Bacolod holds off NCR for fourth straight win in Suzuki U23 quarters

Bacolod holds off NCR for fourth straight win in Suzuki U23 quarters

by rick olivares

PANAAD, BACOLOD -- Tournament favorite Bacolod played a great first 45 minutes before they survived a furious challenge by the National Capital Region Team B in the second half to open their PFF Suzuki Under-23 National Cup quarterfinals campaign with a 2-1 win.

Joshua Beloya, Bacolod’s attacking midfielder, scored his seventh goal in four matches when he pounced on a mistake by NCR’s defense which did not react to a loose ball just outside the box. Beloya quickly collected the loose ball and volleyed it past keeper Patrick Deyto for the first goal with only six minutes gone by.

In the 32^nd minute, striker Jovin Bedic scored on a brilliant three-pass play, to put the home side up 2-nil.

Right from the kickoff, Bacolod put immense pressure on NCR’s midfield that was led by national player Yannick Tuason. They relentlessly pressed and attacked in a 3-5-2 formation, a strategy by coach Norman Fegidero Jr. who noted that the Manila-based eleven had yet to play a full game in the tournament. “We knew they would not yet have that feel for regional football and we wanted to test their onfield communication and chemistry.”

“Now I know how it feels,” Manila keeper Deyto would say later. “And now I can say I played in Panaad.”

Despite the quick two strikes, NCR was not without decent chances. In the first half alone, the Hans Smit-mentored squad had six corners to the one of Bacolod.

The story was quite different in the second half as NCR tightened up on defense and kept better possession of the ball. Striker Jess Melliza appeared to have pulled back one in the 56^th minute but was whistled for an offside by the linesman that drew vociferous protests from the NCR bench.

The entry of UAAP MVP Stephen Permanes in the 69^th minute galvanized the NCR attack and they made hay when in the 74^th minute, NCR defender Raymark Fernandez, headed home a cross by Tuason to make a game of it.

The goal was also the first conceded by Bacolod in four matches. Unfortunately, time wasn’t on NCR’s side. Under relentless assault, Fegidero switched to a more defensive 4-4-2 formation that held until full time.

“We got beaten by our inexperience and their counters,” said a still optimistic Smit. “The objective is to qualify. If we can get a win against Dipolog and Masbate then we’ll be okay. But we also have to score goals.”

“We are going to learn from this,” said Tuason tirelessly worked both ends of the field. “Now we know what it’s like.”

The quarterfinals in Bacolod continues on Monday, May 8, when NCR plays Masbate at 3pm while Bacolod looks to solidify their semifinals bid when the face a depleted Dipolog side in the main game at 5pm. Dipolog, the second placer in the Mindanao regionals, is missing three players from their starting eleven including striker Mike Tulang who has six goals in the competition.

Over at the Laguna leg of the quarterfinals, NCR 1, humbled 7-nil by Iloilo during the opening day, hope to also get back on track when they play Davao at 8am at the UP Los Baños pitch. Home team Laguna hopes to stave off powerhouse Iloilo when they face off at 3pm.

Starting XI

Bacolod

John Robert Mendoza

Carmelo Tacusalme  Lemuel Unabia  Janrick Soriano

J Baguiro  Joshua Beloya  Jake Morallo  Gino Palomo  Michael Pacite 

Jovin Bedic  Adrian Dolino

Ojay Clarino  Jess Melliza

Nikko Villa Yannick Tuason Gerald Pacquiao  Neil Ryan Lirio

David Basa  Deo Segunial  Raymark Fernandez  Ronnie Aguisanda

Patrick Deyto

NCR

Friday in Bacolod

To help promote the quarterfinals stage of the PFF Suzuki U-23 National Cup, we visited Bombo Radyo and Aksyon Radio. It sure was fun going to the station and actually banging the drum. Haha. Was that the highlight of the day? Hahaha.

We talked about the quarters, the teams involved, the skeds, and what is next for this tournament. This is the stage of the competition where teams are supposedly the best. At the time of our guesting at 8am, the NCR team in Laguna was getting shelled by Iloilo.

