Cebu's best off to Dumaguete

SHARP SHARPE: Michael Sharpe (16) joins 14 other Cebuano in the CebuFA U17 squad set to see action in Dumaguete for the PFF U17 Regional Championships. Sharpe scored two goals for Cebu's runner up finish in the National U19 last year.
Sun*Star Photo by Ruel Rusillo

TEN years after steering Cebu City to the National Under-16 title, Glen Ramos guides a select group of footballers to the Philippine Football Federation U-17 Regional Championships in Dumaguete City.

The 15 boys, culled from six rival schools, will put up a united front when they go up against the region’s best, Dumaguete, Iloilo, and Bacolod in the four day tournanment.

The U-17 tournament was put up by the PFF since last year’s U-16 competition was cancelled after corporate backer Coca-Cola backed out. In 1995, Ramos steered his wards from Don Bosco Boys Home to the national title.

Those who made it to the team after a series of tryouts are Jose Paolo Pascual, Roy Joseph Sembrano and Benedict Luis Arriola of Springdale, Josephus Bernaldez, James Candido, Ric Ryan Fuentes, and Don Francois Noel of Sacred Heart School Jesuit, Jose Jordan Diao, Jessie Roy Melgo II, Howard Dwight Docino of Abellana National School.

Also with the team are Pomposo D Atillo, Gene Manuel Gacayan III, Kyle Vincent Soriano of Don Bosco Technological Center, Michael Sharpe of Cebu International School and Jonathan Tan of the University of Southern Philippines.

“The team from DBBH (national Coke Go-for-Goal champion) jelled since they played together for a long time, this team was formed only a few weeks ago, but they are more skillful,” Ramos said during an interview at the SHS-J field in Ayala.

“I have 100 percent trust in the team,” his brother Vincent said.

Though they are new as a team, all players in the squad have played in various regionals and knows what it feels to face the other provinces.

“We can compete, because most of us have experience, and we have one who just played in the Palarong Pambansa,” said Docino, the team’s designated captain.

On the other hand, though he is the youngest in the team at 14, Pascual, the lone goalkeeper of the squad also played in Iloilo during the Philippine Football Fiesta, while Sharpe has played in national and international tournaments and scored two goals during last year’s Adidas U-19 championship.

They leave for Dumaguete today in time for the opening on the 18th.

Meanwhile, Palaro veteran Soriano said that most players of the Iloilo team are from the national U-17 team.

“They are very quick and very fast,” he said