Filipino Football

Azkals meet big bumps in AFC buildup

2012-01-29T20:05:00.002+01:00

BY BONG PEDRALVEZ

AT the rate the national team preparations are going, German coach Michael Weiss cautioned local fans not to expect any miracles when the Azkals compete in the AFC Challenge Cup in Katmandhu, Nepal in March.

"As far as the Challenge Cup preparations are concerned, they are far from ideal," Weiss said after the nationals were held to a 2-2 draw by FC Global in a recent tune-up match at the Rizal Memorial Football field.

"The performance does not give us so much hope. Every single individual did not perform as far as they were expected given the demands of a big tournament in six weeks’ time," he noted. "My impression as you can see is that they are distracted. Why, I don’t know."

Considered the tougher of the two groups in the Nepal tourney, the Filipinos are bracketed in Group B with India, Tajikistan and North Korea, the 2006, 2008 and 2010 AFC Challenge Cup titlists, respectively.

Comparing the performance of the Filipino booters the previous weekend when they battled the visiting Icheon City squad of South Korea to a 1-all draw before losing 2-4 in a penalty shootout, Weiss said his charges’ showing in the tune-up game was "like day and night."

But he quickly added he would not consider the performance "traumatic," citing the two side’s practices were limited to once a week due to the players’ commitments with their respective UFL clubs.

Weiss said the Azkals’ coming training camp Dubai would be crucial to their build-up for the AFC Challenge Cup.

"Especially now with the situation in the Philippines (with the UFL), it is important to have the team day by day, to work on team strategy, set pieces, we have to work on ball possession, the whole football package," he said, adding he’s hopeful the UFL players would be released for the camp.

The German mentor said he’s looking forward to re-establishing team chemistry among the Azkals "and possibly get us closer together."

At least 20 to 22 players were listed and their visas secured for the Middle East training stint, but Weiss said he will only know who exactly will be available "once we are there."

The Azkals are expected to have three tune-up games during the two-week camp, namely against the Azerbaijan national team coached by former German national team mainstay Berti Vogts, top Qatari club Al-Ahrabi and the Australian Under-23 Olympic team.

Despite the numerous handicaps, Weiss said he and his wards would give the AFC Challenge Cup their best shot but admitted that "with the limited training it won’t be easy."

malaya

Guirado caps Global's win over Nomads

2012-01-29T19:50:00.000+01:00

By Joey Villar

Global FC drew strength from the return of leader Angel Guirado as it smashed Nomads Auction Manila, 5-1, to move to a share of second spot in the United Football League at the Nomads field in Parañaque City.

After engineering the first half onslaught to put Global 4-0 up, Guirado, back from suspension after being tossed out for a red card during a shock 1-2 defeat to Army Fritz & Macziol last Jan. 15, joined the scoring parade with a 54th minute goal that capped the lopsided victory.

It was Global’s second straight win starting with a 2-0 bashing of Pasargad FC a week ago when Guirado served out the automatic one-game suspension. Global joined LBC-backed Kaya – which was playing Navy Red Juice at press time for the solo lead – and Loyola Meralco Sparks at No. 2 with six points each.

And now Guirado, one of the more popular members of the Azkals headed by brothers Phil and James Younghusband, is back.

Midfielder William Espinosa opened up the scoring with a goal just two minutes gone in the match and after half an hour, the goals came in succession thanks to Abdalla Ahmed Hwedi (31’), Carlos de Murga (41’) and captain Badrelin Elhabbib (45’).

The Nomads, which fell to their first loss to remain in the middle of the pack with four points, averted an embarrassing shutout, thanks to Steven Borril’s goal on the 62nd minute when the game was already decided.

Earlier, Pasargad leaned on Charlie Sutcliffe’s equalizing goal on the 62nd minute to escape with a 1-1 draw with the Hans Smith-mentored Green Archers United to nail down its first point.

The Archers, also winless after two previous outings, were on their way to snaring their first triumph after Shag Shapay Johnson gave them a 1-0 lead on the 53rd minute, until Sutcliffe struck.

philstar

Azkals confront Uzbeks, Aussies in AFC tuneup

2012-01-29T17:55:00.000+01:00

By Olmin Leyba

The Philippine Azkals look to hone their skills against two Olympics-aspiring sides – Uzbekistan and Australia – in their Middle East training camp from Feb.7-17 in preparation for their AFC Challenge Cup campaign in March in Nepal.

