Cebu Football

A shrug, a twitch and a grimace. That’s how coach Michael Weiss answered when I asked him whether a “SEA Games medal was a realistic target” while we were downing a few beers the other night.

A TECHNICAL advisor from the German Football Association will soon visit Cebu to evaluate the grassroots programs, local tournaments and the clubs. Philippine national coach Michael Weiss, who was in Cebu recently, said the visit of the technical advisor, who is also a former coach of the Philippines, is part of the aid program from the German FA to the Philippine Football Federation.

This is my latest Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu   Hey, do you want to know a secret? But do promise that you will tell. It’s a secret involving a group of guys who, for now, will be known as they-who-won’t-be-named. But unlike he-who-must-not-be-named, whose dreams involved all sorts of ugly stuff that led folks in the Potterworld to call him by an alias, their dream is for everybody, not just for themselves.

From Sun.Star Cebu A punching incident involving one of its members is proving costly for Hiroshi Football Club. This after Hiroshi Team was banned from playing in the Cebu leg of the Philippine Futsal Cup Winners’ Cup, which starts today at the Metrosports Club.

RIA de Leon , one of the most vocal Kaholeros, posted an interesting article in football fan pages yesterday, one that is a must-read for all Pinoys, not just footie fans. The author,  Mel Young , wrote about how the Philippines has added another dimension to the Homeless World Cup ever since joining the event.

DID you catch the circus in the Senate two days ago? When the dirty laundry of Philippine sports was revealed in the Senate inquiry? Yep, there is much to be desired in the way the NSAs, POC and the PSC are set up, but that doesn’t mean everything’s bad in Philippine sport.

 (Phil Younghusband tries to get past two Teknika strikers in the second leg of the Smart Club Championships finals. PFF Media Bureau Foto) MANILA--Rizal -SMART San Beda pulled out all stops to beat Teknika FC, 2-0, but fell short of wresting the first PFF-Smart Club championship in front of an animated crowd at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium Monday night.

I WAS chasing a hot chick in a blue number yesterday for about five minutes when I realized I was chasing a hot chick in a blue number for five minutes. Aaah, running, there aren’t that many better things to start a Sunday. Besides, it’s probably the only sport where you won’t be faulted if you spend 30 minutes chasing a hot chick.

IT’S been a while since I last saw a local football match and I finally got to end that streak when I caught a few matches in the Milo Little Olympics. And the first thing that came to mind during the games? My former boss Jack Biantan, who was both figuratively and literally a huge presence in local football.

TEKNIKA takes on an undermanned Rizal-Smart San Beda FC today at the start of the two-match finals of PFF-Smart Club Championships at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium. Aside from James and Phil Younghusband, the Rizal booters will likewise be missing mainstays Paul Concepcion and Andres Gonzales, who like the two brothers will be forced to sit out the 6 p.m. opening match against the NCR side for incurring two yellow cards in their previous games.

A year ago, the Dragon Boat team and the Azkals would have given an arm and a leg to get five minutes’ worth of air time, or even 5 MB worth of social networking space. Now, they don’t have to but along with it comes the ugly stuff. I don’t know who started it but I think I know why one poster started comparing the achievements of both teams and the team composition.

TEKNIKA trounced listless Pachanga, 2-0,  to secure the last finals slot in the PFF-Smart Club Championships at the University of Makati football field Wednesday night. With team owner and national men’s football team manager Dan Palami keenly looking on, the Pachanga booters banked on their solid defense and goals by Misagh Bahadoran (13th) and Izzeldin El Habbib (86th) in each half to earn the win and set up a championship showdown with Rizal-Smart San Beda FC.

I ONCE dreamt of trying motocross but since a two-wheeled contraption and me was a bad combination, my wish of spinning those monster tires in the dirt-tracks remained only a dream. But last Tuesday, I finally got to live it—sort of—thanks to the All Terrain Vehicles at the Doce Pares Zipline Park in Busay. My friend King Cortel told me Cebu Zipiline has acquired five ATVs and invited me and a couple of other media guys for a test run.

RIZAL-SMART San Beda FC slipped past Stallion FC-Barotac Nuevo , 2-1, and into the finals of the PFF-Smart Club Championships at the rain-soaked and muddy University of Makati football field Monday night. On a soggy pitch that made it doubly hard for both sides to score, San Beda banked on enterprising first-half goals by Vaugh Melendres and Eliezer Fabroada in the 16th and 36th minutes, respectively, to survive the Stallion’ strong comeback in the second half.

FOUR teams remain in pursuit of the first PFF-Smart Club championship with two of them taking the spotlight today Aug. 16. as the crossover semifinals kick off the University of Makati football field. Group A topnotcher Rizal-Smart San Beda FC, runner-up Teknika FC, Group B leader Pachanga-NCR FC and second placer Smart-Stallion FC of Barotac Nuevo vie for the two slots up for grabs in the two-match title series starting on Saturday.

My latest column on Sun.Star Cebu. IF YOU’VE followed the Azkals closely in their last three home matches, then the Blue-Haired Fanatic is not a stranger to you. In Panaad against Mongolia, he was that dude who surprised everybody—and perhaps even himself—when he grabbed a Philippine flag, ran both sides of the grandstand to the fans’ amusement and somehow found himself on the tracks. (On an interesting note, the guy who owned the flag BHF borrowed was from Cebu.)

CAGAYAN DE ORO – Teknika held Rizal-Smart San Beda to a gritty 2-all standoff last Saturday to barge into the PFF-Smart Club Championships semifinals at the close of group eliminations here and in Iloilo. The Teknika booters were able to seize the initiative twice over their popular foes bannered by Phil and James Younghusband through goals by Misagh Bahadoran and Altichie Aaron in the 17th and 50th minutes, respectively. Both were from free kicks by El Habbib Izzeldin.

CAGAYAN DE ORO –  A P100,000 cash prize awaits the  first champion of the PFF-Smart Club Championships, Smart Sports executive Epok Quimpo announced Saturday. “We are giving this as an incentive to the  remaining teams left in the tournament especially with the semifinals set to kick off at the University of Makati next week,” said Quimpo at the close of the tourney’s group eliminations here and in Iloilo yesterday.

This is my Sun.Star Cebu  column for Aug. 13, 2011 I DON’T have much hopes for this year’s Smart Club championships as I believe the Philippine Football Federation didn’t have the preparation it would have wanted in holding such a tournament, just like the Suzuki U23 championships. The clubs, too, I think weren’t able to prepare and I’m not only talking about the clubs that are in the national finals.

Group A (Cagayan de Oro) 1:30 p.m.  - Laos FC vs. Bao Breakers FC 3:30 p.m. – Teknika FC vs.San Beda FC   Group B (Iloilo)   3 p.m. – Columbia FC vs. Stallions FC (Barotac Nuevo)) 3 p.m. – Baguio United FC vs. Pachanga FC (CPU) Smart-San Beda's David Fornea (right) strips the ball ball from Laos FC's Angelo Almazan during Group A action in the PFF-Smart Club Championships in Cagayan de Oro last Thursday. Looking on is teammate Phil Younghusband. San Beda won, 1-0, for its second straight win to advance to the event's crossover semifinals. CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Rizal-Smart San Beda FC and Columbia FC-Davao scored stirring 1-0 wins over separate rivals to enter the semifinals of the  PFF-Smart Club Championships last Thursday highlighting football action at the Don Mariano Pelaez  Memorial Sports Complex  here and at the Barotac Nuevo pitch in Iloilo. San Beda skipper David Franz Fornea tapped in the marginal goal  on a follow-up in the 49...