There was a light rain in the afternoon so it wasn't hot at all. The pitch was compact in most places. Maybe the scoreboard which still had the AFC Challenge Cup still up months after it was played. But it was fixed eventually. Sometime in the second half of the Bacolod-NCR match, a rainbow appeared just beyond the Eucalyptus trees in Panaad. I wish I had a better camera to take the shot. But it was just beautiful.

To cap off Friday, dinner was at Aida's the Manukan Country. Complete with the guest cockroach.

Iloilo, Masbate win Suzuki U23 Quarterfinals opener

FAMILIAR FOES. Iloilo's Ronald Batisla-Ong and NCR's Nathan Octavio chase down the ball in their matchup at the UPLB in the Laguna Quarterfinals of the PFF Suzuki U23 National Cup. Batisla-Ong plays for UST that recently lost to Octavio's UP Diliman in the UAAP Season 73 Men's Football finals. Iloilo asserted its might with a 7-0 win.

Iloilo, Masbate win Suzuki U23 Cup q’finals opener

By Rick Olivares with AJ Bolando and Brosi Gonzales

PANAAD, BACOLOD -- Luzon topnotcher Masbate showed that they are for real in the PFF Suzuki Under-23 National Cup when they beat Mindanao second placer 1-nil yesterday May 6, 2011 at the start of the Group A quarterfinals in Bacolod City.

The Masbate team of coach Kim Versales arrived in Bacolod late in the evening before match day and didn’t get a minute of practice. But Versales’  team showed fine pace and an unstoppable two–man game in the flanks between midfielder Aaron Altiche and attacking midfielder David Fornea that Dipolog has no solution for. That partnership bore several decent scoring chances of which they were able to capitalize on the 15^th minute when Fornea blasted a cross past the goalkeeper.

Even with Jerry Barbaso in harness (who arrived on the day of the match), the absence of Tulang, who scored five goals in the Mindanao regionals, told heavily for coach Reginald Jukes.

Dipolog’s ground game came to life in the second half when Fornea was sent off for a reckless challenge on Barbaso and for pushing the referee. But Dipolog was mostly reduced to taking long shots that were either wide or went straight to the keeper.

Said Versales, “Malaking bagay na red card si Fornea. Napilitan kami mag hold ng formation namin. Tapos for the next game na NCR kalaban wala siya.”

Over at the Group B quarterfinals in Laguna, Iloilo flashed deadly form as they crushed NCR Team A 7-nil at the UP Los Baños pitch. The match, played at 8am, didn’t seem to bother the Ilonggos against an NCR side that obviously had no chemistry and seemed sluggish.

Midfielder Chester Braga scored a brace for the Ilonggos (50, 54) while Peter Sobredo (20), Jewer Vergara (39), Romeo Martinez (60), Shirmar Felongco 71) and German Doronilla (79) added a goal apiece.

“It’s a good game for us kasi, maganda naman yung pinakita nung team we have to win kasi gusto rin naming makapasok sa semi-finals, yung NCR ngayon lang siguro nagkasama sama yang mga yan kaya ganyan yung laro,” said Iloilo coach Marjo Allado.

In the second match in Los Baños, Davao and host team Laguna battled to a 2-2 draw. Davao, the Mindanao group leader scored six seconds into the match when Jovan Benitez’ tested Laguna’s keeper with a long ball and found him wanting. But the home side equalized in the 39^th minute when Rafael Castro’s volley found the back of the net. Laguna went ahead in the second half after a Janboy Castro goal in the 58th minute. But Davao tied the match with a spectacular injury time goal by Edwin Giganto to take a point.

As of press time, NCR Team B, coached by Hans Smit and Adolfo Alicante was still playing Visayas leader Bacolod which is coached by Norman Fegidero Jr.

