has known that for the past month or so.
In eight days, the seamless transition from BP to MH could become just an unquestioned upgrade to Temple's fans.

Azkals get a new chance to size up Singaporeans

Written by BONG PEDRALVEZ

CEBUANO football fans will finally see the Philippine Azkals up close when the national team takes on the Singapore Lions for the third time in three years in an international friendly set on Nov. 16 at the Cebu City Sports Center football field in Cebu City.

�Singapore has confirmed to play the Azkals on Nov. 16 and it will be in Cebu City,� Philippine Football Federation president Mariano Araneta Jr. said yesterday, adding the match will be the last tune-up game of the Filipino booters before they swing into action in the AFF Suzuki Cup in late November.

It will mark the first time the national squad, which recently arrived from a two-week training camp in the United States, will play an international match outside of Iloilo, Bacolod and Manila. The match will be the first to be held in the Central Visayan province.

�The field (at the Cebu Sports Center) is at its best condition in years and if it needs rehabilitation, the Cebu Football Association under its new president, Ricky Dakay, is willing to spend for it,� Sun Star-Cebu sports editor Mike Limpag, an avid soccer enthusiast, said yesterday.

The game will be a rubber and grudge match between the two Southeast Asian squads, which have gone in opposite directions in the FIFA world ratings since they last met a year ago.

The Filipinos have risen to No. 150 in the latest world rankings while the Singaporeans have dipped 12 rungs lower at No. 162.

In an upset of sorts, the Azkals drew with the highly-fancied Tigers 1-1 on Chris Greatwich�s last-gasp second-half injury time header in the 2010 Suzuki Cup Group stage eliminations in Hanoi, a result that served as the springboard to their surprise semis finish in the event.

But Singapore avenged that defeat with a 0-2 drubbing of the Philippines in an international friendly played on its home turf last October.

The Azkals are in Group A of this year�s Suzuki Cup while the Tigers are in Group B.

Limited to just one game in their recent two-week training stint in the US, the Azkals will have a busy September, opening with a three-match friendly series on Sept. 5, 7 and 9 against Cambodia, Singapore and Laos in their respective capitals.

�The Azkals play Cambodia in Phnom Penh, then Singapore in Singapore, before winding up against Laos in Vientiane,� Araneta said.

After a two-week respite, the Nationals will see action in the four-nation Paulino Alcantara Cup in Bacolod, a tourney named after the Filipino mestizo striker who saw action for Spanish powerhouse Barcelona in the early 1900s, from Sept. 25 to 29.

They play Guam on Sept. 25, Macau on Sept. 27, before facing Chinese-Taipei on the last day of the event on Sept. 29.

October will see the Azkals continuing their build-up in the Middle East, highlighted by a friendly against Bahrain in the country�s capital of Manama on Oct. 12.

�I am still arranging for another Middle East national team to play the Philippines during their training camp there,� Araneta said.

Malaya

Ceres-La Salle FC to join UFL

By Jerome Galunan Jr.

Following years of successful stints in local football tournaments, the Ceres-La Salle Football Club is now determined to take another step into competitive football.

This is to join the country�s premier football league � the United Football League (UFL), confirmed Ramon Janeo, one of the team�s assistant coaches.

Janeo said that Philippine Football Federation Competition chairman Cyril Dofitas arrived in Bacolod City to inform the ball club about the tournament format they will undergo in next month�s UFL�s Qualifying Tournament.

Although complete tournament details are yet to be disclosed, Janeo revealed that this UFL Qualifying will most likely be similar to that of the PFF-Smart Men�s Championship.

Janeo said that like in the Men�s Championship, Ceres-La Salle FC will first compete in the Visayas elimination alongside Cebu, Leyte, Negors Oriental, and Iloilo.

The Top 2 teams in the Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao eliminations will advance in Stage 2 and mix up with the Top 6 squads of UFL Division 2 to form 12 teams. Then the Top 6 of Stage 2 will advance to Stage 3 and join the Top 10 of UFL�s Division 1 to form the 16 teams to compete in the UFL�s �Cup�.

