[April Fools]Dooley moves to Davao

In an unprecedented move, former Azkals Coach Thomas Dooley has declared that he is moving to Davao City after his contract ended with the Philippine Squad.

“In this summer… this is very tough… in this summer I’m going to take my talents down south to Davao,” said the former German league player.

“I feel like it’s going to give me the best opportunity to win and to win for many years, and not only just to win in the season or just be competitive, I want to be able to win titles. And I feel like I can compete down there,” he added.

It was however unclear if the coach was referring to the Davao Aguilas, the football team in the region. Aguilas officials were not available for comment but sources say they are not aware of any move.

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Horoscope (April 1, 2018)

ARIES
Birds of the same feather, are the same birds

TAURUS
Do not judge a book, cover it

GEMINI
Two birds are better than one stone

CANCER
Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder

LEO
Tinimbang ka, ngunit overweight

VIRGO
It’s better late than sorry

LIBRA
It’s better late than pregnant

SCORPIO
If practice makes perfect and nobody’s perfect then why practice?

SAGITTARIUS
You can’t teach an old dog math

CAPRICORN
Absence makes the heart go wander

AQUARIUS
Time wounds all heels

PISCES
If its from Seiko, it must be good

UNO-R upsets Ateneo, Sagay FC barges to Sagay Open Final

University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos (UNO-R) headlined the upsets Matchday 4 as they beat Ateneo de Manila 2-1 in the final day of eliminations of the 2nd Sagay Men’s Open in Sagay City, Negros Occidental.

Ateneo came in as favorites in the match as the second seed while UNO-R was already out of contention by being fifth in the six-team tournament. Goals from Prince Robles and Eric Mauring made the difference while Jeremiah scored the lone goal for the UAAP Champions.

The loss came as a surprise to many as the Blue Eagles played very well the previous day coming from 3-1 down versus University of St. La Salle (USLS) to almost win the game but settled for a draw in the end.

Villa Angela FC pulled a surprise of their own by beating USLS 2-1 after a winner from Jaime Poderoso allowed the Bacolod squad to edge the league leaders twelve minutes from time. Poderoso also completed a brace of his own with the winning goal.

The win by Recoletos allowed the Sagay-Northern Negros Selection to leapfrog to second place after beating the Negros selection 3-0 and setup the final with USLS.

Villa Angela will face Ateneo in the third place match at 830AM at the Sagay City National High School Football Field. The championship match is set at 2pm in the same venue where the UNIGAMES champion will face the home team.

The tournament is running in its second year and has been growing with the full support of Sagay City Mayor Thirdy Maranon.

Villa Angela draws first blood over San Carlos in Negros Semis

Villa Angela FC scored a big away win over San Carlos City FC in the first leg of the Negros First DFL Mens Open Semifinal with a 4-2 scoreline last September 9 at the San Carlos City football field. 

The central Negros squad opened the scoring with great team play after a Michael Pacite pass allowed Jayson Galve to break the offside in the wings. Galve teed up Paolo Sanchez who made no mistake in front of goal. 

The Bacolod squad added another goal in the first half when great interplay between Sanchez and Pacite freed up Ricardo Garcia who slotted in the second. The half-time break saw the visitors having a comfortable two-goal cushion.

San Carlos pushed for an equalizer at the start of the second half but a masterful performance from keeper Archie Bayquin kept the home squad at bay. Things got worse for San Carlos as a scramble in their box saw Garcia passing through an open Ian Combate who smashed in the third.

The home team settled down near the end to score two goals in the final ten minutes. A header from the corner and a strike from inside the box made it 3-2 but a through pass from Nap Rosales to a wide open Pacite gave the midfielder a chance to lob over the opposing keeper and score the fourth for Villa Angela. 

The final whistle blew with the visitors earning the win and scoring four away goals before the second leg. VAFC’s home match is scheduled for Sunday Sep 17 at the Santa Maria Football field beside the Ruins in Talisay. The match is set to kickoff at 3pm.

San Carlos FC – 2

Villa Angele FC – 4

Archie Bayquin, Noriel Revilla (Nap Rosales 69′), Michael Benedicto, Hemerson Recoy Campo, Andy Coscolluela (Ivan Gayares 72′), Jayson Galve, Patrick Martir, Michael Pacite, MJ Benedicto (Ian Combate 58′), Paolo Sanchez, Ricardo Garcia (Miguel Rivero 61′)

Martir saves Villa Angela in Negros Open Quarters

Villa Angela FC came from a goal down to salvage a 2-1 win over Atletico de Bago last September 1 at the Ramon Torres Sports Complex in Bago City. Team Captain Patrick Martir scored the winner, minutes from time, to seal VAFC’s place in the Negros First-Dynamic Footbal League Mens Open Semifinals.