Organizers of the Azkals’ Tour yesterday announced that Phl XI will kick off their three-game slate against Uzbekistan on Feb. 11 in Dubai, then battle Qatari club Al Ahli SC two days later in Doha, and wrap up with a game against Qantas Australian U-23 on Feb. 16 in Dubai.

It was not immediately clear whether it will be the U-23 team or the national team from Uzbekistan that will engage the Azkals in a friendly. In their Facebook page, organizers said it will be the national team (senior) but according to Azkals team coordinator Ace Bright, they will play the U-23 crew.

“Uzkebistan is a very strong football team, whether it’s the U-23 or the senior team. They are in the top four in Asia and their U-23 is in the eliminations for the Olympics,” Philippine Football Federation (PFF) president Nonong Araneta said.

The Uzbekistan White Wolves’ senior team was a semifinalist in the last AFC Asian Cup while their U-23 squad currently holds the Group B lead in the preliminary round 3 of the AFC Asian qualifiers for the London Olympics with five points (1-2-0).

The Olyroos of Australia are in the same group as Uzbeks U-23, occupying third with three points (0-3-0). The two battled to a scoreless draw last November and will meet again on Feb. 5 at the resumption of continental qualifiers for London.

The only local club in the Azkals’ itinerary, Al Ahli SC, competes in the Qatar Stars League, the highest professional league in Qatari football.

“Our main objective in this camp is to put the players together for practices and practice matches. It’s very important that we give them the chance to play as a team against good teams in preparation for the Challenge Cup,” said Araneta.

The Azkals were supposed to take on Serbian powerhouse Partizan Belgrade in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 6 to start their camp. But visa problems forced the Avram Grant-coached Black and Whites to call off their UAE trip and the Azkals couldn’t get a new opponent for that date on short notice.

philstar

UFL - Sunday`s matches, Kaya and Global win

2012-01-28T23:41:00.030+01:00

Div 2 : Cebu Queen City United FC 1-2 Agila FC
2:00 pm Turf at Bonifacio Global City

Agila: Montellero (40'), Villon (44') Cebu Queen City United: Aguilar (1')

Div 2 : Union Internacional Manila 1-5 Diliman Victory Liner FC
4:00 pm Turf at Bonifacio Global City

Diliman XI Leung (GK), Zerrudo (C), Appiah, Bambico, Liza, Manlunas, Mercader, Permanes, Rances, Santiago, Santos

24 min Zerrudo 0-1 (Diliman Fc)
1-1
41 min 1-2 Zerrudo (Diliman Fc)
45 min 1-3 Frimpong (Diliman Fc)
1-3 HT
1-4 Santos(Diliman Fc)
1-5 Santos
1-5 FT

Div 1: Pasargad 1-1 Green Archers United
4:00 pm UMak

Pasargad XI: Fernandez M, Ghasemi, Golkah, Khodarahmi, Labra, Madadi, Mahdavi, Sheehan, Torres, Ujam, Vangrunderbeek

Archers XI: Johnson, Marcellana, Olowoyeye, Pacquiao, Pasilan, Pasinabo, Saraga, Soliman, Unabia, Villaflor, Villareal

0-0 HT
0-1 Shapay Johnson (Green Archers )
Pasargad red card
1-1 Pasargad
1-1 FT

Div 1: Nomads Auction Manila 1-5 Global
4:30 pm Nomads

Global: Espinosa (2'), Hwedi (31'), De Murga (41'), B. Elhabbib (45'), Guirado (54')
Nomads: Borrill (62')

Div 2 :Laos FC 0-1 Team Socceroo FC
6:00 pm Turf at Bonifacio Global City

0-1 Michael Reyes (Team Socceroo)
0-1 HT
0-1 FT

Div1 : Philippine Navy Redjuice 1-2 Kaya
6:00 pm UMak

Kaya Starting XI: Beloya, Burkey, Del Rosario A., Garmaroudi, Kigbu, Moy, Omura, Romero, Sabio, Santos, Semblat

Navy Starting XI: Burga, Caminos, Candolesa, Fadrigalan, Flores, Kalalang, Liman, Mellendrez, Pinero, Sendino, Talipan

1-0 Mellendrez ,(Navy)
1-1 Beloya (Kaya )
1-1 HT
2-1 Dagroh (Kaya)
2-1 FT

Azkals Tour UAE and Qatar - Update

2012-01-28T22:56:00.004+01:00

Azkals vs Uzbekistan
Saturday, 11 February 2012 @ 20:00
Venue: Al Maktoum Stadium, Oud Metha, Dubai
Home of Al Nasr SC
----------------------------------------------------

Azkals vs Al Ahli Sports Club
Monday, 13 February @ 19.30 , Doha , Qatar

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Azkals vs Qantas Australian U-23s
Thursday, 16 February 2012 @ 20:00
Venue: Al Maktoum Stadium, Oud Metha, Dubai
Home of Al Nasr SC

Azkals Tour Facebook

UFL 2012: Stallion FC outplays Sparks

2012-01-28T22:32:00.000+01:00

Stallion Gilligan's FC outplayed Loyola Meralco Sparks, 4-1, to book another upset win on Saturday in the United Football League at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.

