Cebu Football

DEFEENDING champion University of San Carlos (USC) booked a return to the final after a 5-0 lopsided win over the second ranked Universty of Southern Philippines-Foundation (USPF) in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. yesterday at the USC-TC football field. USC, which finished the elimination round with two draws and two losses got on board with Pomposo Atillo in the ninth minute for an early 1-0 lead over USPF, which owned a 1-2-1 card in the elimination. Real star However, the real star of the show was Ryan Lim as he scored a hat trick in the 45th, 72nd and 78th minutes to seal the fate of USPF. Kyle Soriano of USC also had a goal in the 67th minute. USPF’s Michael Diano and USC’s Melvin Elle and Cliff Bacolod were all booked with yellow cards. In the second game of the semifinals former four-time champion University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) ran over the University of Cebu (UC), 2-0. USJR was hungry for the spot at the finals and UC was just thankful to have a second chan...

Before the whistle could be blown for the Cesafi semifinal games, it fizzled out. The reason? The Cesafi commissioner's office has found that two players from UV, the No. 1 team, were ineligible to play.  Now that means UC, the last ranked team, get its spot in the semifinals. Now there are a lot of intangibles here but here is one sure thing this whole episode shows, the Cesafi is all about basketball. Aside from the fact that they have a separate opening ceremonies for basketball, while the rest of the other sports get bundled up under the "other events" opening ceremonies.  There is this screening. Basketball players go under the microscope, never mind they go off under technicalities, never mind they forgot the part of being a "student" of a student athlete, never mind they'd enroll in a masters program just to exploit the "maximum playing years."  No problem there, is it?  Everything is all ironed out before the first game, or the first jump b...

AFTER breaking the crap of each other (figuratively, of course) in the Cebu City Olympics finals, members of the Abellana National School and Paref Springdale football squads teamed up to devour plates full of delicacies and barrels of juice and drinks at Handuraw. I hear, the winners footed the bill. This could be a good tradition, and let those who get carded, NOT get any seconds.

PAREF Springdale finally bagged its first secondary football crown, while the Don Bosco College kept its hold of the title for another year after repulsing, who else, Springdale in the elementary division. Springdale, which needed to beat Abellana National School twice to win the crown, did just that thanks to Carlos Veloso’s pair of heroics in both games. Their wins earned the two teams the right to represent Cebu in the Central Visayas Athletic Association next year.

To anyone hoping that there will be an Aboitiz Festival, and an Aboitiz Cup for the age groups this year, forget about it. You'd have more luck waiting for Santa Claus. I asked and was told that "unahon ang Men's Open kay naay Regionals." What about the age groups? See you in 2008. (I hope)

AFTER the Palarong Pambansa debacle, Cebu City now has a national champion to call after a composite team made of players from Don Bosco, CIS and Springdale won the Philippine Olympic Festival football title over Iloilo, 1-0. The team’s triumph shows that sending a team of Cebu’s best—and not just the best Cebu team—gets good results. The unique makeup of the team was highlighted in the crucial play, the goal of the match. Karl Arcenas (Springdale) connected the corner kick to Tom Booth (CIS), who in turn found an open Mikko de Guzman (DBC) for the lone goal of the match. A goal you can only see in the movies. However, with all the hooplah of the win, there is one comment by a councilor that kind of leaves a not so nice taste in my mouth. I’m sure the good councilor means well for the team, but to call the team, “hastily prepared” is an insult to the players and the coach. Everybody knows no "hastily prepared team" can play six matches in a week, much more win it all. I don’t...

There isn't much news coming from the CebuFA but the rest of the community is sure as active. There is the Don Bosco futsal event, the ongoing Denker Cup and the just-concluded Cup at Cebu City Science High School. Unfortunately, that is all I know. No results, nothing. nada. Cheers.