The veteran squad started off the back foot when a foul at the edge of the box gifted Atletico with an early penalty in the first ten minutes. The home squad did not make a mistake as Amaguiton converted from the spot to put Bago ahead. The visitors tried their best to score an equalizer but the home squad was resolute to keep the scoreline till the halftime whistle.

Villa Angela didn’t waste time after the restart as Paolo Sanchez scored the equalizer for the visitors and make things interesting in the last quarterfinal match. Both teams pushed for a winner with Villa Angela setting the tempo in the remainder of the match.

It wasn’t until injury time when the former St. La Salle and Ateneo standout blasted a ball from thirty-yards towards to the top corner to complete the comeback for VAFC and secure the semis matchup versus San Carlos City FC.

In other results, La Carlota City FC edged Escalante FC 2-1 to seal the semifinal clash with STI-West Negros University who routed Cadiz City FC 6-0. San Carlos walloped Himamaylan 3-0 and will host Villa Angela in the first leg of their semifinals on September 9 in San Carlos City.

All photo’s from Negros First DFL men’s open 2k17 Facebook Page

PFL Week 11: a new leader and the new efficiency ranking

New week, new leader, and a new type of ranking. Though hit with TV issues, the Philippines Football League still continues to bring quality football nationwide with a third of the season already completed.

Stallion Laguna scored two consecutive wins against a former number one in JPV Marikina and jumping to sixth place, swapping with the Davao Aguilas who are currently amassing weapons for a push to the top four in the coming months. Ilocos United are still in the bottom but are seeing improvements in their results.

JPV Markina has stumbled in their past two outings with Stallion keeping them at the number five spot. Global Cebu has dropped in the standings after drawing with Meralco Manila in weekend action. Ceres-Negros continued its winning ways in Panaad and finally jumped to third, over their Visayan rival after scoring a win over Davao.

The main story this week is Kaya’s meteoric rise to top spot with the Makati side leapfrogging over Manila with consecutive wins against Ilocos. Kaya has been the hottest team so far in the last few weeks but club has played more games than its nearest competitors making its number one ranking temporary.

Since all the teams have already met in the league and the table does not fully paint a better picture, The Perfect Pass introduces the PFL Efficiency rankings.

The ranking is very simple. Divide the number of points by the number of matches and you will get the efficiency for each team. It does not only give a true ranking but it also gives the relative strength of the teams when matched against each other. Third place Ceres-Negros is the most efficient team so far, slightly edging Meralco Manila as the best teams in acquiring points in the PFL.

PFL Week 10: Who’s hot? Who’s not?

A very interesting week in the PFL. The bottom three maintained their positions while the biggest drop in the standings went to JPV Marikina. Takumi Uesato’s absence has sent the Markina side sliding down to fifth place.

Ceres’ big win against league leaders Meralco proved the volatility of the current rankings putting them back at the top four. It will take them a while to improve at the top with the looming AFC Cup matches.

Global was held to a draw by Davao with the Cebu squad missing out on the chance to overtake the league leaders. Kaya has been on a tear lately and a trip to the top is inevitable for the Makati side.

PFL Week 9 Rankings

The Philippines Football League has gained some finally gained some traction after nine weeks of football. Though the all the teams have not played each other yet, a clear pattern for teams have been established and will fully pan out once the month of July ends. Here’s some quick analysis on the action so far:

#1 Meralco Manila

The capital squad has regained the top spot after continuing its unbeaten run after a James Younghusband goal that edged them over erstwhile top seed JPV Marikina. Unbeaten records are a good measure of a team’s overall character, character that will be tested week in and week out from hereon.

#2 Global Cebu

Wins over Ceres and Stallion at home have pushed the title favorites back in second spot. Global has shown in resiliency in big matches and are eager to showcase it in front of their adoring fans in Cebu.

#3 JPV Marikina

JPV has had an unlucky spell the past few days after having their match from previous week called off, aside from losing topscorer Takumi Uesato and scoring an own goal against Loyola. The Marikina squad dropped to third place but a favorable schedule ahead should keep things in order.

#4 Kaya FC-Makati

A three-game unbeaten run has put Kaya back as one of the top contenders after falling short against Ceres Negros. The Makati squad has somewhat regained some momentum after almost winning against Global and everyone in their way must watch out.