Schedule of Los Baños games:

May 8, 2011

8 am NCR vs. Davao

3 pm Laguna vs. Iloilo

May 10, 2011

8 am NCR vs. Laguna

3 pm Iloilo vs. Davao

Schedule of Bacolod games

May 8

3pm Masbate vs. NCR

5pm Dipolog vs. Bacolod

May 10

3pm Dipolog vs. NCR

5pm Masbate vs. Bacolod

Schedule of matches for PFF Suzuki U-23 National Cup matches in Bacolod

The who and the why

Covering the PFF Suzuki U-23 National Cup has been extremely gratifying. Well, aside from the traveling to different places, it’s the new experiences and making friends. But I have to admit that what really caught me is seeing kids from all over the country trying to live a dream. And that’s to represent their hometown and the national team. However, in their minds, it’s a dream that may never come to pass considering the predilection for Fil-foreigners by the national team.

And so, the press about them is something meaningful for them.

I realized that when I received messages from the players or the local fans themselves. Even a short story about a teammate is huge for them.

Not every one of them travels comfortably. Many of these kids come from small towns and not-so well off families. They are used to making do with budgets like a hundred fifty pesos for meals for the entire day. Now think about that. Whether you live in Manila or Bacolod that is nowhere near enough. Maybe for one meal but not three. The hotel where we may stay may not be the best but it is certainly much better than sleeping in a cheap motel where the sheets smell of a recent shagging.

Not all the provincial coaches or football associations are well off. And it’s even more astonishing that their coaches or managers pay for their lads. Almost every coach I have spoken to all say the same thing – they do this for the love of their game, to help their communities, and to teach their kids values and to stay away from drugs and other vices.

They play for themselves, for a dream, and for a country. That's true home grown pride.

Yesterday, many of them hung out at my hotel room. They were eager to read what is bring written whether on the printed page or in my blog. They wanted to know things about the national team, the tournament, traveling and writing, and so much more. If it wasn’t match day the following day then I wouldn’t mind them hanging out til late but nevertheless, it was enjoyable.

In trying to get the stories about the PFF Suzuki U-23 National Cup out, it’s difficult because you have to consider many factors. You have to compete against the bigger sports stories of the day. You have people who are of no help to you and give you all sorts of excuses why they don’t run them. And there’s the ever-present question of, “who’s there?”

Quite simply, this is why I write. To put the “who” in there.

Yannick Tuason & Stephen Permanes on the NCR's chances in the PFF Suzuki U23 Cup quarters

Ateneo vs Arellano: The Fifth Man

This appears in ateneo.edu

The Fifth Man

Ateneo 70 vs. Arellano University 53

by rick olivares pic by brosi

May 4, 2011

San Juan Arena

When Tonino Gonzaga joined cracked the Ateneo Blue Eagles’ lineup four years ago, he was one of five new faces. There were the much-ballyhooed recruits Ryan Buenafe, Nico Salva, Justin Chua, and Vince Burke.

Four years and three championships later, vital cogs in the big blue machine have gone. And this year, there are six new faces on the team making it the single largest batch of newbies since the basketball program began in 1999. And Zags, as he is called for short, is now one of the team’s “grizzled vets”. Only he doesn’t feel like one.

Through many lineup changes, Gonzaga has patiently waited for his chance to show what he can do. Sure he’s had his moments during the past three years but he was oft on the third team of a deep squad.

“I didn’t make this team for nothing,” he said to himself.

He might have not been a “blue chip” recruit and that sits fine with him. He is after all, a product of pure heart, hustle, and good ole blue-collar work ethic.

Up against the unpredictable Arellano University Chiefs, the Blue Eagles found it difficult to get good looks at the basket let alone open shots. With less than two minutes left in the first quarter, Gonzaga checked into the game, AdMU up 9-8.

The fourth year swingman ditched his defender along the baseline then drove hard only for AU’s Christian Palma to meet him in the air to try and block him. Zags leaped and with Palma’s arms following his every move, the Atenean pumped, stretched and flicked a difficult reverse layup that miraculously evaded the Chief’s arms. The shot dropped for an 11-8 lead.

On the opposite end, Gonzaga played the passing lanes well to deflect a pass to Arellano’s Rocky Acidre who was straddling the three-point line. That defensive move didn’t register as a “steal” but it did leave four seconds on Arellano’s shot clock and their desperation shot badly missed.

The second unit of Kiefer Ravena, Bacon Austria, Oping Sumalinog, Justin Chua, and Gonzaga had given the Blue Eagles some cushion at 17-13. And after a brilliant and one by Zags, the lead was now at seven.

