Azkals to grace opening of PFF Suzuki U-23 Cup kick-off on March 30

Azkals to grace opening of PFF Suzuki U-23 Cup kick-off on March 30

The Philippine Football Federation Suzuki Under-23 Cup kicks off to great fanfare at the University of the Philippines Los Baños campus this Wednesday, March 30, 2011 with members of the Philippine Men’s National Football Team as guests. The tournament, which is sponsored by Suzuki Philippines, will serve as a breeding ground for reinforcements to the national squad that will see action in the coming Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia.

The Under-23 tournament initially brings together 23 squads from Luzon and Mindanao in the first wave of knockout competition before the winners advance to the regionals where teams from the National Capital Region and the Visayas await them.

The top two teams from Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and the National Capital Region will be paired into two groups and battle it out in a single-elimination format for a home-and-away semifinal match to determine the finalists. The finals will take place on May 15 of this year.  

Also gracing the kick-off in Laguna will be Suzuki Philippines President Satoshi Uchida, PFF President Mariano V. Araneta and other football officials. Uchida, who is a huge football fan and was impressed with the Azkals’ performance in the last Suzuki Cup said, “We consider the Suzuki-PFF U23 Cup as a local adaptation of the AFF Suzuki Cup, aligning the efforts with how Suzuki Motors Corporation, our mother company, supports football in all of Asia. We see this effort in a long-term basis. Expect that we will be continuously supporting football in the Philippines as part of our efforts to help promote Philippine sports, especially now that Suzuki Philippines launched its ASTIG campaign, football seems a very apt representation of that image.”

Preceding the opening ceremonies will be a motorcade at 2pm featuring PFF and Suzuki officials as well as the Azkals.


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Cluster competition for U23 tournament

North, Central and South Luzon:

Host team: Laguna

Participating teams: Baguio City-Benguet, Laguna, Quezon, Tarlac and Rizal

Dates: March 30-April 3 at UP Los Baños

Southeast Luzon

Host team: Naga City-Camarines Sur

Participating teams: Camarines Norte, Naga City-Camarines Sur, Legaspi City-Albay Federated, Masbate, and Oriental Mindoro

Dates: March 30-April 3

North Mindanao

Host team: Cagayan de Oro-Misamis Oriental

Participating teams: Butuan-Agusan del Norte, Iligan-Lanao del Norte, Cagayan de Oro-Misamis Oriental, and Surigao del Norte

Dates: March 29-April 2

South Mindanao

Host team: Davao

Participating teams: Compostela Valley, Davao, and Davao del Norte

Dates: April 1-3

Central Mindanao

Host team: North Cotobato

Participating teams: Maguindanao-Cotobato City and North Cotobato

Dates: April 1-2

West Mindanao

Host team: Misamis Oriental-Ozamis

Participating teams: Misamis Occidental-Ozamis, Zamboanga, Zamboanga del Norte-Dipolog, and Zamboanga del Sur-Pagadian

Dates: March 25-27

That's the spirit, Anton! Go Azkals.

Philippine defensive back Anton del Rosario on the upcoming Myanmar-Philippines clash in the group stage of the AFC Challenge Cup -- "Looking forward to playing these guys (Myanmar) and taking a long awaited three points from them. We haven't beat these guys since I've been playing."

Bleachers' Brew #252 Iba ang may pinagsamahan

This appears in the Monday March 21, 2011 edition of the Business Mirror.

Iba ang may pinagsamahan

by rick olivares

I was talking about the current predicament of the San Miguel Beermen with some friends and former SMB players the other day and I realized that there are some things that bear much gleaning into and there are others that don’t.

Does that make sense?

Uh, let’s try to figure it out.

It’s a rebuilding phase. If it were truly that, then why not make the trade before the start of the current conference? That way, they would have a little more time to jell.

So I postulated to one former Beerman who was himself perplexed by the changes that this was done while they had some players with trade value. That player nodded in agreement as I pointed out that the same fate befell current head coach Ato Agustin who was traded to Sunkist for Nelson Asaytono after the title drought of the mid-90s. Alvin Teng, another regular on SMB’s rotation was likewise traded.