Janeo said that if Ceres-La Salle FC plays good game in the tournament, the squad will earn a slot in UFL�s Division 2.
Ceres-La Salle will be managed by the Yanson siblings, Ricky and Leo Rey.

WDJ

Real Negrense vs. Trimaxi in NFL tournament finals

By Jerome S. Galunan Jr.

Nobody expected that Real Negrense and Trimaxi Football clubs will make it but both squads did and will forge a battle for pride in this year�s 2nd Conference Finals of the North Football League this Sunday, Aug. 26, at the Ayala North pitch.

Despite being the underdog going into the semis, Real Negrense was filled with so much desire for the crown as its booters stunned erstwhile tournament leader Dynamic Builders, 3-2, last Sunday.

The Builders were actually on top at the half, 1-nil on a goal from Michael Benedicto in the 24th minute. But Real came out as a better team in the second half as Michael Pacite equalized the board at 1-goal apiece, after sending the ball at the back of the net in the 45th minute.

Both clubs tried to nail a goal but the tight defense from both ends prevented the strikers to convert an attempt. Not until the veteran and playing coach Luis William Clauor drilled his way to break Dynamic�s defense for his team�s second goal in the 73rd minute.

Two minutes later, Dynamic�s skipper and striker Ali Rojas Go was quick enough to even the score, 2-all. However, on transmission, John Winston Valencia took advantage of Builders� disarrayed defense as he sealed the match with a strike in the 76th minute and gave Real the victory.

Clauor said that everyone did their bests. �We overcome our problems. It was a sheer determination and effort of the team that made us won.�
Dynamic is a tough nut to crack but they committed errors at the back and we punished them. We are all enthusiastic and we made it to the finals, the playing coach further stressed.

On the other hand, Bes dela Noche of Trimaxi-Agro scored the match�s lone goal in the 58th minute to eliminate defending champion Ceres FC, 1-nil. Both clubs were held scoreless at the break.

Ceres battles Dynamic Builders for the third place on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. while the Real Negrense-Trimaxi championship match will start at 4:30 p,m./

WDJ

Recruiting 2013--- Sha-Ki Holines decommits

I've blogged about Sha-Ki Holines before.

MassLive has an article that he has decommited to UMass and is now going to UConn.

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Wednesday--August 22nd, 2012

Matty V. has a story on the battle between RSFR John Wallace and true freshman Michael Boland. Note that someone else probably wrote the headline.

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The Boston Herald says the Minutemen have found their guy at quarterback.

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The Indiana blog "Crimson Quarry" looks at the Hoosiers' quarterbacks.

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The Vanderbilt blog "Anchor of Gold" looks at the Commodores offensive line.

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The MAC blog "Hustle Belt" says Buffalo is losing linebackers at an alarming rate.

The Hustle Belt also looks at uniform changes in the MAC this year.

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The NY Daily New says Victor Cruz was expecting to get drilled by the Jets.

Yahoo Sports says the over/under for Cruz this year is 10 TD's

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The Pats released former UMass kicker Chris Koepplin.

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Enquirer file imag

Jeromy Miles aims high and stays true to his roots.

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9News.com looks at the best offensive players not in a BCS conference and finds a number of them in the MAC.

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I found a new MAC blog. It's here.

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'94 Is Millstone Round Lions' Neck

The Malaysia Cup kicks off tonight and LionsX11 are enjoying some positive coverage in the local papers. But it nearly refers to the heady days of 1994.

One reason Singapore football struggles to attract interest these days is because many folk are still wrapped in the bubble of '94 and that includes teenagers who were not born yet.

Read the papers any day of the week and you see people going on about the good old days, about gentlemen like Fandi Ahmad and about how teams like Pahang and Selangor were put to the sword.

With the daftly named LionsX11 playing Johor FC, Harris Harun and co are being reminded of those days.

An obvious reaction no doubt but not really the ideal preparation for the Malaysia Super League runners' up.

