This appears in the Monday, April 2, 2012 edition of the Business Mirror.
Motivations
and an emerging rivalry
by rick olivares
This was one match that the Loyola
Meralco Sparks needed no motivation in getting up for… their first meeting with
Philippine Air Force since the 2011 UFL Cup Finals.
After 96 minutes of play, the Sparks
will have to wait for the second round meeting with the defending champs to
settle a score. The match ended with at 3-3 with Air Force notching two goals
in stoppage time to snatch a “won” game from Meralco that left the Sparks
seething over what they perceived to be poor calls from referee.
Just as it was in the cup finals,
Loyola dominated possession and launched a barrage of shots at the Airmen’s
goal (26-14). Unlike the cup finals where the Sparks were unable to find the
back of the net, this time, they scored. And they did early on by sending two
past Air Force goalkeeper Tats Mercado.
Loyola forward Mark Hartmann showed
why he is the best free kick taker in the business (although Global’s Angel
Guirado will give him a run for his money) when he targeted Phil Younghusband
inside the box and the league’s leading scorer headed in a goal in the 13th
minute. Air Force forward Ian Araneta made a case for himself that he still
cannot be overlooked when it comes to playing for the national team when his
wondrous free kick dove in hard and fast past Loyola keeper Ref Cuaresma for
the equalizer 10 minutes later.
Four minutes later, an Araneta foul
just outside Air Force’s box saw Hartmann line up once more for a direct free
kick. It was just an spectacular as Araneta’s earlier goal as this one had
Mercado flailing in the air; 2-1 for Loyola.
Unlike their last meeting where Loyola
preferred the long ball (until the second half), this time the midfield of
Byeong Jeol Jeong, Anto Gonzales, Davide Cortina, and James Younghusband played
a more controlled tiki taka style with a series of forward, square, and back
passes. That made for better build-ups as they carved up the Airmen’s defense.
Air Force was not wholly without
attempts. They threatened with their trademark speed (as they were faster than
the Loyola defenders) and showed the vulnerable central midfield of the Sparks.
But they suffered from poor wing play were unable to largely get anything
inside the box. The absence of Chieffy Caligdong, still recuperating from that
injury sustained in their recent battle with Global, had him on the bench. On
stand by in the event he was needed.
Hartmann later found Younghusband with
another free kick that the top striker converted to make it 3-1 and seemingly
over. Right before stoppage time, Younghusband found himself with a nifty
one-two combo play with Jake Morallo who came in for Byeong. Younghusband split
the defense and forced Mercado to rush out. The Loyola striker had to merely
slot around but he hammered it wide. In that instance, I wondered, will Loyola
rue that missed shot? It sounded preposterous at that instance but I have
played and watched this game for so long to know that matches can turn in a
heartbeat.
And it did. The Airmen’s inability to
stop the Sparks’ passing game saw them play rough and referee Rey Ritaga’s poor
handling of the match caused it to get out of hand. Air Force would tackle and
take shots but it was Loyola that was caught for the retaliation. When a
scuffle broke out in injury time, James Younghusband was given a straight red
card that reduced Loyola to ten men.
Incredibly, Loyola suffered a brain
freeze right there. Instead of sending everyone back to defend, they opted to
bring the ball forward. Air Force dug deep into their reservoir of
determination and attacked. The Sparks’ central backs were caught flatfooted on
two occasions and Joebel Bermejo and Araneta (showing his stout fighting heart)
scored goals in succession to stun Loyola. Araneta’s goal was especially
stunning as his defender and Cuaresma played the angles quite well. The ball
evaded the outstretched arms of Cuaresma as the spin on the ball propelled it
towards the goal. It was like a Bata Reyes shot with the billiard ball going to
its inevitable pocket destination. Goal and the late equalizer! And Air Force
head coach Sgt. Edzel Bracamonte turned to the crowd and pumped his fist.
When the final whistle blew, it was as
if Loyola had been swindled out of a fortune. While they lost two of the three
valuable points, vengeance had been stayed. The draw allowed Global to leapfrog
past them after their earlier demolition of a Kaya side that was found wanting
in so many fronts.
As for Air Force, they celebrated and
how. It was like that masterful triumph last December. It may have in fact,
resuscitated their season as they have only played seven matches and claimed
eight points off them. Should they win their final two games of the first
round, they will have 14 points and be back in the thick of the fight and their
title defense.
Loyola in the meantime has a 6-1-1
slate and 19 points with a game at hand from Global (versus Pasargad).
Inside Loyola’s locker room,
disappointment hung heavy in the air despite team management’s best efforts to
ask their squad to go out with their chins up. “We’re still on top,” said team
manager Woowee Evangelista. “And we’ll meet them again.”
The team gathered for a prayer that
James led but not without a few words that still dripped of disappointment. “That
wasn’t a prayer,” laughed Phil. “That was a petition.” The locker room erupted in
laughter and the heavy cloud of disappointment was mostly lifted.
But for many on the team, they were
thinking ahead when they play Air Force a second time – in this burgeoning
rivalry that is turning white hot - in the league season. “There’s no short supply
of motivation,” said Phil looking ahead. “None at all.”
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