DAVE Fegidero, the brother of Norman and Joshua, the former USC coach and Crazy Horse striker is dead. The photo below shows (from left) Norman, the hero of RP's 1-0 win over Malaysia in the 1991 Sea Games, with brothers Joshua and Dave, who was supposed to play for the Philippines in futsal for this year's Seag.  The final man on the picture is their cousin Troy, a one-time USC import in the Aboitiz Cup. All four played for the Philippines in the 2000 edition of the Tiger Cup. (Photo courtesy from Visayan Daily Star's Cedelf Tupas) As to the update in Cebu football.

TEAM Cebu City handed Hiroshi FC A a humbling 5-2 defeat in the second round of the Denker Cebu Football League in Lapu-Lapu City last Sunday. It was a big win for TCC, manned mostly by high school students, against the senior Hiroshi. Milo Most Outstanding Athlete for secondary Christian Delan had one goa for TCC, which also got goals from John Ray Sulib, Harold Dage, Jundy Romero and Rene Sanchez. Hiroshi got their two goals from Ferdinand Anoba and Danilo Juezan. FCIC Lapu-Lapu also got humbled by Chanking, 4-2, with goals from Joevive Sacan, Emmnanuel Kho, Lloyd Orejo and Herbert Guiterrez. Jesus Juamo-as and Benjie Sagarino scored for FCIC Lapu-Lapu.

Well. The PFF finally did it. For bringing the PFF to an ordinary court (or words to that effect) and violating the Fifa statutes in doing such act, the PFF has suspended the NCRFA--its most vocal critic--from the association. I wouldn't have known it if not for a little story the Manila Standard Today carried, it was so tiny but in Philippine football, you won't be hearing the last of such action. So, interesting times we have.

Here are a few pictures of the Mizuno Cup courtesy of Dr. JP. Now, before you violently react and cry out how come my (pretty face, ugly face, or whatever is appropriate) isn't here? How come pictures of our team aren't here. Now before you do that, ask yourself this question. Did you take pictures? (If you answer yes, proceed to next question, if you answer no, go home) Did you send those pictures to me? (If you answer yes, then your pictures are probably here, if you answer no, THEN YOU DON'T HAVE ANY RIGHT TO COMPLAIN WHY YOUR PICTURES AREN'T HERE!!!) I hope I have made that clear.

The Cebu City vs Iloilo Province match ended in a 2-2 draw. The venue was transfered to the Iloilo Sports Complex because an all-night downpour flooded the La Paz Football Field. Both teams then had to wait for the schedule atheletic eliminations to finish. The match started around 10:30 am with both teams employing a 4-4-2 formation. Cebu struck early. At the eight minute, a thru pass from midfield got to booth at the penalty box were he was brought down by an Iloilo defender. Cunningham then sent the penalty kick to the low right of the goal. 1-0 Cebu. While everybody was texting about the early goal to those waiting for news back home, Cebu was awarded a free kick after a foul following an interception from the kickoff. Arcenas then sent a magnificent dipping shot straight into the Iloilo goal that kissed the bottom of the bar and landed inside the net. 2-0 Cebu at the 10th minute. Iloilo then made changes in their tactics. They sent one of their fullbacks up and had their left wing...

Eighteen young footballers from Don Bosco College, Sacred Heart School-Jesuit, Abellana National School, Center for International Education and Cebu International School will try to showcase the best of age group football in Cebu in the biggest stage in the country (it's not Manila, it never is)--in Iloilo. Here's Ronaldo's post at the forums at pinoysoccer.com. " The most awaited matchup in the U15 division will start at 9am sept.13 when traditional powerhouse iloilo province-manned by Barotac and Sta.Barbara players-clashes with Cebu City-manned by the core of the Don Bosco team that won the 2006 Palarong Pambansa elementary title and reinforced by players from Cebu International School, Paref-Springdale, Sacred Heart School-Jesuits, Abellana National High School and Centre for International Education.