The Chiefs would come no closer.

After a brief respite, Ateneo coach Norman Black sent Zags back in a few seconds left. The fourth year player promptly stole the ball from a Chief and hightailed it back to the other end for a deuce to make it 32-19.

It was all down hill – for Arellano – after that.

Playing great defense, Ateneo held Arellano to 29% field goal shooting. They had also dominated the Chiefs in almost every statistical category. Ateneo got solid performances from Ravena, Long, Salva, Chua, and Sumalinog.

Although Gonzaga only scored 9 points, he shot 50% from the field and the stripe. He also added four boards and a dime.

“It may be the pre-season but I look at every game as a “UAAP game,” said Zags. “That helps me condition my mind into giving my best at all times.”

“We may have a bunch of rookies and I tell them to absorb everything that happens. They should learn as much as they can because their time to shine will come.”

Just like him?

Zags, the last man out of the Ateneo dugout, smiled and packed his bags to go.

Ateneo 70 – Ravena 12, Salva 10, Long 10, Chua 9, Gonzaga 9, Sumalinog 8, Monfort 6, Tiongson 4, Austria 2, Golla 0, Erram o, Tallo 0, Pessumal 0

Arellano 53 – Celada 16, Salcedo 12, Zulueta 8, Mammie 6, Lapuz 5, Acidre 2, Estoce 2, Doligon 2, del Rosario 0, Palma 0, Casiño 0, Caperal 0, Okpe 0

Notes: Ateneo played minus Greg Slaughter while Arellano’s Isiah Ciriacruz has yet to see action. Ateneo is now at 4-0 while Arellano fell to 0-4.

Old times. Good times.

The San Juan Arena. Today. Bobby Parks. Atoy Co. Leo Austria. Me. Three PBA legends and one PBA vet. That’s Philippine Basketball Association and Philippine Bulagaan Association respectively. Snicker.

We had a 30-minute chat outside the Arena about the PBA and college hoops. The highlight was when we all shared a laugh about an anecdote during the Shell PBA days of Bobby and Coach Leo (they were teammates then).

In one practice, Shell was doing the two-on-two fastbreak/defense drill with Bobby and a teammate on offense and Coach Leo and another teammate on defense. They were all wearing reversible jerseys – red on one side and yellow on the other. Bobby and his teammate were in red while the Coach and his teammate were in white.

As Memphis Slim brought down the ball, Coach Leo moved to the wings and pulled up his reversible jersey to reveal the red side. Parks saw a flash of red then whipped a no look pass to the wings – to Austria.

Bobby then went straight to the hole thinking that his teammate was going to lay in the ball. To his surprise, Coach Leo was hightailing it all the way to the opposite side for a layup.

The whole Shell team doubled up in laughter.

Seeing Bobby reenact it – that was hilarious.

Results of the FilOil games:

Ateneo beat Arellano U 70-53

Adamson beat Letran 75-50

San Sebastian beat NU 81-74

Tondo-born Fil-Swede eyeing slot with Azkals

This appears in the May 4, 2011 edition of the Business Mirror.

Tondo-born Fil-Swede eyeing slot with Azkals

by rick olivares

Gustav Ernst Elon Cajayon Sjoberg, a 29-year old Fil-Swede, will be arriving in Manila on May 8, 2011 to try out for the Philippine Men’s Football National Team.

Sjoberg, who was born in Tondo, Manila is one of few selected Filipinos of mixed heritage to be invited to a training camp that begins on May 9 in preparation for the World Cup Qualifying match against Sri Lanka on June 28 and July 3. Sjoberg’s mother, Elizabeth Cajayon is also from Manila.

The 6’4” Sjoberg currently plays striker for Lindo FC that has seen action in the Swedish Second Division and has played in three international cups – Dana Cup, Brondby Cup, and the Amsterdam Cup. Lindo FC placed third in the first two cups and beat opponents such as the Honduran National Team, Dutch team Ajax, Danish eleven FC Alsborg, and English club Peterborough United.

