Cebu Football

Here's the top 16 of the UFL based on the usual tie-breaks and rankings. I still haven't heard any word if the top qualifiers will be seeded to 1 to 7 and the second-best to 8 to 14 and the wild cards get 15 and 16. If that's the scenario, we could see No. 15 Global against the Army.  If not, the scenario could be Global against Nomads. The Group of Death and Group G have three qualifiers each Here's the rankings:

 (Please note that this is not the official standings. All I did was update the Oct 22 standings in the UFL Page , with the results of Oct. 23, Oct 25, 26,  27, 29 and 30.) Group A         GP     W     D     L     GF   GA     GD     Pts Nomads         3         3      0     0     13     0      13        9* Lions FC        3         2      0     1      6      3        3        6* Union             2      ...

(This is my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu on Oct. 30) WE WERE traveling with Thai journalists on our way to the Thailand vs. Philippines match in the 2005 Southeast Asian Games when the visiting mediamen broke the ice and asked, in halting English, if we were willing to bet on the results. “I give you butt if 1-0,” the guy said. We just arrived in Bacolod and were tired from all the traveling so, it was kind of strange to hear some foreign media guy talking about butts going to a football game.

(This my story for Sun.Star Cebu on Oct. 31) AFTER a hectic six weeks preparing for the UFL Cup, the players and coaching staff of the Cebu Queen City United will take a break before taking to the pitch anew for its next challenge—the the United Football League Division 2. “We are planning to hold another tryout soon so we can get more players but for now, we will be resting,” said head coach Mario Ceniza, who also handles Paref Springdale.

THE Cebu Queen City United bowed out of the UFL Cup without a win and a goal after losing to Pachanga, 4-0, in its final Group C match at the University of Makati field yesterday. The team, which spent more than P500,000 on airfare alone for its stint in the Manila-based league, finished at the bottom of the Group of Death after losing all three matches.  Pachanga, which also featured Cebu-based Joshua Fegidero, who coaches Bright Academy and the University of San Carlos, finished on top of the bracket with seven points on two wins and one draw.

(This is my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu on Oct. 29) THIS year’s University of the Visayas will not only be remembered as the team that failed to advance to the Cesafi basketball finals for the first time, but as a team of sore losers who resorted to dirty tactics because they failed to get the job done. And in the process, this year’s team tarnished what nine other UV teams have accomplished and what last year’s team gracefully showed in defeat.

(This is Cheska Geli's story for Sun.Star Cebu on Oct. 29) THE Philippine Football Federation (PFF) will implement an eight-year plan to increase the number of qualified coaches in the country. As shared by PFF Technical Director Ariston Caslib, the plan will increase the number of grassroots coaches who will be instrumental in the development of football and in creating tough teams to compete in international tournaments. Six grassroots courses are projected next year and each seminar aims to attract at least 50 participants.

(This is my story for Sun.Star Cebu on Oct. 29) A DETERMINED Cebu Queen City United will play for pride today as it takes on the dangerous Pachanga FC in its final Group C match of the UFL Cup at the University of Makati field. Cebu Queen City, which lost its first two matches to Global FC and the Stallions, is no longer in the hunt for a spot in the knockout stage, while Pachanga still has a chance to finish at No. 7 in the standings and will face the No. 10 qualifier in the round-of-16.

(This report by Cheska Geli came out on Sun.Star Cebu on Oct. 28) LOCAL coaches will meet on Nov. 4 to discuss the coming 14th Aboitiz Cup at the Aboitiz Sportsfield, Mandaue. This year’s event will have three new categories—the  Players 6, men’s Under-19 and Under-23. The event will still feature the Players 8 and 10, the Boys 12 and 14 and the girls’ 12 and 17 categories.

(This report by Cheska Geli came out on Sun.Star Cebu on Oct. 28) GERMAN football expert Eckhard Krautzun said he has learned a lot about Cebu football from the three- day coaches’ training he facilitated for Philippine Football Federation (PFF) at Sarrosa International Hotel. The activity, which drew interest from coaches, parents, educators and players, included topics on youth coaching, training session and basic football tactics. “I learned the need of the province and what can be improved,” said Krautzun.

Team                   GF       GA     GD      Points 1.) Loyola             27         2       25        9 2.) Army FC         24         0        24        9 3.) PAF                23         3        20        9 4.) Nomads         13          0...