It is certainly also possible that management thought that this current team had run its course and they needed to reload because in the last two PBA conference championships, they fell respectively to the Alaska Aces and the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters. One former Beerman thought that some players like Danny Seigle and Dorian Peña were slowing down, hence, the need for younger legs.

Agustin told me that that one factor was that opening day loss in the Commissioners Cup where the Beermen lost to Air21 92-87. It seems that management thought that there was no fight in the players and that forced their hand.

Maybe the Beermen didn’t want to experience what the Boston Celtics did when their 1980’s teams got old as some of their star players hung up their sneakers or passed away. Looking at their champion teams of old. San Miguel didn’t get anything following the retirement of Hec Calma, Samboy Lim and Allan Caidic. And the transition to their next gen champion teams wasn’t smooth.

It’s probable that this represents a changing of cultures. It’s still a business and they’d love for nothing more than to keep the wins and championships coming. But I am curious of many recent moves that include the jettisoning of former coach Siot Tanquingcen whose teams were always in the hunt for a title (he won one out of two title series for the Beermen) in the middle of a championship series no less.

I wondered to my SMB friends if the team is going to take a hit this conference for their future and they concurred since there was a slightly similar situation to what they went through in the 1990s when they reloaded with their third generation team that featured Olsen Racela, Danny Ildefonso, Dondon Hontiveros, Peña, Seigle, and others.

One player, who asked not to be named, said that with the recent trades and new faces – Nonoy Baclao, Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Rey Guevarra, and Paolo Hubalde – chemistry is a problem as players have yet to grasp their roles. To compound the problem, when players come in during games, rather than pass the ball, they look to score. However, in the same breath, that player also expressed belief that this is all temporary and that things will click soon.

If you ask me, the wheeling and dealing isn’t done. I’d say they’d make another trade before they go with a particular team for the long haul. And there's the new name change from San Miguel to Petron that sounds weird.

We like things to be perfect but they aren’t. Iba ang may pinagsamahan is just a snazzy tag line that that was cooked up two decades ago although they did brought some of those fabled players back in the fold in various capacities. In fact, Calma, Lim, Caidic, Arthur dela Cruz, and Freddie Abuda are on the coaching staffs of the various SMB teams in the PBA. Even Pido Jarencio, who burned a hole in a deep deep bench and was traded soon after is back as an assistant. So I wouldn’t be surprised if these former Beermen will find eventually their way back into the fold in one capacity or another. And you can bet that should they change to Petron, one day they'll be back to SMB. After all, iba ang may pinagsamahan.

On the subject of “iba ang may pinagsamahan”, last Saturday morning, I was informed by several friends that Atty. Jay Castro of the Judicial and Bar Council and team management of the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons basketball team, passed away after a vehicular accident along Ortigas Avenue.

Jay is not only my next door neighbor in Industrial Valley in Marikina but he was also my former teammate in the Ateneo Basketball League, a good friend and legal adviser.

When I joined the Sunday evening group at the Moro Lorenzo Sports Center in Ateneo to play hoops, Jay took me under his wing as I was the “bunso” of the lot. I was amazed with Jay who stayed remarkably fit despite his age as he would run up and down the court while playing the point. It sure was fun playing with him as he always passed that ball around.

The other day, he invited me over (as he oft does) for some fishballs while we swapped intel on the coming college hoops season. That was to be the last time I spoke with Jay.

The other day, he helped his ABL team (that included Bimbo Cerrudo, Jude Turcuato, Gene Afable, and former San Miguel Beerman Bobby Jose whose kids are in Ateneo) win another championship. In the semifinals, Jay hit two crucial triples in the fourth quarter to help his squad post a pulsating win at the buzzer. Then in the finals, they went on to beat another seeded team.

During the team celebration in Libis the other night, Jay was extremely joyous about the win. He went from table to table joking around with everyone. “Parang nagpapaalam,” was what Afable said at the wake. Within hours after that, he was gone.

On the day he was killed, the awarding ceremony for the ABL was held and the mood was somber as news of Jay’s death quickly spread. That evening, one of their teammates gave the medals (that are given to every team member) to Bert Mendoza, Jay’s best friend. Bert said that Jay would love to have that medal on his coffin.