It was Stallion FC’s second straight win against a UFL title contender after dealing defending champion Philippine Air Force a defeat last Wednesday by the same scoreline.

Stallion now occupies the top spot with nine points as it remained unbeaten after three matches.

The Sparks suffered their first setback after two straight victories for third place with six points in the league table.

Phil Younghusband scored the first goal of the match in the 10th minute.

Antonio Albor equalized the match with a 14th-minute strike while Ruben Doctora nailed the go-ahead goal three minutes later.

Koreans Yoon Byeong Jun and Lee Joo Yong connected in the second half to extend the Stallion's lead.

In the first match, Philippine Navy forced reigning titilist Air Force to a 2-2 draw.

Luis Brillantes got Navy going after a 0-2 deficit with a 17th-minute goal before Meliton Pelayo booked the match-tying goal in the 62nd minute.

Surgeant Montillano opened the match with a 10-minute goal after a Chieffy Caligdong through ball. Caligdong would then score two minutes later sending a laser strike to the back of the net for an early 2-0 lead.

Nevertheless, Air Force took its first point of the league after two straight defeats. Navy, which has a better goal difference, takes seventh place. — JVP, GMA News

GMA news

UFL - Saturday`s matches , Stallions crush Loyola !

2012-01-27T23:57:00.031+01:00

Philippine Air Force Phoenix 2-2 Philippine Army Fritz & Macziol
2:00 pm Rizal Memorial Stadium

Philippine Air Force Phoenix Starting XI: Ballo-Allo, Barsales, Bayona, Bermejo, Bulaquina, Caligdong, Jaugan, Mercado, Montillano, Soriano, Tonog

Philippine Army Fritz & Macziol Starting XI: Bedua, Betita, Bretana, Brillantes, Cain, Dela Cruz, Gempisaw, Gener, Margarse, Pelayo, Sacapano

12 min 1-0 Motillano (Air Force)
12 min 2-0 Caligdong (Air Force)
17 min 2-1 Brillantes (Army)
2-1 HT
62 min 2-2 Pelayo (Army)
2-2 FT

Emelio Caligdong injured.

Pachanga FC 8-1 Forza FC
2:00 pm Turf at Bonifacio Global City

4-1 HT

8-1 FT

Goals Pachanga : Bedic,Gonzales(3),Espinosa,Ashime(2),Palomo! Congratulations!!

Forza FC : Agyee

Stallion Gilligan's 4-1 Loyola Meralco Sparks
4:00 pm Rizal Memorial Stadium

Stallion Fc XI : Doctora(C), Munoz(GK), Park, Lee, Nam, Italia, Hugo, Braga, Pi, Yoon, Albor

Loyola Meralco Sparks Starting XI: Cortina, Cuaresma, Dorlas, Mark Hartmann, Jeong, Ozaeta, Park, Versario, Yoshioka, James Younghusband, Phil Younghusband

10 min 0-1 Phil Younghusband
14 min 1-1 Albor
17 min 2-1 Ruben Doctora JR

2-1 HT
70 min 3-1 Yoon
Phil Younghusband red card
87 min 4-1 Lee

Manila All-Japan FC 1-5 Sunken Garden United FC
4:00 pm Turf at Bonifacio Global City

HT Update (2nd Division): Manila All-Japan 1-1 Sunken Garden United.
MAJ: Sagiya Daisuke (31')
SGU: Romnick Jover (2')
1-2 Romnick Jover
1-3 Jose Abraham
1-4 Romnick Jover
1-5 Ogar Ogar

Dolphins United FC 1-1 Lions Meltique Beef FC
6:00 pm Turf at Bonifacio Global City

Livestream of matches in Rizal : Link

Pampanga football tournament

2012-01-27T23:22:00.007+01:00

The XANG-LI UNITED FC is hosting a 7 A-SIDE FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT (Age groups, men's and women's open) at the Pampanga Agricultural College on February 4 and 5, 2012. FOR DETAILS CALL or TEXT: Lt Col Auro - 0915-563-8475 or Roy Auro Jr. - 0916-269-7608.

