BLEACHERS BREW EST. MAY 2006

Someone asked me how my blog and newspaper column came to be titled "Bleachers Brew". It's like this, it's an amalgam of sorts of two things: The bleachers area in the stadium/arena where I used to sit when I would watch baseball, football, and basketball games and Miles Davis' great jazz album Bitches Brew. That's how it got culled together. I originally planned on calling it "The View from the Big Chair" that is a nod to Tears For Fear's second album, Songs from the Big Chair. So there.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Loyola Meralco Sparks to compete in Singapore Cup


Loyola Meralco Sparks to compete in Singapore Cup

by rick olivares

The Loyola Meralco Sparks will be competing in the prestigious Singapore Cup that kicks off this May 14, 2012 in Singapore. The Football Association of Singapore extended the invitation to the Sparks after they topped the first round of the United Football League.

It was only in recent years where foreign clubs were invited to participate. Thai clubs have done well in the competition with Bangkok Glass FC beating Tampines Rovers 1-0 in 2010.

The Singapore Cup is a four-stage tournament with the preliminary round a single leg competition from May 14-21. Should Loyola win its preliminary round match and qualify for the two-legged quarterfinals, the team will be required to return to Singapore to play both legs. Should the club make it to the semifinals, the same will apply. The final will be played on Sunday, October 28, 2012.

The Singapore Cup champion will receive Singapore $80,000 while the first, second, and third runners-up will receive $40,000, $20,000., and $10,000 respectively.

Losing quarterfinalists will each receive $4,000 and the preliminary round losers $2,000.

The Football Association of Singapore has sent the official invitation to the Philippine Football Federation for endorsement.

“This is a big step for not just Loyola but also for the UFL and Philippine football in general because this is the first time a Philippine team is being invited to this tournament,” said the Sparks’ president Randy Roxas. “We hope to do well in this competition because it validates what the UFL has been trying to do – professionalize Philippine football.”

The tournament rules state that clubs may only list four foreigners in their lineup.

17 comments:

  1. wow! winning this tournament is an automatic inclusion in the 2012 AFC Cup! woot! if loyola wins this this will be huge!

    plus the 2012 AFC president's cup for the 2011-2012 UFL div1 champs!

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    1. Problem is, the Philippines is still categorized as an "emerging nation" by the AFC, and FIFA still doesn't yet recognize the UFL as a top-flight league. Therefore, even if Loyola wins the competition, they would still be ineligible for the AFC Cup due to the nation's status.

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  2. Hope to watch them, will be there by May :)

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  3. Me too!!!!! hope i can watch their game!!! sold out yan for sure with all the pinoy supporters there. this is so exciting!! pls give us details. what an opportunity to be invited to this tournament. All the best for the Loyola Meralco Sparks:))

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  4. foreign teams will not participate in AFC Cup if they win the singapore cup.

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  5. first for the philippines, hope the lads can do well in the said tournament and 'course make the pinoys proud. Ole for Loyola Meralco Sparks FC

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  6. Ayusin nio ang mga comment nio pinagtatawanan kayo ng ibang Singaporean. ha ha . Sabagay 4/20 nga pala ngayon. Baka high kayo sa MArijuana

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  7. woot! Good job first commenter! GIYF jackhole.

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  8. Ba't naman tayo pagtatawanan ng mga Singaporean. Ano ba pinagmamalaki nila, yung National team at Football clubs nila na tadtad ng Naturalized Imports? LOL

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    Replies
    1. Some are LOL on our comments kasi kahit sa international football community sumisikat ang ignorance natin.

      http://kallangroar.com/showthread.php/6673-Singapore-Cup-2012/page3

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    2. Well at least, their infrastructure is excellent. They have nice pitches, they have a decent S-League and have a nice football reality show "First XI" LOL. Mas mataas pa rin level nila haha, so we should learn to respect kasi we are still considered pretenders. Wala pa tayong achievement na astig, so don't be boastful. They won the ASEAN Cup three times already.

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  9. In fairness, forumers there are more knowledgeable and wise enough to sense that the reason why LMS was brought there is not because of their skills, but as a potential cash cow...

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  10. I hope the Azkals will shape up from now on. The Volcanoes were able to get the job done without any any fanfare. Walang ka porma-porma at walang negative issues. Class act all the way. Maybe some Azkals should learn from them.

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  11. iba ang rugby kaysa sa football walang point of comparison between the two teams, Emerging palang ang football ang almost all nations na katabi natin yan ang strongest sport nila pwera lang sa China na magaling talaga sa basketball. Fil-Americans ang halos bumubuo sa volcanoes, and everybody knows napakagaling at napakalakas ng USA sa ganyang sport.

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    Replies
    1. they're not really part-americans (maybe some of them) but they're mostly fil-aussies and fil-brits dude..

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