You see, Jay loved the game of basketball a lot. He would oft tell me that his real profession was being a basketball player and a lawyer second. And when Ateneo (he went there for grade school and high school) and UP (he took his college and law school in Diliman) played, he didn’t feel too bad because he got to sing the alma mater twice.

When he began to managed the UP basketball team (along with Bert and Chitong Rivera), he gave me a lot of access to the team so I could write about them. In the last few months, I have been helping him and new Maroons head coach Ricky Dandan get some players.

Whenever I enter the gate of our subdivision, the first house I see is Jay’s. He oft hosts parties or get-togethers at the lanai of his home that provides a great view of the valley. We’d oft wave to one another or chat about a variety of things.

But I guess that’s not going to happen anymore.

Thanks, Jay! Thanks for taking me under your wing. I hear there’s a great game being played up in the sky.

Message from ABS CBN re: Azkals in Myanmar

In their desire to telecast the Azkals’ matches in the Union of Myanmar in the Philippines as well to all the Filipinos in the world via TFC, the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) and media partner ABS-CBN have been continuously communicating with the Myanmar Football Federation (MFF) and other agencies since March 3.

As of the end of office hours Friday in Yangon, however, MRTV, the Myanmar government’s television arm and official coveror of the football matches, has not yet secured the required permit to beam the game live via satellite. The next update from MRTV is expected Monday morning.

If a live satellite feed would not be possible, the PFF and ABS-CBN shall exhaust all means to secure a tape of the coverage and play it back at the earliest possible time.

The PFF Suzuki U-23 Cup kicks off for the next generation of Azkals

This appears in the Monday March 21, 2011 edition of the Business Mirror.

The PFF Suzuki U-23 Cup kicks off for the next generation of Azkals

by rick olivares

Satoshi Uchida could not understand why there wasn’t a better appreciation for football in the Philippines. The President of Suzuki Philippines, a lifelong fan of football – of the Japan National Team and FC Barcelona, had an epiphany when the Azkals romped through last year’s Suzuki Cup. “I want to sponsor football here and help in its growth,” beamed the bespectacled and animated Japanese official.

Reaching out to the leadership of the Philippine Football Federation, the stars aligned for the planned Under-23 national tournament to take off. “This is the tournament where we discover the next generation of Azkals,” announced President Mariano V. Araneta in a simple press conference held last Friday March 18, 2011 at the PFF House of Football in Pasig City. “They will also form the team that will compete in this year’s football tournament in the Southeast Asian Games held in Indonesia.”

Of the current senior team, the only players qualified to suit up include goalkeepers Neil Etheridge and Christopher Camcam, midfielders Jason de Jong, Mark Drinkuth, Manuel Ott and Mark Ferrer, and defender David Basa. The squad will likewise be coached by Hans Michael Weiss of the seniors team.

The tournament enforces Suzuki’s support of the PFF in their goal to improve and promote football in the light of its unifying, educational, cultural and humanitarian values in all forms throughout the Philippines. Currently, Suzuki sponsors only motoring events and the U-23 football tournament is the first that the Japanese company is sponsoring outside the biennial Asean Football Federation Suzuki Cup.

The PFF Suzuki Under-23 Cup which adopts the rules and guidelines of the ASEAN Football Federation kicks-off this March 29 with regional qualifiers to follow though the months of April.

Starting with eight teams, two each from Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and the National Capital Region that qualify will be paired into two groups, to battle in a single-elimination format for a home-and-away semifinal match to determine the finalists. The finals will happen in May 15 of this year.  

Only members of the PFF are invited to join.  There are currently 33 members from across the country -- 11 in Luzon, 5 in Visayas and 17 in Mindanao.  A selection team or club may represent each Football Association (FA) and selection shall be at the discretion of each FA.  Each selection team may only be represented by Filipino players born on or after 01 January 1988.  Players may opt to play for either the current mother club or their province of birth, provided that these players will secure transfer permits from their current clubs.  Individual players are required to present their NSO-certified copy of their birth certificate and/or valid Philippine passport, and passport photos, while the FA is only required to submit their team list with jersey numbers and playing positions.

The PFF has signified its intention to host the group stage of the 2014 Suzuki Cup alongside Singapore.