Because of financial problems, Lindo FC has been relegated down the Swedish football system. But that has not stopped, Sjoberg from scoring. Since 2009, he has scored 38 goals in 58 matches for his club.

It was while on vacation here in Manila last December as the Azkals were in the midst of their historic run in the 2010 Suzuki Cup that Sjoberg learned about the Azkals. Sjoberg comes home to the Philippines every two years for a vacation.

If shortlisted, Sjoberg will join the team for a training camp in Germany.

-----------------------

Lindo FC. Gustav Sjoberg is the third from the right back row.

Suzuki Cup champion coach K. Rajagopal to grace 1st Philippine Football Conference

Suzuki Cup champion coach K. Rajagopal to grace 1^st Philippine Football Conference

by rick olivares

Krishnasamy Rajagopal, the brilliant head coach of the Malaysian National Football Team who beat powerhouse Indonesia for the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup, will be in Manila for the 1^st Philippine Football Conference on May 14 and 15 at the San Beda College in Manila.

Rajagopal will give a talk on how the Tigers, as Malaysia’s national football team is known, prepared for the Suzuki Cup and for Indonesia who ousted the Philippines by an aggregate score of 2-nil.

Aris Caslib, former national team head coach and currently the Technical Head of the PFF said that conference would benefit the local football community for the transfer technology. “Think of what we can learn,” said Caslib at the PFF Board of Governors meeting held at the Waterfront Insular Hotel in Davao City last weekend. “Asian football is growing and we are seeing some great football minds developing in the region.”

The two-day conference is hosted by the PFF Technical Committee will also feature prominent speakers in the Asian football community including Coach Masao Nakayama and Coach Yoshio Kato both of the Japanese Football Association (JFA) on grassroots education and development as well as Coach Hans Michael Weiss of the Philippine Men’s National Football Team.

In between these will be presentations on local football development by the country’s top football coaches. Workshops on special topics, such as grassroots, women’s football, elite training and coaches’ education will cap of the conference.

“This is just the start,” added Caslib. “Who knows who we can invite for next year’s conference? Maybe one day we can invite the Wengers, Mourinhos, and Van Gaals of this world.”

The conference, sponsored by Mizuno, Gatorade, Nissin and Ride, will be held at the Abbott Lopez Hall in San Beda. Interested participants may register early by visiting the Philippine Football Conference page on Facebook.

LA Tenorio Gatorade

Confident NCR teams look to go deep in U23 Cup

This appears in the Thursday May 5, 2011 edition of the Business Mirror.

Confident NCR teams look to go deep in U23 Cup

by rick olivares

Despite not going through the cluster eliminations and regional competitions, the two teams of the National Capital Region Football Association are confident that they will give a good accounting of themselves in the ongoing PFF Suzuki Under-23 National Cup.

The NCR elevens will be coached by Hans Smit and Anto Gonzales and will respectively compete in the eight-team quarterfinals stage in Bacolod and Laguna from May 6-10. The players of the two NCR teams are mostly drawn from the NCAA and the UAAP and went straight to the quarterfinals.

Smit, the long time head coach of the De La Salle University men’s and women’s football teams said that there might be some chemistry problems since the players mostly compete against one another. “But I'm confident that the players will end up complimenting each other once the games start. Basing on how they are off the field, they are quite comfortable with each other and friendly. Now it's how they do it together on the field.”

Initially, UP striker Jinggoy Valmayor was included in the NCR lineup but had to be removed for academic reasons. Although Valmayor is from San Carlos, Negros Occidental, he can suit up for the NCR team as he has been playing in Manila since high school. There are a number of NCR players who hail from the provinces. Among them are UAAP Season 73 Men’s Football MVP Stephen Permanes who is from Butuan and backup keeper Ronnie Aguisanda who is from Cagayan de Oro.

It isn’t only the NCR that has players who are playing for teams other than their hometowns. Dumaguete midfielder, Morris John Tulang is from Dipolog City. Bacolod midfielder Jake Moralla is from Dumaguete while striker Jovin Bedic is from Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo. The latter happens to play for West Negros University in Bacolod and thus is allowed to play for the city.