Tarlac FA Facebook

Scoreless Draws In UAAP Football

2012-01-27T18:18:00.001+01:00

By JONAS TERRADO

January 27, 2012, 10:48pm

MANILA, Philippines — League-leading University of Santo Tomas and defending champion University of the Philippines were held to scoreless draws on Thursday in the 74th UAAP men's football action at the Ateneo pitch.

The Growling Tigers were caught by surprise by University of the East while the Fighting Maroons were also forced to a standoff by La Salle even without their suspended striker and PH U-23 mainstay Jinggoy Valmayor.

UST kept its hold of the lead with two wins, two draws and no defeats for eight points while UP remained in second spot with a 1-3-0 slate for six points.

In the other game, Jesus Melliza scored a rare hat trick as Far Eastern University trounced Ateneo, 3-1. The Tamaraws won their first game of the season to stay in third at 1-2-1 for five points.

Melliza did the trick in the 18th, 20th and 69th minutes to power FEU to the victory.

Meanwhile, women's action in both volleyball and softball resume today at The Arena in San Juan and Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium, respectively.

Manila Bulletin

Sparks go for solo lead vs Stallions

2012-01-27T18:14:00.001+01:00

The Loyola Meralco Sparks try to live up to their top billing as they dispute the solo lead with a surprisingly tough Stallion Gilligan side today in the first division of the United Football League at the Rizal Memorial pitch.

Led by brothers Phil and James Younghusband, the Sparks pulled off a 3-2 victory over the Hans Smith-mentored Green Archers United two weeks ago and a 2-1 triumph over the Armymen to show the way with the idle Kaya FC and darkhorse Stallion Gilligan’s FC with six points apiece. A win counts for three points, a draw one point and a loss none.

The Stallions, ranked outside of the top four, continued to defy the odds as they opened the season with a 6-0 rout of Navy Red Juice a couple of weeks ago and a shock 4-1 win over reigning League and Cup titlist Air Force Phoenix last Tuesday.

“This Loyola game will be a big test for us,” said Stallion team manager Ernest Nierras.

Kaya, meanwhile, plays Navy Red Juice at 6 p.m. tomorrow at the University of Makati field, looking for a victory and a continued share of the lead with the winner of the Sparks-Stallions duel.

While focus will be on the Younghusbands, Lee Joo Young will be the marked player as the Korean leads the field in goals scored with five, including a hat trick in that lopsided win over Navy.

philstar

Injured aces out of Azkals camp

2012-01-27T18:13:00.000+01:00

By Olmin Leyba

The Philippine Azkals will be hard-pressed to fill up huge holes especially in the midfield as a number of Europe-based pros are still uncertain for Phl XI’s upcoming training camp in the Middle East and possibly the AFC Challenge Cup campaign itself in March in Nepal.

Asked about who’s expected in the Dubai and Doha camps, Azkals coach Michael Weiss ruled out the participation of Fil-German Stephan Schröck and Fil-Danish Jerry Lucena and said the inclusion of Fil-Dutch Paul Mulders and Jason de Jong, Fil-Danish Dennis Cagara, Fil-Icelandic Ray Jonsson, and Fil-German Manny Ott are up in the air.

“Schröck is injured, he won’t come. Mulders, most likely he’ll not come. Maybe Ott, maybe de Jong, and maybe Jonsson. Lucena already confirmed he won’t come, he won’t be released by his club, “ Azkals coach Michael Weiss said Wednesday night after the Azkals fought Global FC to a 2-2 draw at the Rizal Memorial pitch.

“Cagara will get a decision from a German club in the Second League; if he gets a professional contract, I don’t see him come to Dubai and most likely our chances are also slim of him playing for the Challenge Cup, but that remains open, I’m not sure about that yet. I also hope I can get (Fil-German Roland) Muller for the goalkeeper, maybe Neil (Etheridge), if he’ll be available,” he added.

With uncertainty of most of the Euro-based players, the midfield becomes a major concern for Weiss.

“(Midfield’s) very crucial. We have a couple of choices but if no one’s available, that’s gonna be a problem, so we’re working on Chris Greatwich coming over for the Malaysia match (on Feb. 29). But if all those players are not available, we have to work with local-based players from the UFL but with limited training time, of course, it’s not easy,” he said.

Weiss looks to their UAE and Qatar training camp beginning Feb. 6 as the best way to catch up as their sessions so far have been “far from ideal.” The Azkals are set to play against Al Arabi on Feb. 13 in Doha and Australian U-23 on Feb. 16 in Dubai, and one more opponent. They are negotiating with Azerbaijan for a Feb. 10 fixture.