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Did my best to help out ABS CBN and Stoplight by interviewing PFF's Mariano Araneta and Red Avelino as well as Suzuki's Satoshi Uchida, Shuzo Hoshikura, and Benedict Arreola.

Cool MLS football jerseys

Here are some Major League Soccer kits that is in my wish list. On top: Real Salt Lake

 Chivas USA. Cool, ain't it? It's got Corona, one of my fave beers, as a shirt sponsor.

Sporting Kansas City

Azkals to get back on track in Challenge Cup Group Stage

This appears in the Friday March 18, 2011 edition of the Business Mirror.

Azkals to get back on track in Challenge Cup Group Stage

by rick olivares

When the Philippine Men’s National Football Team joins the group stage of the Asian Football Confederations Challenge Cup in Myanmar from March 21-25, 2011, they know that they cannot take any opponent lightly. After a 2-0 shellacking of Mongolia in the Philippines’ home game last February 9, the Blue Wolves, as the Mongolian team is known by, bowed out of the competition but not before returning the favor with a 2-1 win.

“It was difficult playing in the cold,” said team skipper Aly Borromeo. “We all had problems sweating.”

“Ayaw namin gawin excuse yung lamig pero nahirapan kami talaga,” expounded striker Ian Araneta who has hit a scoring drought since his hat trick in last year’s Suzuki Cup qualifiers where the Philippines thrashed Timor Leste 5-0. “Malaking epekto talaga ang lamig sa akin. Ang hirap huminga at sobrang ginaw. Hindi nga ako pinapapawisan. Pero hindi naman yun excuse. Sad lang talaga ako kasi hindi tayo nanalo. Pero ganun pa man pasok pa rin sa group stage. Mas maganda pa rin sana kung nanalo.”

The Azkals advanced via 3-2 aggregate score but returned home to nurse its bruised pride and with the possibility that striker Phil Younghusband might not be fit enough for the next stage.

The nationals play host Myanmar, Bangladesh and Palestine which are ranked 161, 174, and 177 in the world football rankings by FIFA. It is by no means easy pickings for the Philippines. The national squad has only one win against Myanmar in recent memory (a 3-2 victory) and they certainly cannot afford to step onto the pitch with a massive dose of overconfidence when they play two countries in Palestine and Bangladesh that the AFC has placed in the emerging nations bracket of the competition. “Wala kami ka-alam alam about Bangladesh and Palestine,” said Philippine striker Ian Araneta who has hit a scoring drought since his hat trick in the Suzuki Cup qualifiers. “Alam lang namin very physical sila.”

The last time the Azkals made it deep into this tournament was in 2008 when the Qualification Group B was played in Iloilo City. Included in that group were Tajikistan, Bhutan, and Brunei.

The Philippines beat Brunei 1-0 with the solitary goal coming from then skipper Emelio “Chieffy” Caligdong. The Azkals played to a scoreless draw with Tajikistan then went on to beat Bhutan 3-0 with goals from Chad Gould, Phil Younghusband, and an own goal by defender Pema Rinchen. Despite the 2-win and 1-draw slate, the home team failed to advance on account of the superior goals advantage by Tajikistan that finished with a +2 goal differential.

The nationals will receive their own massive dose of confidence when regular starting keeper Neil Etheridge returns to duty in the group stages following a short stint with English League One side Charlton Athletic FC after being loaned by parent club Fulham. “My loan spell even though it was short, was a good experience,” described Etheridge. “I got to meet new people and coaches! They expressed their delight with me even though I have not been given the opportunity to play. They (Charlton) would like to look further into having me for next year. Many positive things have come out of this even though I was unable to play for the club.”

Any joy over the return of Etheridge will have to be tempered as there is the possibility that Phil Younghusband might miss the match against Myanmar of not the whole stage. Araneta’s line mate injured him hamstring during a late and clumsy tackle by a Mongolian defender while out of bounds that saw the Fil-Briton limp out in favor of back up Yanti Bersales.

Further complicating matters is the unavailability of defender Rob Gier and the uncertainty that midfielder Jason de Jong who is currently playing with Indonesian club Persiba Balikpapan. The Azkals are already missing midfielder Chris Greatwich who is back in New Jersey, USA because of work. However, the elder Greatwich brother hopes to rejoin the team in time for the World Cup qualifiers slated for later this year.