“But almost all the NCR players are Metro Manila born,” underscored Smit. “Very few are from elsewhere.”

Smit doesn’t believe that the absence of Valmayor, who led the UAAP in scoring with nine goals in 11 matches in his rookie season, will hurt the team. “There are equally great strikers that will perform. Remember this is a selection so all quarters have been covered.” Smits NCR team has in its lineup UST striker Ojay Clarino, FEU’s scoring machine Jess Melliza, and La Salle Don Rabaya (who is from Dumaguete). Gonzales’ NCR eleven which will compete in Laguna has among other Ateneo’s Anton Amistoso and La Salle’s Arturo Enriquez.

Regarding chemistry, Smit said, “Being from the UAAP hasn't really made it easier for the players. It’s harder to get them to play together since their talents have to be zeroed into a single unit. We are all hoping that when the time comes. A good sign is that every session we have is that they are playing better as a team!

Of the team’s chances, the longtime national coach made no bones of their objective. “Our target is no less to reach the Finals! But I can maybe only say how far the NCR will go after I've seen the other teams play!”

The top two teams that emerge from each of the group competitions will advance to semifinals in Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo on May 15-16.

Cast is complete for Suzuki U-23 Cup quarterfinals

This appears in the Tuesday May 3, 2011 edition of the Business Mirror.

Cast is complete for Suzuki U-23 Cup quarterfinals

by rick olivares

The cast is complete for the quarterfinals of the PFF Suzuki Under-23 National Cup. After weeks of grueling cluster and regional competition, the top two teams from Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and the National Capital Region will simultaneously do battle in two separate group stages from May 6-10, 2011 for the four seats to the semis of the first major national football tournament in years.

Panaad Stadium will be the venue for the group of Visayas’ top seed Bacolod, NCR Team 2, Mindanao second placer Dipolog, and Luzon topnotcher, Masbate.

The University of the Philippines-Los Baños pitch will be the site for the other group that includes host and Luzon second placer Laguna; Mindanao overall leader Davao; NCR 1, and Visayas’ number two seed, Iloilo.

The tournament has an added importance aside from being the first national competition in over four years. The PFF hopes to find gems among the competing teams who will beef up the country’s Under-23 national team that will compete in the Southeast Asian Games in Palembang, Indonesia later this year.

The current senior team has few players who are eligible to compete in arguably the Asean region’s most prestigious football competition.

National Team head coach Michael Weiss and National Team Manager Dan Palami will be overseeing the team’s campaign in Indonesia.

Current national players seeing action in the tournament include NCR’s Yannick Tuason and David Basa, and Dipolog’s Jerry Barbaso. And there are numerous players seeing action in college tourneys such as the NCAA and UAAP as well as the United Football League.

Said Suzuki Philippines PR Officer Eilleen Esteban, “Suzuki hopes to be a long term partner in the development of football here in the country. If we are able to strengthen our national team and in our growth as a footballing nation then it’s a worthy investment.”

In the meantime, the National Capital Region Football Association (NCRFA) announced the lineups to its two squads that will compete in the PFF Suzuki Under-23 National Cup.

NCR Team A will be coached by De La Salle University’s Hans Smit and Far Eastern University’s Rodolfo Alicante while NCR Team B will be handled by the University of the Philippines’ Anto Gonzales who himself is a former Azkal who played alongside Phil and James Younghusband and Chris Greatwich.

With Hans Smit and Rolly Tulay in the picture below.

Anto Gonzales and Frank Muescan celebrate UP's second UAAP Men's Football title in three years.

It's time.

Supersub. The Ateneo Blue Eagles' Tonino Gonzaga has so far been the most consistent player on the team for the FilOil Pre-season Tournament. The fourth year player brings a massive dose of energy and hustle for the second unit while playing the role of fireman. Here's hoping to a great season, dude.

Bleachers' Brew #258 An Englishman in Dipolog

This appears in the May 2, 2011 edition of the Business Mirror.

An Englishman in Dipolog

by rick olivares

The chatter is distinctly Visayan and other local dialects. You hear them in tones of anger, annoyance, disbelief, and joy that depend on what happens on the pitch and more so when the referee’s shrill whistle calls a stop to the action. Then there’s one voice, lilting in its elegance never mind if there’s a trace of exasperation punctuated with a “bloody” and choice words inserted here and there.