“Overall, the situation right now, as far as Challenge Cup preparations are concerned, is far from ideal,” he said, lamenting the limited time he can assemble even the local-based players due to their commitment with their respective UFL clubs.

Wednesday’s tuneup match, he said, reflected how far the Azkals are to ideal form.

“The performance does not give us so much hope, that’s my impression, because you can see that players are somehow distracted. Why? I don’t know but the performance was far from what’s being demanded in a big tournament (coming) in six weeks’ time. So we can only hope when we really get the boys to Dubai together, we can do someting better,” he said.

Weiss said compared to the Azkals’ United’s showing against Korean club Icheon Citizen, the Phl XI’s latest performance versus Global was like “night and day,” although he said it was to be expected given their limited time to train together.

“Especially now with the situation in Phl internally, it’s important to have the team day by day to work on team strategy, defensive tactic, set pieces, general ball possessions, strategies, etc., the whole package that football contains, and you can pratice that most positively in a match.

“So we’ll have three good matches, three days of training (in the Middle East) and hopefully that can get us closer together,” he said.

Philstar

QCU to miss important players vs. Agila FC today

2012-01-27T18:10:00.000+01:00

By Cheska D. Geli

Friday, January 27, 2012

QUEEN City United will be playing its second game against Agila FC in the second division of the United Football League this Sunday at the Bonifacio Global Center.

But aside from adjusting to the new football pitch, head coach Mario Ceniza expects his players to step up their game with the absence of starters Lehmar Baunsit and Ryan Lerio.

The two will be dropped from the lineup this week as Baunsit was not given clearance by his doctor to play after suffering from pneumonia, while Lerio had to go back to San Carlos City to attend to his sick son.

This will be the second consecutive time defense player Baunsit will not play for the team. He failed to make it to the debut game last week where they pulled off a 1-1 draw against Diliman Victory Liner.

Aside from that, six players from the team had been charged with yellow cards which means that another card would bench them for the next match which is against a more experienced Laos FC.

“We have to be careful because six of our players have yellow cards and it would put us at a disadvantage if we’ll miss them for our next match against Laos,” said Ceniza.

Ceniza reminded his substitute players to step-up to reserve the players for next week’s match but he said it will still depend on the situation of the game.

“Depende sa sitwasyon sa duwa. If makaya ang kontra, retain jud ang starters,” said Ceniza.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on January 28, 2012.

Limpag: Half-baked preparation for Bolkiah Cup?

2012-01-27T18:09:00.000+01:00

By Mike T. Limpag

Fair Play

Friday, January 27, 2012

NOT too many people know that before Dan Palami took over the senior team, he was the manager of the Under 19 squad that had their breakfast, lunch, dinner and midnight snacks handed to them in 45 minutes during the AFC Under 19 championships qualifiers in 2009.

Because of that humiliating showing, when Dan was offered the job as senior team manager, he vowed not to be as ill-prepared as the Under 19 team.

A lot of folks know that Dan was the manager of the Southeast Asian Games team last November, who, shall we diplomatically say, failed to live up to their newspaper space and TV airtime.

Aside from saying the SEAG team will be better prepared and that they will be joining the Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy in Brunei next month, nothing much was heard of the team before the announcement of the PFF hiring Serbian coach Zoran Dordevic a few days ago, and the announcement of a team tryout a week ago.

The last time we joined the Bolkiah Cup, we lost to Myanmar, 9-1, and Cambodia, 6-0, and to Brunei, 3-2, in the final match. That Brunei loss was painful. We were up 2-0 at half-time and lost after conceding two goals in the last two minutes. That squad had Phil Younghusband, and now UFL players Jason Cordova, Matthew Hartmann, Francis Gustilo and Dave Villon.

And now, the big question is, are we headed for a repeat of the SEAG debacle? Are we throwing in an ill-prepared team to an international competition?

The simple answer is yes as this year’s tournament will start on Feb. 25, and if they’re still conducting trials on Jan. 21…

But, it’s not as simple as that.

Dan told me the other day he’s having a hard time gathering the players for practice due to UFL and UAAP duties.

Aah, crap, the collegiate game. It is understandable why colleges hold on to their players since they’re the one paying handsomely for their scholarships but this conflict of schedule could have been avoided by a simple change of schedule—hold the damn football tournament early.

It’s the same problem in Cebu. The college season starts late to give way to the basketball season, and all other tournaments involving the age group have to wait.