The Philippines opens its group stage campaign at 3:30pm of the 21^st of March when they take on Myanmar, the favorite to advance. The last time the two squads tangled it was at the Nam Dinh Stadium where they battled to a scoreless draw that catapulted the Azkals to an unprecedented semifinals appearance in the 2010 Suzuki Cup. The two will face each other at the Thuwunna Youth Training Center Stadium in Yangon. The YTC Stadium has a 32,000 seating capacity and is where international matches are held.

Two days later, the Azkals go up against dangerous Palestine also at 3:30pm at the YTC Stadium. The nationals close out their assignment when they take on Bangladesh on March 25 also at 3:30pm at the Bogyoke Aung San Stadium that is also located at Yangon. The 40,000-seater used to be the national stadium until the 1980s.

Myanmar won gold medals at the Asian Games football tournaments in 1966 and 1970. And they also qualified for the 1972 Munich Olympics football tournament but they were eliminated in the group stage. “The White Angels” as the Myanmar side is known, is led by strikers Yan Paing and Kyaw Ko Ko and captain Zaw Lin Tun.

Palestine on the other hand cannot likewise be trifled lightly. In 2006, they reached their highest FIFA ranking to date when they placed #115 in the rankings of over 200 countries.

Croat Robert Rubcic who played for the country’s first national squad following the dissolution of the Yugoslav Federation coaches Bangladesh. The task of getting the Bengal Tigers, as the team is known by, to compete is difficult since the country regards cricket as its top sport. The Bangladeshi eleven has competed on and off in international football tournaments due to the lack of skilled players and proper support.

The Azkals leave for Myanmar this coming Saturday, March 19.

Juninho par excellence

Juninho the best free kick taker in the world by JUNINHOKICKS

A short video (with music -- "Black and White Town" -- by one of my fave British bands Doves) on free kick specialist Juninho during his time with Lyon where he scored 75 goals. Loved that French team. It's just too bad the team was broken up (after winning seven consecutive Ligue 1 titles). When watching this compilation of Juninho's goals, the free kicks are powerful, fast, and deceptive fooling the like of Barcelona's Victor Valdes. It's like a rocket coming at you. He has a variety of shots -- those that curve in and those that go straight like it's got a laser target painted on the goal. And check out that bounce that has proven to be a killer for the keepers. Even at 35 yards out, he was real accurate! 

On another note, I wanted to purchase the OL kit with "Novotel" as their shirt sponsor but it was too late. They soon changed to "Bet Clic". Oh well!


Do I still root for Lyon even without Juninho and Benzema? Of course! There's Yoann Gourcuff, Jeremy Toulalan, Kim Kallstrom, Michael Bastos, Miralem Pjanic, and Hugo Lloris! If I am real lucky I will get to watch them next season at the Stade de Gerland this August!

Ozil has the Bernabeu faithful roaring in admiration and dreaming of Zidane

Ozil has the Bernabeu faithful roaring in admiration and dreaming of Zidane

By Graham Hunter/ESPN

For all of us who recognize Mourinho is far from perfect in his ruthless desire for victory but appreciate that he's doing a pretty good job of improving Real Madrid, let's hope he stays for at least a second season.

But even if he doesn't, Mourinho has put a rich legacy in place.

Of the six players Madrid signed last summer, Mourinho specifically recommended four -- Ricardo Carvalho, Sami Khedira, Di Maria and Mesut Ozil. While all of them have been more successful than the two wonderfully talented Spaniards the club hierarchy signed, Sergio Canales and Pedro Leon, Di Maria and Ozil have been sublime.

Di Maria is an old fashioned winger who has that rare talent of being able to dance past two or three tackles and open up the tightest marking scheme. Perez debated long and hard with his new coach over buying the Argentinian, who was only in Portuguese soccer, for 25 million euros. But Di Maria has grown quickly and finds himself in an ever-decreasing band of top-level wingers across world football.

But it's the signing of Ozil for which Mourinho will be forever praised. The young German is smart enough to distance himself from nonsensical hyperbole when the Madrid press praises him as the "new Zidane."