#5 Ceres-Negros

The other title favorite has flexed its muscles after losing midweek against fierce rivals Global in Cebu. The Negros squad came back to winning ways after winning with the biggest margin in the PFL so far with seven goals. Ceres will be looking forward to win all their games before their AFC Cup meeting with Home United.

#6 Davao Aguilas

The Southern squad had a golden chance to separate themselves from the other bottom teams but a Jason Cordova red card saw momentum swinging back to visitors Kaya, allowing them to take the full three points. Cordova has been given 2 reds this season and has affected three games so far with another coming up against Global. The Davao skipper should rethink his approach in the game as it has proven costly in the Aguilas maiden campaign.

Stallion Laguna

Stallion has been on a four-game skid after almost winning against league leaders Meralco two weeks prior. The Laguna squad have to rethink their strategy and maybe tap new players in the upcoming window to save the season.

Ilocos United

The Northern squad is in a quagmire after losing top players from their usual starting eleven. The transfer window might be of help to the debutantes as a lack of healthy players has been an issue in the past few weeks.

 

2017 AFC Cup Update

NOFA and Negros Occidental to launch NegrosFirst DFL Mens Open

The Negros Occidental Football Association together with the Provincial government of Negros Occidental will launch the NegrosFirst DFL Mens Open Provincial Championships on July.

According to NOFA General Secretary Ronald Allan Treyes, the provincial league will feature a possible twenty-four teams from across Negros Occidental and Bacolod City. Northern teams will be represented by six different cities such as Cadiz, Victorias, Escalante, Sagay and San Carlos. Bacolod will be bannered by CGM, Villa Angela FC, and will include six other teams. Bago, Himamaylan, Pontevedra, and Kabankalan will spearhead the south that will consist of eight squads.

The Championship will feature a unique format where the elimination will be held in different cities for the north and south divisions . The north division can have matches in the Sagay pitch one week and San Carlos in another while the south can have Bago, Kabankalan, and many others alternately. The Bacolod elimination will be played in either the North or the Santa Maria field.

The quarterfinals will see eight teams with the three of each from the north and south elimination with two coming from Bacolod eimination. The quarterfinals will be held in  cities/LGUs who have a good crowd and have shown good hosting capabilty in the eliminations. The winners of the one-game quarterfinal will feature in a two-legged home-and-away semi-final, a first in Philippine club football. The final will be played in either the Panaad Stadium or in the best host city in August.

Villa Angela FC in last year’s tournament

“We’re trying to achieve the objective of President Ricky (Yanson) and Governor (Freddy) Marañon to promote football in our province. Of course for our youth, that they can see what they can be in the future and see the importance of their grassroots training,” added Treyes.

The tournament will effectively spread club football to the other cities and municipalities with Ceres-Negros only playing in the capital. “We want to spread the game in other areas, especially those who can’t watch the AFC and PFL games in Bacolod. At least they have a chance to witness good football with this tournament,” added the NOFA Gen Sec.

Opening ceremonies will be held on July 1st in Bacolod and Pontevedra for the City and South divisions with the North Division opening on a later date. Football action will start on July 2 with the first match in the Bacolod division.

Yokohama kicks off Football Cup

Yokohama Tire Sales Philippines, Inc. (YTSP) kicked off the Yokohama Football Cup last May 20 at the McKinley Hill Football Stadium in Taguig City. The Japanese tire brand extends its support to the local football scene with the two-day event that featured over a hundred teams of ten different age groups.

Yokohama has been the shirt sponsor for Chelsea Football Club the past two seasons with the north London club clinching the English Premier League title this 2016/2017 season.

Participating teams played a 7-a-side format with the age groups set on different schedules throughout the weekend. The 8 & 12-under teams opened the festivities Saturday morning with the Womens category closing the tournament on Sunday.

The only tire brand that produces its products in the country is looking to help Philippine football in their own way. “We are trying to somehow push more awareness for football in the Philippines” said Shawn Pamintuan, Marketing head of YTSP. “From this year and to the next few years, we would like to concentrate our efforts in supporting the football events in the Philippines,” Pamintuan added.

YTSP President Satoshi Hariyama highlighted the similar values in sports and in his company. “Sports have always been close to the heart of Yokohama. The effort and discipline that athletes put in to improve their skills can be likened to exacting dedication of Yokohama in consistently producing quality tires. We hope to highlight this similarity in supporting football in the Philippines.”

The event organized by CAN Sports saw at least a thousand spectators in opening day. Aside from the football, participants were also treated to mini-games in between their breaks. The same crowd is expected on the second day for the last day of the tournament.