On Ateneo Women's Football

Now that the Ateneo Women's Football Team's season is for shit, I'd like to take the time to implore (take note, I said "implore" not "demand" and there is a goddam difference) that we see Kylie Misa and Gold Jacinto play meaningful minutes in their final two games of the tournament. It's their final year for crying out loud. When your graduating players come back for another year and invest a lot of themselves into training, camps, and whatever goes with a year in the varsity, I think they, unless they are proven malcontents or really lousy players, should be given time. This is not the pros where there's always another team one can transfer too. But that is a basketball analogy. Here, with no real pro football league, one's career is usually over at the end of their collegiate career.

The campaign started well with a 2-2 draw against FEU that they should have won and a 1-0 loss to DLSU but it has been downhill from there. And frankly, after the poor results in the last few years, the benching and removal of Belay Fernando and Francesca Gutierrez from the team for strange reasons last season, and other similar crap this year, the repeated blowouts where we have been outscored 16-0 in the last three games, I figure that it's time for change.

In a chat with a former member of the team who defended the staff, the issue here is not who makes sacrifices, what the coach's decisions and strategies are, or if the players do not do their part. The bottom line is wins and loses. Hell, John Flores won his second UAAP championship with the Ateneo Women's Basketball Team and a bunch of miscreants ousted him within weeks. So how much more when there are more Ls than Ws?

Of course, it isn't always the coach's fault. The players can be held accountable for it as well.

But since I've opened the lid on things let me say this -- the opposition has very one simple play against us -- a run through a flat back four where the striker has the speed to beat the defenders. UST scored five goals using that play and as for FEU... you know what I mean?

Against FEU today, Kylie and Gold played. And adjustments were made at the half but then we were already down 5-0. The two helped immensely and we went on the attack. But the game at that point was to hold FEU to five goals and nip at the lead. It was a case of being a little too late.

Speaking to a player from another team, she said, "Ateneo has Yvette (Gaston), Monica (Santos) and others but they can't get a win..." Her voice trailed off. Fill in the blanks.

When something is put out there for public consumption, they have to hear both the good and the bad. It cannot be cheer for the team all the time. We do not live in a world of "yes men." And it's not a matter of mindless or blind support. Of course there is unwarranted criticism. It isn't right but it does happen and needs to be understood in the proper context. And keep your head on straight, just because we're calling for change that doesn't mean we do not like whoever is at the helm.

Understand that if this were the corporate world, that person on top would have been fired already. So okay, this is sports and short of an unmitigated disaster, short of being Real Madrid that spews out managers like they had a factory line rather than a football club, there is somewhat of tolerance level for not getting results. If a team fights hard but is still unlucky in the end, then it is forgivable to a point. Unfortunately, you're only good as your last win. And when was that? Against UP last year? But they turned the tables on us this season, right?

In my opinion, it's time to reload, Ateneo.