"He was a world champion and a world class player, whereas I've won nothing yet," Ozil was shrewd enough to reply to reporters.

But the praise doesn't stop there.

"Ozil is a top-class player whose level has been superb for a first season at Real Madrid -- he's making the Bernabeu happy," Real legend Raul told Kicker magazine last week.

Even Mourinho's biggest enemy at the club, Jorge Valdano, told Spanish television, after the 3-1 win at Racing, "Ozil is going to be the star of the next decade at Real Madrid. He's so good that even his opponents enjoy watching him play."

Mourinho first spotted the young German-Turk days after having been sacked by Chelsea. The Portuguese-born coach was at home on his couch watching the Blues play Schalke 04 in the Champions League and immediately loved what he saw in the then-19-year-old.

When he was at Inter, Mourinho faced Ozil's Werder Bremen twice and jotted down the phrase "Buy This Guy Someday" on his notepad.

Because the midfielder was one year from going out of contract at Bremen (and leaving for free), Madrid got massive value for Ozil. His nine goals and 15 assists in 38 games emphasize what a terrific debut season he's enjoying.

"He used to have peaks and troughs when he'd shine then disappear," Mourinho told the press. "Now he has added power and consistency to his play and Ozil is absolutely fantastic -- there is no substitute for him."




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When Karim Benzema began to make a name for himself with Olympique Lyon, there were already comparisons to him and Zidane. The shaven plate, the Algerian heritage, similarities in their games, and then both went to Real Madrid. But clearly, Benzema has struggled with Los Blancos until of late and this season as a whole (he has scored 20 goals this year so far while Madrid is still on course for a treble). Interestingly enough, the Zidane comparison that might be a kiss of death for some is now levied towards Ozil. Quite honestly, I didn't see much of him until the last World Cup in South Africa but I hope that he stays healthy because he sure if fun to watch when he makes those runs in the midfield.

Will the Ateneo Blue Eagles win four straight?

Here's an amateur vid produced by some of my students.

Football kits I hope to pick up

Two kits I hope to pick up soon -- Rob Van Persie's Arsenal jersey and an Australia Harry Kewell. I wasn't that big on getting tops with names on the back before (I only had a few) but now I'm getting quite a bit more. I'm trading up a Mizuno Azkals (I have a bunch) for a Nike Singapore Lions as well. And there's the Vasco da Gama and Germany Mesut Ozil (it's gotta be that umlaut) kits I plan of grabbing. When I'm in Singapore in a few days will pick up a new Everton. I don't root for Everton as I am a die-hard LFC fan but the blue color will come in handy during the UAAP season.

Someone asked where I buy my kits in Singapore. There's Queenstown but you have to travel a bit out of the city (but it's well worth it) and 313 Somerset (in the 3rd floor if I am not mistaken and directly below HMV). In Jakarta there's this mall -- I forget the name though but it is adjacent to the Paragon -- where they have several shops including one where they have a lot of English squads. Even the small clubs they have. Check them out when you're there.

Wednesday musings

Tom Thibodeau is the NBA’s Coach of the Year.  In his first year with the Chicago Bulls, the team is at 48-18. The Bulls are running neck-and-neck with the Boston Celtics (with the Miami Heat chasing them) for the Eastern Conference top seed. And yup, I think that Derrick Rose is a legit MVP candidate. Who will win it though?

Ironically, the New York Knicks are 6-5 since acquiring Carmelo Anthony from the Denver Nuggets. The Colorado team he left has won 8 of 10. Go figure.

Now that the Miami Heat have dealt title contenders Los Angeles and San Antonio big time loses, has the worm turned for them? To early to tell but the play offs, two weeks away, should tell.

SMB import David Young didn’t play so well during last week’s disaster against Smart Gilas. He was so unnerved by all the talk of a tsunami in the Philippines that he wanted to leave. SMB management have spoken to the player and assuaged his fears. Now if they can get everyone on the same page. More on SMB in my column for next Monday.

Azkals advance to next round of AFC Challenge Cup

This appears in the Wednesday March 16, 2011 edition of the Business Mirror.

