Fair Play: Hey coach, this is crazy...

CRAP, I missed the Azkal match due to a seminar I had to attend.  I left home after the first half and was planning to catch the second half at the hotel lobby, and it turned out, you can’t watch a damn football match in the lobby.

And in the second half, it turns out, the Philippines played much better after holding the Inferno scoreless and nabbing one goal, but, judging from the various comments online, it seems we’re back to the same old argument about positions, possessions and, well, the effectiveness of these training camps.



I think, too, some critics would love to tell coach Weiss, “Hey coach, here’s his number, field him maybe?”

So, is coach Michael Weiss’ experiment a big flop?

Just before the game, there were a lot of reactions already on the fielding of Jason de Jong and Jeffrey Christaens, when there are more established defenders in the team.  But I think that’s basically the case, the coaching staff knows what the veteran defenders can and cannot  do, and the coaching staff wants to see if de Jong and Christaens, who are both young and are way below the pecking order on offense  could contribute as defenders.

And we really do need options in the backline, considering that team captain Aly Borromeo isn’t 100 percent yet, and defenders get carded a lot.

At least that’s what I think.

What do you think?

By the way, this discussion reminds me of what happened six weeks before the Challenge Cup, when the Philippines struggled in all those friendlies in the Middle East.

FOOTBALL RETURNS TO ABELLANA. After a long time, football matches--the 11-a-side variety, not the festivals--will once again be played at the Cebu City Sports Center, which I think, is the best venue for the game in Cebu.

And unlike those previous times, when it seemed the players need to put on sunblock for their time at the Abellana Dust Bowl, the field
at Abellana looks as pristine as it could be.  I think it's in its best state since it was inaguarated.  Though I can't speak for 1994 to 1997, but during the Philippine National Games, just three years after opening, it was on a decline.

I was there when the late Chris Monfort inspected the field for the PNG and then, the PFF was even contemplating of moving the football matches to Dumaguete as he thought the field was not up to standard.

This Sunday, the CCSC will host the opening of the football games with former champions UC and UV taking on each other and on Sept. 2, it's going to be another interesting match between USC and USJ-R, the most succesful team in Cesafi football.  USJ-R won the first four crowns before losing the next one to UV, which failed to defend its title the following year and lost it to USC. 

These are going to be interesting matches, but no they won't be the season-defining matches as this is the Cesafi, and in the five-team college division, you only need to win once to make it to the semis.

And in the knockout phase, it doesn’t matter if you’re the top team or No. 4, you will all have equal chances for the title, as what then No. 4 team UC did in the 2010 season, when it won its first title.  

Yep, it was a crazy season for coach Glenn Ramos, I wonder if such will be replicated this year.

(www.cebufootball.blogspot.com)