A call to
arms Part 1
Are we looking at an
extended period of dominance by Global? The arms race just escalated big time.
By Rick Olivares.
As it is with the start of every
football season, one of the biggest stories are the new recruits and transferees
and how their rosters hope to topple the defending champions.
The current class of the United
Football League is Global. In three years of UFL play, they’ve won the Division
Two title, the UFL Cup, and the Division One championship. Despite a slow start
and undergoing three coaching changes (four if you count the interim coaching
of their team owner), they finished the season in grand style.
Global isn’t looking to rest on their
laurels. They have beefed up their squad that already features 13 former and
current national players making them early favorites to sweep the pieces of
silverware available.
Entering the second year of a historic
five-year television deal with AKTV, the UFL from the cup to league play
promises more games, even more exciting football action, and of course, drama.
The cup kicks off this October with 28
clubs – including eight guest teams – looking to unseat Air Force who survived
an onslaught from unlucky Loyola. Do the Airmen, who looked mighty vulnerable
during the league play, have enough to hold off the charge of the new wave of
football clubs?
League play on the other hand will
commence action in January next year.
So how did the rest of the UFL do in
this arms race? We’re about to find out.
Global
(champion, 13-3-2)
The ultimate lesson served by Global
last season was – to crib a line from baseball’s Yogi Berra – “It ain’t over
‘til it’s over.”
Furthermore, Global bucked all sorts
of on and off field drama, a semifinals loss to Air Force in the cup, then two
losses in the first round of league play plus a few draws, before going into
the penultimate playing day without another loss. There they drew 2-2 with
Loyola and that was good enough for them to pip second-running Kaya on goal
difference.
Now what hasn’t killed this club has
made them stronger. They have the UFL’s top-rated defense and their offense
just got a whole lot better with the addition of national team striker Denis
Wolf plus new finds Matthew Uy on defense and Demetrius Omphroy in the midfield
(although he can move up front).
Despite the loss of Angel Guirado (12
goals last season to lead the club) who bolted for a club in India, this Edwin
Cabalida-coached squad will have Marvin and Marwin Angeles for a full season.
The twins play much like James and Phil Younghusband do – with a great understanding
of where the other will be on offense. Marwin should be able to find Wolf,
Misagh Bahadoran, and Izzo El Habbib without much difficulty.
Aside from their stingy defense, one
of the biggest strengths of this team is its speed especially on the counter
attack. Jeffrey Christiaens may very well be the successor of Chieffy Caligdong
on the left wing of the national team and having him on the flanks with Yu
Hoshide and Marwin Angeles in the middle and Patrick Reichelt on the right
translates into quick ball movement.
This is a stacked and loaded lineup.
They’ll be heavy favorites to win both available trophies.
Coach: Edwin Cabalida
(OUT) Angel Guirado (Salgaocar), Ayi
Nii Aryee (Green Archers United)
(IN) Kevin Capolei, Maverick Madayag,
Fidelis Nnabuife (Nomads), Demetrius Omphroy, Romeu Rodrigues (Team Socceroo),
Sadia Dely Roland, Matthew Uy, Denis Wolf, Delon Patrick Yao
Kaya
(2nd place, 13-3-2)
The three-time former UFL champions
nearly won it a record fourth time on the last playing day but Global drew with
Loyola leaving Kaya tied with the former on points (42 each). However since Global had a superior goal difference, they took
home the trophy leaving Kaya waiting at the altar.
Kaya was one of the best defensive
teams last season as they only allowed 17 goals past keeper Saba Sedeghi. So how did they address their scoring
woes? Well, for starters, expect Azkals skipper Aly Borromeo to be back in time
for cup play -- not in the back where he made a name for himself but upfront.
Upfront beside the quicksilver quick Eric Dagroh and Nate Burkey. They will have the
returning Yannick Tuason who took a sabbatical in Italy to recharge his
batteries.
But their biggest upgrade was reserved
for the midfield as they brought in San Francisco State University alum Antonio
Ugarte (the old Ugarte Football Field that is currently the Ayala Triangle is named
after the brother of his grandfather). Ugarte, a Fil-American, has a good feel
for the game with very good passing skills. He will be the team’s central
midfielder where he will partner with Sean Illif, Eddie Mallari’s classmate
from the United States. Illif brings a toughness to this team in the middle and
like Ugarte has very good on-ball skills. OJ Porteria will also make his debut with
Kaya and add scoring punch and ball wizardry to this secondary line. Toshiya Hosoe will be
more than the second Japanese player in this squad as he adds depth to the middle third.
Lexton Moy will be back at least for
the Cup play before he plays professionally in Hong Kong. Darren Hartmann
transferred from Nomads and he looks to be in form for this competition.
Expect the backline to feature Eddie
Mallari, Jason Sabio, Anton and Armand del Rosario, Jonah Romero, and Kross
Ubiam.
Interestingly, there’s be some
competition in the mix as Chicago Inferno keeper Troy Osborne joins the team
that already has the league’s top goal keeper in Saba Sedeghi. Who will start?
That is a game day decision.
This team addressed their internal issues
last season and it would be interesting to see how they cope with a far deeper squad and competition that will crop up for playing time.
Coach: Kale Alvarez
(OUT) Prince Mark Boley, Evan Santos
(IN) Dario Dakic, Toshiya Hosoe, Sean
Illif, Troy Osborne, OJ Porteria, Antonio Ugarte.
Loyola
(3rd place, 11-4-3)
The clock is ticking on the Miami
Heat, er, orange.
They came within a game of winning the
cup and faltered down the stretch in league play. After that infamous meltdown,
team captain James Younghusband exclaimed that they’re like the Miami Heat
where they came close one year they achieved it in the next. There’s also a little
pride that none of the two clubs that placed higher in the league defeated
them. Now the onus is on the club to back up those words.