Glory days but for sure but in 2012 football in Singapore is, cue awful cliche, a completely different ball game and alot of interest has waned over the intervening 18 years.

The whole island no doubt will be hoping to recapture those heady times but any slip up by the players and we can be sure the vicious attacks won't be slow in coming.

Extra pressure that is not really needed?

Fair Play: A football giant wakes up in Cebu?

I MET University of San Carlos assistant coach Joshua Fegidero last Sunday at the Cebu City Sports Center, during the opening of the Cesafi football matches.

And Joshua, who plays for Pachanga in the UFL, has something cooking that I hope, will only lead to the growth of football in Cebu.



Joshua said he's planning to put up the Carolinian Football League, a competition for USC alumni who still plays or want to play again.  And there are a lot of football-playing alumni, heck, majority of the Cebu Football Association officers are USC alumni, including former president Richard Montayre too.

According to Joshua, each team doesn't have to be composed of players of the same batch, they just have to be alumni or students of the school.  Current varsity members are exempted.

USC, actually, has a strong football community.  In fact, in the late 90s, some students put up the University Football League--a widely participated tournament at the USC-TC campus featuring mostly teams of engineering and architecture students.

By the way, how can an alumni league spur the growth of the sport?

Like I told Joshua, I hope that by supporting an alumni league, the USC admin will begin to see what a potential the USC system is for discovering talents.  The school has elementary, high school and college teams, but under the current setup, they might as well be carrying different names.

Joshua had an ambitious plan back in the mid 2000s, where the development of all players, from elementary, to high school, until college, will follow the same program.  Just imagine, hundreds of first-grader in USC, joining the program--in five years, the elementary team could be a powerhouse. They, then, could progress to high school and college.

Joshua, and USC head coach Gary Panagsagan�s talents would be put to greater use if they get to be in a program like that, and won�t be just limited to coaching the college team.

I really hope, the CFL will wake up the sleeping giant in USC and now, because of the current football craze, is the perfect time to set it up.

And that�s just for football.  Imagine if USC adopts the same thing for basketball, tennis or swimming?  And if the other universities do the same thing? We�d have a sports population expolosion.

Guirado remains active as Azkal

MANILA, Philippines - Angel Guirado�s transfer to Indian side Salgaocar Sports Club may not necessarily mean he�s leaving the Philippine Azkals.
�Just like what we�re doing with players based in Europe, it�s a matter of communicating with his club and getting permission to release him for his Azkals duties,� said Philippine Football Fedeation (PFF) president Nonong Araneta.
Fil-Spanish Guirado signed a one-year deal with Federation Cup champ Salgaocar for the 2012-13 I-League competitions after playing for Global FC � the reigning league titlists in the United Football League that is chaired by Azkals manager Dan Palami. The I-League plays its season October through May, which runs smack into November�s AFF Suzuki Cup.
�Angel is a tall player with good physical presence and competent skills; he will give me lot of options as a striker,� Salgaocar head coach Karim Bencherifa said of the 6-foot-2 Azkals forward, as quoted by Goal.com�s report on the team�s announcement of Guirado�s acquisition over the weekend.
Guirado has yet to formalize his move to India, according to Araneta.
�So far, we haven�t seen a request of transfer,� said the PFF chief, referring to a requirement for all players playing in Phl to secure before heading elsewhere.
The Azkals are gearing up for the Suzuki Cup group stages in Bangkok in November. The Pinoy booters just wrapped up their training camp in the US and look forward to playing friendlies on the road against Cambodia (Sept. 5), Singapore (Sept. 9), and Laos (Sept. 10) and the four-nation Paulino Alcantara Cup in Bacolod against Guam (Sept. 25), Macau (Sept. 27) and Chinese-Taipei (Sept. 29).

A training camp in Bahrain from Oct. 8-18 is also in the pipeline with a match against the Bahraini national team set on Oct. 12 and a second friendly with another Middle East nation being arranged.

philstar