 (Please note that this is not the official standings. All I did was update the Oct 22 standings in the UFL Page , with the results of Oct. 23, Oct 25, 26,  27 and 29.) Group A         GP     W     D     L     GF   GA     GD     Pts Nomads         3         3      0     0     13     0      13        9* Lions FC        3         2      0     1      6      3        3        6* Union             2       ...

(Here's a report I wrote about Phil Younghusband and the LA Galaxy for Sun.Star Cebu on Jun 13, 2007) IF THE football gods smile on our country, Pinoys may have another reason to cheer for Major League Soccer’s LA Galaxy. And it’s not Victoria Beckham but Fil-Briton, Philip Younghusband. A report by former Sun.Star assistant sports editor, Jack Biantian, in www.pinoysoccer.com, the premier site for football news in the Philippines, said the Chelsea reserve and mainstay of the RP team is with the LA Galaxy, but not as a member of the team.

FRET not, Global FC fans, your team isn’t out of the hunt for the UFL Cup yet—not by a mile. Pointing out the scenarios would probably take me more than the allotted space for today’s column but let’s just say that Global still has a chance to make it as the top two teams in the Group of Death, or one of the top two third-place teams in all seven groups. But, one thing though, if Global FC does make the KO stage, I hope the team gets to improve on the offensive end, a lot.

GLOBAL Fc fans who are worried that their team won't get to defend its title in the UFL Cup and gets booted out in the elimination round need to watch for the results of today's Group G game between Garuda and Manhur. Now why would a game between two winless teams (Garuda, 0-2) and Manhur (0-1) matter?

 (Please note that this is not the official standings. All I did was update the Oct 22 standings in the UFL Page , with the results of Oct. 23, Oct 25 and 26.) Group A         GP     W     D     L     GF   GA     GD     Pts Nomads         3         3      0     0     13     0      13        9* Lions FC        2         1      0     1      4      2        2         3 Union             2        0  ...

 (Please note that this is not the official standings. All I did was update the standings in the UFL Page , which shows all games until Oct. 22 and update it with the results on Oct. 23.) Group A         GP     W     D     L     GF   GA     GD     Pts Nomads         3         3      0     0     13     0      13        9* Lions FC       2         1      0     1      4      2        2         3 Union             2    ...

IT WAS, as one fan said it, quite a difficult match to watch. Cebu Queen City United getting hammered on national tv by the Stallions FC, 8-0, in the first ever football match aired live that featured a Cebu club. Disappointing? Yes

THE Iloilo Stallions crushed the Cebu Queen City United, 8-0, for their second win in the UFL Cup at the Rizal Memorial Stadium yesterday. Playing in just their second game against a well-oiled team of veterans, Cebu Queen City United had its moments but the Stallions were simply too experienced. Ruben Doctora and Kim Jae Woo had a hat trick, while the Cebuano strikers had a hat trick of close misses as Cebu failed to score for the second straight game after falling to defending champion Global FC, 3-0, in its debut. The win puts the Stallions on top of the group with six points and a healthy goal difference, while idle Pachanga and Global FC are tied with three points each.

(This is my draft of Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu on Oct. 22)   THOUGH Cebu Queen City United lost its first game to Global FC, 3-0, in the UFL Cup, one Cebuano player—goalkeeper Alex Boanghog stood out. Jesa Mari ( JehBrofar on Twitter), who was a bit turned off by the physical play of some of the Cebu players, tweeted me, “Pero yung keeper nyo, thumbs up!” Coach Mario Ceniza also rated Boanghog highly, giving him an 8 out of 10.   Who is Alex Boanghog, or more importantly, who is Senior Police Officer 2 Alex Boanghog? Yep guys, Cebu’s starting keeper is a cop, one whose part-time job could add prestige to the force. This footballer-turned cop-turned footballer is no stranger to the big leagues and big games and, for his big game last Saturday, none is prouder than Big Jack Biantan, a guy whose passion for Cebu football is unmatched. Big Jack, whose life story is worthy of a tele-serye, found himself at Don Bosco Boys Home as one of the coaches back in the time when...

(This story by Cheska D Geli appears on Sun.Star Cebu on Oct. 22) DON Bosco Technical College showed its football class as it swept the elementary and high school titles of the 21st Cebu City Olympics at the University of San Carlos Talamban Campus Field. Its high school team, backed by Cebuana Lhuillier Pera Padala, beat rival Abellana National School (ANS), 4-2, via shootout for its third straight title, while its elementary team blanked Bright Academy, 5-0, in the finals.