Ah. That’s Reginald Jukes, the Nottingham, England native and formerly of Her Majesty’s Armed Forces based in Germany. “A Forest fan,” he says shrugging his shoulders. “What else can it be?”

He gives me a “no-you-can’t-be-you-sly-devil” look when he finds out that not only do I not have a care in the world for Nottingham Forest FC but also root for Liverpool.

I smile. “But,” I say stopping him in his tracks before any murderous designs take form in his mind. “I do know Brian Clough.”

Jukes shrugs again. “You saw the film?”

I nod. “I also have the book.”

The Englishman has been a resident of Dipolog City for the past decade. While on holiday some 25 years ago, he met a girl. “It’s always about a girl,” he says. “I fell in love, left, came back, married her, and now… I make Dipolog City my home.”

But the humidity? The heat?

“In England, everyday is a wet day. It’s a wet Tuesday. A wet Wednesday. You know what I bloody mean? Life is easier here in the Philippines. So much more easier. And I like it. Better the heat and the beaches than the rain and the fog.”

I flash him a smile that drips with national pride.

“So how is it teaching the local lads about football?” I ask.

Jukes rolls his eyes. “I try and I try. But these are good lads here.”

The last time his Dipolog team played at the Agro Field in Davao City, his Under-16 team beat the home side 7-1 with Jerry Barbaso in the lineup. “We like to score seven goals every time we’re over here.” His team earlier routed Cagayan de Oro 7-1.

The English expat played club football in England and in Germany. “Not in the highest level because I was in the Army. Nevertheless, I played.”

I asked him how his side lost 3-nil to Davao the previous day. “Oh, I can tell you a thing or two about referees. The game has improved. The players’ skills have improved. But the referees are the dead-end of evolution. They have not improved since the time I was playing.”

What has certainly improved is his team’s performance.

Since taking over the coaching reigns in the past two years, his side finished second in the CHED and the PRISAA football tournaments. And Dipolog also qualified for another late stage of football tournament. Now they were on the cusp of landing a quarterfinals berth in the PFF Suzuki U-23 National Cup.

Jukes’ boys began their campaign by topping the West Mindanao Cluster Qualifiers with a 2-1-0 record. In three matches, they scored 13 goals and gave up only two.

Now on the third and final day of the Mindanao Regionals and the team needing the three full points in order to advance, Jukes addressed his anxious players. “Are you prepared to go to Wembley,” he ventured.

Dipolog forward Michael Tulang began to applaud and the rest followed while some chimed in with hoots and whistles. “We didn’t come all the way here to see the sights. (nods from the players) We came here to qualify so that we may pop the bubbly. (answers of ‘yeah!”) We’re playing for our city, our people, and ourselves. (now everyone is stoked).

“Let’s finish this so I may get back home and watch the replay of the Royal Wedding!”

His players find his English wit and colloquialisms “both cool and funny.”

“I sometimes begin to use ‘bloody ‘ell’ when I speak,” said one player who asked for anonymity. “It can’t be that the Azkals are the only ones with Brits.”

Humor. It plays a large role in Jukes’ coaching and mentoring. It keeps the atmosphere light and everyone loose. “I disagree,” the coach playfully protests. “I believe that they can’t figure out how I speak!”

I ask him if he was doing anything after Saturday’s matches where his side faces North Cotobato in a virtual win-or-go-home scenario. You know, have a beer. Swap war stories. Talk about Brian Clough. “I’m not staying any longer than I need be. I just want to hop on my ride and get back home.”

Home for this Englishman… is in Dipolog City.

- 0 -

Against North Cotobato, Dipolog struggled big time in the first 20 minutes especially in their finishing. It was only until Jerry Barbaso established himself in the midfield and when the defense stabilized did the tide turn. Jukes’ side scored three goals in the first half and four more in the last 45 minutes to achieve their goal of qualifying. When I asked Jukes what he said to his team when they struggled in the early part, said the coach: “I merely told them to stop missing their shots.”