This conflict of schedule, too, is what former national team Aris Caslib pointed out as one of the problems in Philippine football when he did his presentation to the PFF Board of Governors last January, 2011.

I guess his suggestion to talk with the UAAP and NCAA guys was never taken?

The Bolkiah trophy will be the first outing of this U21 squad, but it’s not the goal.

Dan is aiming for the AFF U22 contest and the SEA Games next year and I admit that this is one massive preparation.

I’m only afraid, though, that if the team does poorly in the Bolkiah Cup, which will end just as the Challenge Cup is starting, folks will remember SEAG 2011 and well, you know what I mean.

By the way, Dan said he’s going for locally-based players (take note, locally-based, not locals), so perhaps this addresses the criticism on how team chemistry was shot to hell in the SEAG when as many as six players flew in a day before the competitions.

“I’m fixing sight on U23 SEAG as promised, but this team will have to absorb initial setbacks. The good thing is that we are building strong local-based players. Raw talents still, but the new coach sees the diamonds underneath,” Dan said.

Diamonds in the rough is the perfect way to describe the team and I hope we finally see the final product in SEAG 2013.

As for the Bolkiah Cup?

I’m not expecting much but since most of the U21 members played in the SEAG, I expect them to fight as if they have something to prove because those guys really do have something to prove.

So, what’s after Bolkiah? I hope, since this won’t be the first time, the PFF will get to talk with the schools about the release of players. If clubs take a rap for not releasing players to a friendly, shouldn’t the schools/league take some of the heat, too?

“After Bolkiah, I will tour this team around to play senior teams in Bacolod, Iloilo, Cebu, etc. and also friendlies with UFL first divisions.”

(www.cebufootball.blogspot.com)

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on January 28, 2012.

Bacolod Football - 49 teams seeing action in Carl Lopez bootfest

2012-01-27T14:19:00.000+01:00

The 1st Councilor Carlos Jose “Carl” Valderrama Lopez 7-A-Side Football Festival kicks off tomorrow at Bacolod City National High School pitch with at least 49 teams joining the competition.

In yesterday’s coaches and team managers’ meeting at the Bacolod Government Center, tournament manager Emilio Goto said they are expecting other football clubs to beat the deadline before the event opens tomorrow.

Up for grabs are top places in five categories, boys and girls’ 17 Under, girls’ 13 Under, boys’ 12 Under, and men’s open.

As of press deadline, teams that registered in the men’s open are Mabini Alumni A & B, Handumanan United, Barangay 28, FC Bacolod A & B, Montevista United, Barangay 3 and Jackals A and B.

Teams in the boys’ 17-under are: Rising Star A & B, HandumananUnited A & B,Andres Bonifacio Elementary School FC, University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos A & B, Domingo Lacson National High School, Bacolod City and St. John’s Institute.

Participating in the girls’ 17 Under are two teams each from St. Scholastica’s Academy and UNO-Recoletos.

Seeing action in girls’ 13 Under are; ABES FC, St. Scholastica’s Academy, Rizal Elementary School A and B, and Bata ll.

In the boys’ 12 Under, the teams are: Rising Star A and B, Handumanan 1 & 2, Barangay 28, Montevista United, ABES FC A and B, St. Scholastica’s Academy A and B, Mabini Elementary School A and B, St. John’s Institute, Real Negrense A and B, Wild Fox A and B, Rizal Elementary School, UNO-R and Bata ll.*NAB

visayan Daily Star

AFC U-22 Asian Cup

2012-01-27T11:05:00.001+01:00

Kuala Lumpur: Continental youth action promises to be more exciting with the draw set for the qualifiers of new championship AFC U-22 Asian Cup and 39 countries having submitted their interest to participate.

The draw date has been set on February 14, 2012, at 11:00 hrs, at AFC House, for the qualification campaign which will be held this year.

The first edition is expected to be held in June 2013 while the next edition of the biennial competition will serve as qualifiers for the 2016 Olympics.

The 39 countries who had submitted their intention to participate by the deadline of January 13 are Bahrain, Bangladesh, China PR, Chinese Taipei, DPR Korea, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Korea Republic, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor Leste, Turkmenistan, UAE, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Yemen.

Uzbekistan friendly in Dubai ?

2012-01-27T09:07:00.003+01:00

The organizers of Azkals tour in Dubai has reported that Azkals wil play Uzbekistan National Team in Dubai on 11. February. The friendly has not yet been confirmed by Uzbekistan FA.

This will be the first of three friendly matches in UAE and Qatar.