Azkals advance to next round of AFC Challenge Cup

by rick olivares

Ulan Bataar, Mongolia – And the Philippine Men’s National Team is moving on. The Azkals weathered the cold, the hostile crowd at the National Stadium, and the rejuvenated Mongolian National Team to advance to the next round of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Challenge Cup with a 3-2 aggregate score.

The Philippines beat Mongolia 2-nil in the away leg at Panaad, Bacolod last February 9 and because of the away goal rule that meant that the “home team”, in this case, Mongolia, needed to win by at least three goals more than whatever the Azkals could score in Ulan Bataar. And although Mongolia won the match 2-1, the final aggregate score of 3-2 wasn’t enough to see them through the next round.

The Philippines got on the board in a hurry when in only the third minute of the game, James Younghusband pounced on a rebound following a cross by Emelio Caligdong. Mongolian goalkeeper Ganbayar Tseveensuren actually managed to parry Caligdong’s shot that was somewhat reminiscent of his striking goal that opened the scoring in Panaad but Younghusband was left unmarked and he coolly slotted the ball into the back of the net for an early 1-nil lead.

But that was as good as the Philippines would have it all match long.

The Blue Wolves, as the Mongolian team is called, got their game going as they stifled the Philippine attack while launching one spirited sortie after another.

If the Philippines’ home game in Panaad was marked by quality possession and fluidity in the attack, the Azkals had trouble stringing up consecutive passes as they labored under the -4°C weather and the cold air blowing from the snow capped mountain of Bogd Khan Uul a few miles away. Even dressed in thermal attire, they were not their usual spritely selves.

Mongolia, at home and clearly buoyed by the friendly crowd, leveled the match at 1-1 following a controversial non-call in the 21^st minute Blue Wolves’ captain Donorovyn Lkhumbengarav, who was clearly offside, hammered home a goal following a nice drop shot by defender Enkhjargal Tserenjav inside the box.

Fourteen minutes later, Blue Wolves midfielder Garidmagnai Bayasgalan equalized when he followed up a saved penalty shot that Azkals’ keeper Eduard Sacapaño saved but was unable to control. The Philippine defenders were caught flat-footed as the Mongolian’s second attempt was true.

Mongolia, the 183^rd rank country in the FIFA rankings, blew several more scoring chances but none more crucial that a shot by Tserenjav that hit the crossbar.

With regular defender Rob Gier and goalkeeper Neil Etheridge unavailable for duty, Fil-American Jason Sabio got his first start for the national team while Sacapaño, the keeper for the Philippine Army football team got his first start.

Sabio who was also shaky in his Panaad debut when he came on for Anton del Rosario – although he assisted Phil Younghusband for the second goal in the Philippines’ home game – gave up the foul that led to the penalty shot by Bayasgalan.

Yanti Bersales replaced striker Phil Younghusband in the 67^th minute after the Fil-Briton was knocked around by the tough defending of Mongolia. In Panaad last month, Younghusband was man marked from the beginning by defender Ochbayar Olzvoi that caused quite a few tense moments as the Mongolian time and again elbowed and knocked down the former Chelsea reserve. Although the marking this time around wasn’t so tight, Younghusband was the recipient of several horrific challenges that caused him to be replaced.

Despite his smallish frame, Bersales, who also suits up for Air Force alongside Caligdong and striker Ian Araneta, had a scoring chance but his shot went wide just outside the right post.

The Philippines advances to the AFC Challenge Cup group stage in Myanmar from March 21-25 in Myanmar with Palestine and Bangladesh. The winner of that group moves to the quarterfinals of the tournament.

Emanuele Giaccherini flubs a sure goal

Talk 'N Text torches Rain or Shine

TNT torches RoS

Talk ‘N Text 99 vs. Rain or Shine 78

by rick olivares with pic by tunying p.

March 13, 2011

Araneta Coliseum

For a moment, actually for the better part of three quarters, it was like those days when American imports would routinely torch the hoops and put up eye-popping and improbable numbers. Time was when there was the Hurricane, Memphis Slim, and Sean Chambers who all went head to head with one another shooting the daylights and if possible the nightlights out the gym. The scored. They soared. They dunked on one another and they put on a show with everyone going “ooh” and “ahh”. It was like Godzilla versus Mechagodzilla versus Mothra.