(This report came out on Sun.Star Cebu on Oct. 20) ONE OF the country’s leading goal scorer Emilio “Chieffy” Caligdong will remain with the Philippine Air Force despite ongoing negotiations with another club who plans to sign him. This was after the Philippine Air Force gave him the option to be honorably dismissed from service as a response to the demand of other clubs to hire high-skilled players to boost teams in the United Football League.

(This is my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu on Oct. 20)   JUDGING from the reactions of most of the football fans I’ve met the past few days, Cebu’s game against the Stallions this Saturday, which will be aired live on Aksyon TV, is the second-most anticipated UFL Cup match by Cebuano fans. It’s the second game of Cebu Queen City United in the group stage of the UFL Cup , and the Stallions’ final game. And, for the first time, a football match featuring a Cebu team will be aired live on national TV. Now, isn’t that sweet?

As published in Sun.Star Cebu on Oct. 18 SEVERAL members of the Philippine Azkals will arrive in Cebu today to grace the celebration of the Global Handwashing Day on Oct. 19 at Sabang Elementary School in Sibonga District. (Click here to locate Sibonga in Google Maps. It's in the Southern part of the Island, just after Carcar City) The event is part of the campaign that aims to foster and promote a global culture of handwashing with soap.

This story came out on Sun.Star Cebu on Oct. 17 THE University of San Carlos (USC) ended their title drought as they snatched the Cebu Athletic Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. college football title via shootout over the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) at the Aboitiz Sportsfield yesterday. USC won the sudden death penalty shootout, 6-5, to end the team’s five-year championship drought.

THE Cebu Queen City United faltered in its UFL Cup debut, losing to the defending champion Global FC at the Alabang Country Club football field  3-0, in Group C on Oct. 16. “We still have a lot of things to work on,” Cebu Queen City coach Mario Ceniza, who only had less than a month to form the team, told Sun.Star Cebu.

(This is my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu on Oct. 17) DURING the launch of  the new season a few months back, I asked Cesafi commissioner Felix Tiukinhoy what he planned to do if the Cebu City Olympics and the Cesafi schedules clash again. While he was non-committal back then, he also said, “ Ma-storyaan ra na .” It was a welcome change from last year’s clash of schedule, when the Cebu Eastern College Dragons had to forfeit their Cebu City Olympics games for Cesafi basketball, while Don Bosco took the other way around for football.

(This is my UFL Cup update for Sun.Star Cebu on Oct. 16) AFTER a one-week delay, the Cebu Queen City United will finally make their UFL Cup debut against defending champion Global FC in Manila today. Cebu Queen City was supposed to play Pachanga last week but the game was cancelled and coach Mario Ceniza said though they were disappointed with the cancellation, the delay has helped the team a bit. “ Nakatabang gamay ang extra week na training,” said Ceniza, who formed the team in less than a month as Cebu was the last entry to sign up for the UFL, the country’s premier football competition.

(This is my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu on Oct. 15) So the Azkals campaign for 2011 is over, but fret not fans, there’s a lot of football left for us. First off, of course, are the Malditas, who will be competing with Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia in Group B of the AFF women’s championships starting this weekend.

THE technical committee of the UFL Cup has turned down Cebu Queen City United's protest against Pachanga about their game that didn't push through last Sunday in the opening of the Cup. Queen City, which is flying to Manila for their weekly games, asked the UFL to declare Pachanga as having forfeited its match since it failed to show up for the rescheduled game at 3 p.m. in Alabang.

(This is my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu on Oct. 13.) THERE was a glaring absence in the Philippines 4-0 win over Nepal the other night at the Rizal Memorial Sports Stadium, an absence that was so obvious on TV. A swathe of empty seats and even one whole empty section. From the jam-packed crowd in the World Cup qualifiers against Sri Lanka and Kuwait, the crowd was thinner last Tuesday night, and it was a pity because the Azkals put on quite a show, thrashing Nepal, 4-0. Curiously, Nepal is ranked one rung higher than Singapore, which beat the Azkals, 2-0, just last Friday. I tell you, the day I will understand the formula of the Fifa rankings, I’m going to send my resume to Nasa.

