My thoughts on the Bacolod-Davao game

If the two semifinals games of the PFF Suzuki U-23 National Cup are any indication of the sheer beauty of the sport and the quality of the competition, then the finals should be a slam bang affair when cross-river/city rivals Iloilo and Bacolod tangle.

Davao skidded somewhat at the end of the Laguna regionals when Iloilo killed them 4-1 and many wondered if they would similarly get skewered by powerhouse Bacolod. Boy, was everyone wrong. The first 20 minutes was actually an eyesore as both teams struggled to get their game going. In fact, Davao had the first three decent chances to score. Then in the 20th minute, Davao coach Ramoncito Carreon surprisingly substituted playmaker Enrique Romero-Salas for Joey Arobo. The result? Three goals for the rest of the half by Bacolod. 

A Bacolod assistant coach seemed baffled by the move: "You don't just replace a key player like that. At least not that early."

Davao had dug itself into a deep hole. 

But come the second half, it was a different story. Davao played better defense and now the link up to the final attacking third was complete. Mysteriously, Bacolod's game went south. I'd be mighty alarmed if I were them. They beat NCR but they did so in the first 20 minutes because the Manilans dominated the rest of the way. Against Masbate, Bacolod dominated the first half but in the final 45 minutes, Masbate took over. And now the near meltdown against Davao. 

The top-rated defense of Davao had given way. After a few mistakes, Jake Moralla, Lemuel Unabia and Anton Tongson were replaced. Ditto for Joven Bedic who had not played well. Now I wondered if the substitutions had affected Bacolod's game because the reserves had not been able to make any serious headway.

If defense had been a problem for Iloilo, for Bacolod it has been closing out matches. If there was a little more time on the clock, Davao would have equalized. That's how in control they were of the second half. So what happened? Carreon's boys utilized their speed which was their advantage. And Bacolod's backfour while solid in the air aren't that fast. Well, they have their work cut out for them.

But there would be no Istanbuls for Davao. Instead, they were eliminated from play. Even as they went out, they didn't go with their heads bowed. They had taken it to the Visayas regionals winners and showed that they belonged in the semifinals cast (some wondered if Laguna would have been a better foe for Bacolod but NCR Team A killed them in the final playing day of the Laguna Group Stages).