Here's an e-mail from Manfred, published with his permission, my comments are in parenthesis I was told from seminarians that Paul is again giving stupid comments in your website. It seems we have the same problem with him and some of our players already offered to "beat him up" when he comes to Cebu next time. (Don't take that offer, it's a waste the players' energy) Our football-league has nothing to do with this guy and his sponsoring claims are just nonsens. He has even not a money to provide "his" teams a uniform to join the league, nor other sufficient equipment. He claims his fields but the brothers have always just 1 week in advance to ask for the use of the fields from the seminaries, the mandaue field is surely also not his field. I am trying to ignore the guy and never post in his monologic forum, he is just copying from our homepage. (He is a known thief, he also copies from my website and from pinoysoccer.com) The teams Golasol, Xantos a...

AFTER beating Paref-Springdale in the shootout, defending champion Don Bosco College will face off with Cebu City Central School for the Milo Olympics elementary football crown. CCCS defeated Sacred Heart School-Jesuit, which earlier scored a 17-1 rout of USC-North, 3-2. In the high school contest, Springdale, which defeated CIC-M, 9-0, will play DBC for a spot in the final, while SHS-J will play ANS in the other semifinal. In their game against CIC-M, despite getting two ahead in the first six minutes on Miguel Arriola's shot at the third and Miles Chu's left-footed strike in the sixth and getting two more goals before the half, coach Mario Ceniza wasn't too impressed with his team. They had inconsistent passing, while their finishing was way off the mark--missing simple goal mouth tap-ins thrice. (Of course, discounting TJ Matteo's powerful throwin that kissed the bar) In the second half, they played better and Ceniza said (I was within ear shot) "You played as a...

To all Phil Younghusband fans out there, whether you admire him for his football or for his look, the current hottest football commodity (slash model) has put up his own site, www.philyounghusband.com) It has just been recently launched and let's hope they have more to offer in the next few days. Phil is currently on loan with a Danish first division, Esbjerg, for the rest of the season and let's hope his site will offer videos of him in action. News from Esbjerg's site are in Danish and I haven't found an English version, yet.

THE Don Bosco College (DBC) opened its bid for a third straight crown in style with a 13-0 bashing of the Canduman Elementary School in the first day of the Milo Little Olympics elementary football contest at the Cebu City Sports Center. Christian Agot and Jay Arrizabal banged in four goals apiece while Calentino Calvo had two as DBC taught the current Mizuno Cup champion some new tricks. “They (DBC) are quite good,” said coach Mario Ceniza, who oversees the football program for M. Lhuillier Sports Development Foundation in Canduman. The win set up DBC for a match against Paref Springdale, also coached buy Ceniza, in today’s games. Yesterday, Springdale whipped Cebu International School, 6-1, on two goals by Niko Villacin and Iggy Maximo. On the other hand, Sacred Heart School-Jesuits (SHS-J) tallied the most lopsided win yesterday, as it found the back of the net almost every third minute for a 17-1 rout over University of San Carlos-North Campus. Today, SHS-J will face Cebu City Cent...

After the San Roque Festival and the Mizuno fiesta, it's two more weekends of football in the Milo Olympics. Though the competition will be just in the elementary and high school level, the games would still be tough as--if they are still using last year's format--two losses and you're out of the competition.

Chelsea reserve and Philippine team regular Phil Younghusband has joined the Esbjerg of the Danish first division. The Chelsea official website reported that Younghusband will be on loan to the Danish club for the remainder of the year. The website (http://www.chelseafc.com/xxchelsea180706/index.html#/page/TheReserves/list_2208915_1)  reported:  "Chelsea reserve team squad member Phil Younghusband has joined the list of young players at the club who have ventured out on loan for first team experience. The 20-year-old forward or midfield player has joined Esbjerg in the Danish Superliga until the end of 2007." A check in the net shows, Esbjerg have eight points in 10 games so far. Hope Phil can help improve their standing.

I'm going on a vacation. See you next Tuesday. Anyone who has photos of the Mizuno Cup, e-mail it to me. And here are some rules for the chat box, have some decency. If you play for a school named for a blessed person, don't you think you insult that blessed individual by acting like such a bunch of assholes? You brand that other team as a cheat, here, in my website, for what? Just because you lost?