For the hitherto undefeated Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters, they have two of the best American reinforcements in this year’s Commissioners Cup in Hassan Adams and Paul Harris. Thoroughbreds all. Great talents who fly in the air with the greatest of ease. Plus, they could score some.

And for a while, their teammates would put the ball in their hands and watch them work their mojo. And back and forth it went. Harris, the former Syracuse Orange, topscored with 32 points while Adams, the for University of Arizona Wildcat, notched 26. The numbers sound pedestrian when placed side by side with the prodigious scoring feats of the aforementioned troika but in the light of the growth of the game and the vast improvement of homegrown players and the addition of Fil-foreigners, those numbers are considered as very good.

Besides, the finally tally – not to mention the final score and possibly the outcome – might have been different had Adams not hurt his leg and Harris not been in foul trouble.

No matter who was placed in front of them it didn’t seem to matter. Harris, sculpted physique and all, drove and jumped over them. Adams, with a mean crossover and speed belying his tank-like physique routinely drove past anyone. Each opposing coach’s best hope?

“I was hoping he’d miss,” succinctly put TNT head coach Chot Reyes of the unstoppable Adams who is arguably the league’s best import.

And the game was close up to the 4:38 mark of the 3^rd Quarter after an Adams basket put them two behind 59-57. Adams who seemed to have hurt himself while putting the moves on his guards who might as well have not been there went out soon after that. And the Tropang Texters pulled away.

The Tropang Texters improved their shooting in the second half to finish at 43.5% (they shot 34% in the first two quarters), grabbed more rebounds 53-41 and dished off more assists 15-7.

The match up was between two of the hottest teams. Both were on three-game win skeins with the Elasto Painters undefeated thus far. Talk ‘N Text bounced back after an opening day 103-98 loss to Smart Gilas Pilipinas, the last undefeated squad in the Commissioners Cup with a perfect 4-0 slate.

For Rain or Shine, the streak brought good memories to head coach Yeng Guiao. He didn’t have the cast to do it with Air21, but in ROS, a team of discards, nobodies, and young guns, he had a chance to not only reprise his Red Bulls champion teams but also turn around a perennially underachieving franchise.

And for three quarters, it looked like ROS would match its best start since Jai Lewis donned the team colors. But Adams’ injury and a 12-4 TNT blast to close out the third quarter sapped some of the fight from the Elasto Painters. By the team Guaio sent Adams back in the game, the lead was 17 points and the American’s game had cooled off. As the Elasto Painters’ field goal percentage dropped, the turnovers mounted. After one particularly ugly sequence where Adams lost the ball on the break, Guiao shook his head; the game had turned from the competitive to the ugly.

“We’ve got a ways to go, man,” said a disconsolate Gabe Norwood who typified ROS’ struggle as he managed only 2 points in five field goal attempts while missing all five of his free throws.

“We approached this game with a different mindset,” underscored Reyes post-match. “Last week we faced a team that had no wins and today we faced a team that had no loss. In our practices, we talked about consistency and how we had to come out and play hard against a championship contender. I thought we caught a break when Adams got injured but we cannot worry about that. We have to stay up their within striking distance of Smart Gilas while matching Alaska (that won earlier to tie TNT with a 4-1 record).”

Talk ‘N Text 99 – Harris 32, Peek 23, Williams 16, De Ocampo 10, Alapag 5, Aban 4, Yee 3, Reyes 2, Fonacier 2, Carey 2, Oreta 0, Alvarez 0

Rain or Shine 78 – Adams 26, Chan 19, Rodriguez 11, Belga 6, Ferriols 6, Buenafe 3, Vanlandingham 2, Norwood 2, Kramer 2, Jazul 1, Uyloan 0, Cruz 0, Tang 0, Arana 0

Notes & Observations:

While watching the game, I remarked to Allan Caidic who I oft engage in many a basketball discussion, that the stress that Adams must place on his knees is too much. All that stopping and turning must be murder on him. There is one other player who places a lot of wear and tear on his legs – Talk ‘N Text’s Jared Dillinger. When you think about it, JD’s got skinny legs and all that lift and power he uses when he takes of on his daredevil drives. Anyone else you think who drives like that?