For a team that undertook the biggest
roster overhaul at the start of the last season, they didn’t add much in the
off-season. There are new parts here in there but they believe that after a
year together, they have a better understanding of what it takes to
win the UFL.
Scoring is not a problem for Loyola.
The problem is their defense.
And they made quite a few changes from
last year beginning at goal. Last season, they had Gabby Vorbeck, Patrick
O’Donnell, and Lando Cabaniero caddying for starting keeper Ref Cuaresma. This
season, they got a very capable backup in former Pachanga second string keeper Mark Sorongon who played extremely well the Red Phoenix’s record setting season in Division Two. Sorongon is tall and
is a good defensive keeper who should provide good leadership in the back. The
challenge for Coach Kim Chul So is to find minutes for Sorongon that will keep him sharp. Note that the more he played for Pachanga last year the better he got.
The back four on the other hand will
be strengthened when former national player Chad Gould comes in. Gould can play
multiple positions and his experience in the back will help. It is hoped that
PJ Fadrigalan (who made his Loyola debut in the quarterfinals win over Kanbawza
in the 2012 Singapore Cup) will close down the once porous right back position.
Mainstays Byeong Yeol Jeong and Park Minho are there while Jo Won Jang and Hoon
Goo Heo will help out.
Loyola has arguably one of the
league’s best starting elevens. However, when they went to their bench there wasn’t much help. The
addition of Gould and their K-Pop contingent should help.
As it is Loyola is the sum of three
different parts – the Fil-foreigners, the homegrowns, and the Koreans. The
Singapore Cup helped the team’s chemistry. The question now is, how does that
translate into the new UFL season?
Coach: Kim Chul So
(OUT) Matthew Hartmann, Lando
Cabaniero, Gabby Vorbeck, Gabby Borja, Alex Camara, Lawrence Ikeguwuruka
(IN) Chad Gould, Simon Greatwich
(reactivated), Mark Sorongon, Rodrigue Nembot (from Union Internacional
Manila), Paul Torres (Navy), Eric Giganto (FEU).
Stallion
(4th place, 8-5-5)
They were the biggest story of the
first round of last year’s league competition when they turned their game
around from the physical brand they were previously known for to a more
skillful one that was a sight to behold. They played beautiful football with
accurate passing and clinical finishes. Balut Doctora became a star and
received a call up to the national team along with Antonio Albor and Bervic Italia. Their midfield was celebrated for their crisp passing. And head coach Dr. Eu Hyung Pe looked like a local version of Pep Guardiola albeit a Korean one.
Stallion carved out huge victories and won five
straight before teams figured out how to play them by disrupting the supply of
forward balls from the midfield.
How Dr. Pe got two disparate groups – the homegrown Illongos and the Koreans who had
made the Visayan province their home – to play great football was a huge
accomplishment. They were a far cry from the long ball that Visayan clubs
espoused.
This new season, they look to add some
scoring punch with the arrival of Internacional de Madrid striker Rufo and
Joaquin Cañas. Holding midfielder Jason de Jong can be a huge asset when he has
his mind on the game and isn’t going after opponent’s ankles.
And that says a lot. When Stallion
reverts to their former persona where they played highly physical football, it
backfires as they rack up cards instead of goals.
They won’t be catching any clubs by
surprise this season and they will have to raise their game a notch higher
if they want to unseat the upper teams.
Stallion is battling for more than
respect. They are out to show that with their new additions, they can win some
silverware.
Coach Eu Hyung Pee
(OUT) Ansing Gustilo,
(IN) Rhante Bayquin, Joaquin Cañas
(Madrid), Jason de Jong, Won Hyung Lee, Rufo Sanchez.
Air
Force (5th place, 7-4-7)
The Airmen’s final league slate
coincidentally mimics the designation of those jetliners of the past decade.
Time sure flies. For two years, Air Force was the toast of the UFL winning
back-to-back league titles including a thrilling cup win over Loyola.
Come the league. They faltered big
time. Teams stopped the wing play that was crucial to their offense. When injuries knocked Chieffy Caligdong out, so did
Air Force’s offense tank. Injured or not, the Airmen dished out some spectacular performances against Loyola
who proved to be unlucky against the military team.
This is a crucial season for Air Force
as with Army (the third military team, Navy, was relegated). Their inability to
recruit and pay huge sums to outside players because of their ingrained system hurts them.
Time was the best footballers in the country went to the military teams to
continue their career. The growth of the club scene has somewhat killed that. In another time, the best players of Stallion and Pachanga would have gone to
the Armed Forces teams to play. Now, because one can finally make a career in
football, the military football teams are no longer an option.
But one cannot underestimate the pride
that flows through the Airmen’s veins and swells in their hearts. Not only do they
help protect our country but they also represent the hopes of others who
otherwise will not get an opportunity to play for the national team with its
predilection for foreign talent. Yanti Barsales defied all expectations with
his superb play even as Caligdong went out. Caligdong is healthy and they still have the dangerous Ian Araneta. But the challenge is for their defense to hold fast
despite having the reliable Tats Mercado to mind the net. Air Force hopes that
the addition of Mark Anthony Fernandez from Pasargad will shore up that
backline.
With time for this reality to sink in,
second year coach Sgt. Edzel Bracamonte, who succeeded Edwin Cabalida as coach
and won the cup in his debut on the sidelines, will have to do his best coaching this season. It would be
foolhardy to bet against the former champs. Watch out.
Coach: Sgt. Edzel Bracamonte
(IN) Paul Concepcion, Mark Anthony
Fernandez (Pasargad), Neckson Leonora (Pachanga)
WATCH OUT FOR PART 2 AS WE LOOK AT THE OTHER DIVISION ONE TEAMS.
No comments:
Post a Comment