 This is the full unedited text of Queen City United's protest against Pachanga in the UFL Cup. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE (UFL) RE:    LETTER PROTEST FOR SANCTIONS This is in connection with our scheduled game yesterday, October 9 against Pachanga-FC. To recall, we received the text message of Mr. Richard Gannaban, Technical Director, at around 8 a.m. Informing us of the POSTPONEMENT of all scheduled games at University of Makati (UMAK) due to unfavorable weather conditions and unplayable field.   We were further instructed to wait for further updates as they were also looking for an alternative venue for the scheduled games for that day.  In response, we immediately appealed to the Committee requesting that our game will push thru for that day considering the substantial logistical costs in sending our team in Manila from our hometown of Cebu. 

A determined Philippine team delivered on its promise to protect the Rizal Memorial Stadium and scored one of its best wins in home soil against Nepal, 4-0, last night. Playing in their first game since their mother died unexpectedly of a heart attack, Phil and James Younghusband delivered the first three goals before late substitute Matthew Hartmann added a late goal in the 89th.

(This is my UFL update on Queen City United for Sun.Star Cebu on Oct. 12) THE Cebu Queen City United has a filed a protest in the UFL against its first round foe in the UFL Cup Pachanga FC for its alleged no show in the opening round at the Alabang Country Club. Due to heavy rains in Manila last Sunday, only one game pushed through while the rest, including the Cebu vs. Pachanga match was cancelled since the University of Makati (Umak) field was unavailable.  It was just one of the 12 games that failed to push through last Sunday.

Here's a couple of photos of Cebuano keeper Paolo Pascual during the UFL Cup opening game between Global FC vs. the Stallions, which won, 3-2.  (These were taken by his dad Dr. Joel Pascual)

(This is my draft of my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu ) LAST Saturday, Dan Palami watched as one team which controlled the offense in the entire second half still end up losing to a team that was barely holding on. And too bad for the Philippine national team manager, it wasn’t the Azkals against Vietnam, it was his Global FC losing to the Stallions of coach Ernie Nierras, 3-2.

CEBU Queen City United will make its UFL Cup debut against Pachanga today in Manila. The 18-man team, led by coach Mario Ceniza, left for Manila last night for today’s game against the Norman Fegidero-coached Pachanga. The Cebuanos will be led by co-captains and former national team members Jan Michael Flores and Rocky Garciano, with Alex Buanghug as the starting keeper.

This is a draft of my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu on Oct. 8. TODAY (Oct. 8), I hope, is the day  Philippine football fans will look back and say, “this is the day that Philippine football changed.” And I hope they’d brag to their sons and daughters, or grandsons and granddaughters that, “I was there.” Sure, today, could be the day after we finally beat Singapore—a statement I wouldn’t be comfortable writing just 10 months ago but am now confident enough to write 18 hours before the match—but that’s not really it.

TEN months after stunning Singapore with a last-gasp equalizer in the AFF Suzuki Cup, the former Southeast Asian Champions will face off with the Philippine team again, this time, at home in a friendly match at the Jalan Basar Stadium. And this time, Singapore will be ready to take on the Azkals, which was the surprise package of the AFF Suzuki Cup in 2010, when it made the semifinals of the biennial tournament for the first time.

This is my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu on Oct. 6 WHEN Chieffy Caligdong came in at the second half against Macau, I knew we were finally going to score. “ Mao na ni !” my kababayan, Mark Concha, who was screaming mid-meal in the first half, shouted. And he was right, a few minutes in, Chieffy launched a wicked shot that nicked the side bar in his first attempt.

THE Philippine national team got its much needed win but didn’t get the needed number of goals as it bowed out of the Long Teng Cup with a 2-0 win over Macau on Tuesday. The Philippines finished the tournament with five points, on two draws and a win, but with a plus two goal difference, the team had no chance of overtaking Hong Kong and Taiwan for the title. The two teams were tied at four points with a win and a draw each heading into the final game at press time last night.

(I'm posting a draft of my Fair Play column, thanks to Mark Hartmann) A T 9:30 last Friday, a few football fans in Cebu were gathered at the Azkals Sports Bar and Grill, for what was supposed to be the start of the delayed telecast of the Philippines vs. Hong Kong match in the Long Teng Cup. B ut, unfortunately fans had to wait some more. After having to rely on tweets to get updates of a football match that should have been aired live, football fans had to go through 30 minutes of mindless football analysis of a delayed telecast! S ucks doesn’t it?