Azkals face QSL club Al Ahli test in Doha

2012-01-26T16:33:00.001+01:00

By CHRIS V PANGANIBAN

DOHA: The highly popular Philippine national football team Azkals will see action in a friendly match against Qatar Stars League (QSL) club Al Ahli on February 13, their debut game in Qatar which is expected to draw an estimated 20,000 crowd.

Hussein Al Amri, General Manager of Al Ahli Club, has agreed with Media Pro, a sports marketing firm based in Dubai, to bring the much adored Azkals team composed mostly of talented young players who are European born but with Filipino roots.

Organiser Pinoy Football Qatar is optimistic about the huge spectators turn out especially that the two famous brothers, Phil and James Younghusband will surely play along with other equally popular team-mates Neil Etheridge, Stefan Shrock, Manuel Ott and Paul Mulder.

Vice Consul Jabbar Adiong of the Philippine Embassy in Qatar has assured they will fully support the event by sending memorandum to all Filipino community groups to help in spreading the information.

It would be another acid test for the Azkals team already making waves in the Southeast Asian football front as they will face the highly-competitive Al Ahli Football Club which Al Amri said most of his players have played for Qatar in global competitions.

“I’m sure Filipinos will love the friendly match,” Al Amri told The Peninsula. He said the choice of the date on February 13 at 7:00 pm is a perfect time since everybody will be relaxing on the eve of the holiday, the Qatar National Sports Day.

“This will be a great chance for us to see live in action the famous Azkals,” said Denrie Catalan, president of Pinoy Football Qatar. He said they have worked out for the Azkals stint in Qatar for more than a year through consistent follow up with Philippine Football Federation.

Peninsula Qatar

Weiss unhappy with Azkals friendly match

2012-01-25T20:57:00.000+01:00

by Raffy Bosano, ABS-CBN News

MANILA, Philippines - Azkals coach Michael Weiss was not happy with the national football team's performance in a test match at the Rizal Stadium Wednesday afternoon.

With less than 2 weeks before the team heads off to the Middle East for a series of matches, Weiss admitted that the Azkals have lot to improve on.

"The preparation now, as far as the Challenge Cup is concerned, is far from ideal," he said.

However, Weiss does not entirely attribute the team's performance to the players alone.

"It doesn't look so good if I compare this to last week's performance. But on the other hand, if you come together only once a week and meet for only for a short time, the result can really be like that," he explained.

Weiss said the Azkals will have 3 matches abroad.

The team will be in Dubai on February to face the Azerbaijan team and Australian under-23 team.

They will also head to Qatar for a match against Al-Arabi.

He stressed that it is important for the team to meet every day to be able to develop their strategy, defensive tactics and set pieces.

He also hopes to make best use of their limited time, saying that they no longer have the same grip on players as they used to.

Nevertheless, Weiss remains optimistic.

"Hopefully, the team grows together and plays together as we did last week with the Koreans. Because today was not a very outstanding performance," he said.

ABS CBN News

Davao Football - Tionko Cup kicks off on Saturday

2012-01-25T15:25:00.000+01:00

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

THE Vicenta Tionko Memorial Football Cup will kick off on Saturday at the Tionko football grounds.

Davao Football Association (Davao FA) general secretary Erwin Protacio, in an e-mailed fact sheet to Sun.Star Davao Wednesday, said the two-day 7-A-Side tournament will feature boys under-18, under-15 and under-13, boys and girls under-11, men's open and women's open categories.

He said a brief opening rites set at 8 a.m. will usher in the start of the games in boys and girls events.

Games in the open competition will yet be played on Sunday. Registration fee is pegged at P500 per team.

"Each team shall be composed of not more than 12 active players. Teams should bring photocopies of birth certificates of each of their players," Protacio said.

Teams that won't join the opening ceremony will not be allowed to compete.

The bootfest serves as one of the selection criteria for the formation of Davao FA teams in different age groups.

Davao FA teams will represent the city to any local, regional, or national competition organized by the Philippine Football Federation (PFF).

The Tionko event is organized by the Davao Football Association (DFA) under DFA President Edward Lam. (RPSA)

Published in the Sun.Star Davao newspaper on January 26, 2012

NFL 2012 Season opens January 29

2012-01-25T15:23:00.000+01:00

By Henry G. Doble

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

THE North Football League (NFL) 2012 Season is set to kick off on January 29 at the Ayala North Point football pitch in the Talisay City, Negros Occidental.

Tournament commissioner Ramon Janeo said that the schedule of tournament’s opening is set on this date to give way for the 1st Negros First Men's Football Championships finals which was played January 21.

