by rick olivares
Quarterfinals: Ceres vs. Global
January 19, 2013
4pm Rizal Memorial Football Stadium
Arguably the best club not plying its
trade in the UFL, Ceres will come to Manila with plenty of interest after it
defeated Stallion, 1-0, to advance to the quarterfinals stage of the Smart
National Club Championship.
In that match, Stallion owned 80% of
ball possession but got off only a few shots. Ceres on the other hand, had only
one attempt and made good on it with a 46th minute goal by Kim Jung
Mook. And that goal sent them to the quarterfinals where UFL champion Global,
2-1 conquerors of Nomads, waits.
Manila football fans will see some
familiar faces in the Ceres lineup with former San Beda and Azkals goalkeeper
Michael Louie Casas, former Kaya striker and national player Joshua Beloya, and
defenders Lemuel Unabia, who once played for Green Archers United, and Jason
Cordova, who anchored Stallion’s defense during the 2010-11 seasons.
Casas tended to the Azkals’ nets before
the arrival of Fulham reserve keeper Neil Etheridge in 2008. He was pressed out
of retirement with the injury to regular keeper John Robert Mendoza although he
is the number two keeper behind Hyoun Jae Jun. When not in playing gear, he is
Ceres’ goalkeeper coach and also served in the same capacity with Negros
Occidental’s 2011 Suzuki Under-23 National Champions.
Other names on the Bacolod-based side
are Timothy Bolo who played for UST last season but chose to transfer to the
University of St. La Salle in Negros where the bulk of the Ceres team comes
from. One other local star is Jaime Poderoso Jr, the star striker of West
Negros University.
Another familiar face will be Ali Go,
a former national player who also once played for Kaya in the pre-Football Alliance
UFL. Go, serves as the team manager of the squad that is coached by USLS’
Freddie Lazarito and Ramon Janeo.
Unlike previous Ceres squads that
where wholly local based, this current team reflects the changes in Philippine
club culture as it has its bevy of Koreans and locally based Englishmen.
Ceres runs an attack-minded 4-4-2
formation with Joon Byeong Jun and Hanesin Prince Antony up front. Poderoso and
Englishman Peter Long come off the bench. Beloya plays attacking mid, a role he
exquisitely filled during the Suzuki U-23 of two years ago where he first made
a name for himself by scoring 15 goals. His linemates include Jason Panhay, Kim
Jung Mook, and Rolando Ian Treyes.
On defense is Englishman Danny
Claxton, Cordova, and Koreans Park Keon Hyeong, and Sim Hyun Min.
However, against a tough Stallion
team, Ceres were forced to attack on the counter. In Manila, they cannot afford
to sit back against Global that never allowed Nomads to run their offense.
Global’s strength as always is its
wing play. Delon Yao has stepped into the starting lineup and given the Brian
Reid-coach club speed, pace, and power on the left flank with Jeffrey
Christiaens in the middle. Over at the other side, the combination of Jerry
Barbaso and Patrick Reichelt is even more lethal. With center mid Yu Hoshide
unavailable in the last match, Reichelt would sometimes slip in the middle to help
facilitate the center play (Carli De Murga moved up to an attacking midfield
position and he scored the opening goal for Global). He would look to either
side and determine where to send the ball.
If Ceres found Stallions’ defense
tough to crack, they will also find more of the same with Global as its back
four is solid with Barbaso on the right, Val Kama and Angge Guisso in the middle,
and Yao on the left.
Marwin Angeles, although usually
playing up front with the role of distributor, was asked by Reid to occupy the
holding midfielder slot that he performed quite well against Nomads.
Aside from the tough D and
star-studded Global line-up, Ceres will be playing in different surroundings.
If they weather the early onslaught from Global, they might give a good account
of themselves. Because of their Round of 16 win, they won’t be catching Global
by surprise and their resiliency on defense is paramount.
Ceres have also not played against the
reinforced Manila teams in top-flight football in front of huge crowds. Global
Force, the side’s booster squad is very vocal and non-stop in its exhortations
for the club to pull out not just a win but a huge one with goals galore. They
will be in force for the Saturday clash. And with the Smart National Club
Championships entering its more competitive phase as all the early pretenders
have been weeded out, expect the pressure to multiply. "It will be a tough match up," described Global team owner Dan Palami. "They (Ceres) will be hungry."
The defending UFL champions, Global, with
its bevy of national players, handle pressure well. Their bench along will be
tough to handle. Look for Brian Reid-coached team to advance to the semis.
-------------------
Watch for the Kaya-Loyola preview next.
And here's the pairings for the Smart National Club Championship.
And here's the pairings for the Smart National Club Championship.
For additional reading, here's one I penned on the Bacolod (Ceres) title run for the 2011 Suzuki Under-23 National Championship titled HOW BACOLOD BECAME U-23 CHAMPIONS.
exciting, and I won't miss it!
ReplyDeletecan't wait for the Saturday clash...so excited!!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe this match isn't televised.
ReplyDeleteTALO GLOBAL. HAHAHAHA
ReplyDelete