Janeo added that NFL will keep the six teams intact with the defending champion Ceres Transport FC, 1strunner-up Dynamic Builders FC, 2nd runner-up Talisay-Minuluan FC, 3rd runner-up Trimaxi-Agro FC, Real Negrense FC and the Las Buenas FC.

Dynamic Builders is expected to come out strong to avenge its 2-1 loss in last year’s 3rd Conference finals against the Ceres Transport. The Transporters’ win foiled the Builders grand slam bid in that tournament.

On the proposed banning of players seeing action in the United Football League as well as current university players, Janeo stressed that the suggestion to ban UFL standouts in this league was disapproved. In short, these players who likewise suite up in different teams in the UFL remain in their respective rosters and kept by team owners.

The tournament official, however, disclosed that, unlike the UFL players, current universities and collegiate mainstays are disallowed to join the league.

Among those players who are playing in the NFL as well as in the mentioned leagues are Trimaxi’s FJ Serious (Pachanga FC/UFL) and Dynamic FC Jason Cordova (Stallion FC/UFL), as well as newly drafted Lemuel Unabia (Green Archers United FC/UFL) and Kenneth Doloso (Pachanga FC/UFL).

Unabia is a member of the defending PFF-Suzuki Cup U23 national Cup champion Ceres-Negros U23 while Doloso is a former West Negros University standout and National Coke Go-for-Goal U16 National Finals Best Goalkeeper awardee. He was also part of the Wesnecan team which won the 2006 NOFA provincial Futsal championship at the Negros Occidental Multi-Purpose Activity Center and a former member of the U20 and U21 Philippines Men's national football team.

Schedule of games will be determined a week before the tournament. (With Scoop-Bacolod)

Published in the Sun.Star Bacolod newspaper on January 25, 2012.

Australia U23 confirm Azkals friendly

2012-01-25T11:42:00.003+01:00

Australia FA has confirmed the Azkals friendly for 16. February in Dubai :

International friendly match
Qantas Australian U23s v Philippines
Zabeel Stadium, Dubai
Thursday, 16 February 2012
Kick-off: 7:30pm local (2:30am AEDT)

Link

Pic : Zabeel Stadium

The Independence Day Cup ?

2012-01-25T08:40:00.001+01:00

According to PFF President Araneta, they are sending invites to the Vietnam and Singapore national teams, and Fulham, Queens Park Rangers and Blackburn Rovers to play the national team in Manila during this two-week long invitational tournament scheduled for Early June

Azkals call off Dubai training

2012-01-24T17:57:00.002+01:00

By Olmin Leyba

The Philippine Azkals will no longer get to play Serbian powerhouse FK Partizan Belgrade in their 12-day training camp next month in the UAE after the reigning Serbian SuperLiga champions called off their Dubai sortie.

“The Azkals’ match with Partizan that’s supposed to be held on Feb. 6 will not push through anymore apparently because of visa problems on their part,” confirmed Philippine Football Federation (PFF) president Nonong Araneta yesterday.

Multi-titled Partizan is under a new coach in Avram Grant, an Israeli. In their website, “The Black and Whites” announced that after the cancellation of their preparation in Dubai, the team is searching for opponents in Israel instead for a planned trip from Jan. 25 to Feb. 8.

The Azkals will hold camp in the UAE and Qatar from Feb. 5-17 as a crucial part of their buildup for the AFC Challenge Cup in March in Nepal.

With the showdown against the top-flight Serbian club now off, the Azkals will be left with three tune-up matches.

Araneta said so far, only Al Ahli Sports Club has confirmed for the Feb. 13 match in Doha, Qatar while negotiations are ongoing for a Feb. 16 duel with the Australian U-23 side in Dubai. The Azkals also are looking for an opponent for a Feb. 10 match in Dubai.

While the Azkals hone their skills abroad, the PFF will kick off its grassroots program at home via the “Asian Football Development Program” on Feb. 10-11 in Calamba, Laguna.

philstar

YouTube - UFL - Stallion 4, Philippine Air Force Phoenix 1

2012-01-24T17:57:00.001+01:00

Stallion FC win against Air Force - on top of UFL!

2012-01-24T14:25:00.004+01:00

Stallion FC won 4-1 today against Air Force in UFL Div 1 and is now leading UFL div 1 after 2 matches.

Stallions were leading 3-0 at halftime after two goals by Lee Joo Young and Ruben Doctora. Veteran player Yanti Bersales scored one goal for Air Force before Ruben Doctora scored his second goal for Stallion FC.