[Azkals WCQ] A quick look on Match Day 2 opponents: Yemen

By Ivan Gayares (@ivangeoffrey)

As the Azkals prepare for its second match in World Cup Qualifying, let’s take a quick look on the Azkals opponents in Yemen.

 It will be easy to take Yemeni’s lightly given they are the lowest seed in the group but their narrow 0-1 loss to powerhouse DPR Korea says otherwise.

In their first match, the Koreans pressed heavily in the first fifteen minutes leading to several goal scoring chances only to be denied by their talented keeper in  Mohammed Ayash who once was in the U17 World Cup in 2003.

Their defense also held their own as they were able to minimize DPR Korea’s speed and superb passing most of the time.  The Yemen backline also had to contain North Korean giant striker in Kwang Ryong Pak.

It took seventy minutes and a power of a volley from Hyok Un So to break the Yemeni defense.  Something that the Azkals should note given that DPR Korea is a relatively faster and is a more cohesive team.

Yemen’s number 10 in Aiman Al Hagri seemed to be the trickiest in front together with captain/striker Ala Al Sasi.  The Azkals’ opponents seemed to be lesser than Bahrain in the counter attack but their short passing game is intact, a standard in all Middle Eastern countries.

It is interesting to note that the the last win of Yemen came against Pakistan in the first round of World Cup qualifying to the score of 3-1.  This was the same scoreline when the Azkals beat the same opponent in the 2013 Peace Cup.

The Yemen squad uses a 4-4-2 formation, a standard formation designated by the Czech Coach whom they just recently trained with in Doha, Qatar. The team was reported to have taken a 13 hour boat ride from their war-torn country.

The Azkals meanwhile are expected to field the same formation but Coach Thomas Dooley may try to experiment with new players to try new combinations in the squad.

My ‘series of unfortunate events’ before Azkals-Bahrain

An almost traffic violation, a broken car window, a dead battery, and carmageddon almost cost us the chance to watch the first Azkals game for World Cup Qualifying but lady luck seemed to be on our side that night.

Leaving promptly at 5 pm, I hitched a ride with my work buddy Mark and his wife Kat who lived in Bulacan and were interested to watch their first Azkals match.

I was supposed to take a leave on that day but learned from weeks back that we had work training on that day and getting out of it was not possible.

I got a call from my brother at 530 pm, instructing to avoid edsa at all costs. I confirmed to him that we were not there and he remarked that he left Edsa-Magallanes at 330pm only to still be in Megamall after two hours.

Confident that we were early, we took the Manila route and conveniently found our way towards the Nagtahan area.  It was all good until Mark tried to beat the red light.

A motorcycle-riding guy with a Manila City Hall shirt gestured us to move to the side.  From there he lectured Mark on what he did and Mark simply said sorry about what happened.

I was waiting for the guy to ask for the license but it never happened, all he did was gestured us to go.  I felt relieved that we didn’t have to endure that process but something else was wrong.  The driver’s car window wouldn’t close.

I was laughing on the thought that we did get out of a violation but was faced with an open car window for the duration of the trip. Tough luck. Said to myself that things couldn’t get any worse.

Leyte Football Association making it all the way from Leyte for the match

After getting near the entrance of NLEX after two hours of going through Manila’s side streets, Mark decided to fix the window in the nearest gas station.  Inhaling Manila’s toxic fumes is not a fun exercise and the break was a welcome development.

Once we got back to the car, things just made the turn for the worst. The car wouldn’t start.

Just. My. Luck.

It was already half-an-hour before kickoff and we I was faced with the thought of missing the game in its entirety.  The car was an automatic and automatics couldn’t be jump started.

The nearest battery store was closed, the gas station didn’t have any equipment, and the battery delivery was miles away.

It was only after thirty minutes that two good samaritans helped us with the car.  One had the cables, the other has the battery.

After doing a parallel connection of the batteries, the car came back to life.  With it, the window was also closed.  There is a god (or just helpful Pinoys in the right place at the right time).

As we made our way towards NLEX, I thought to myself that I already exorcised all the bad luck that I had in my system and there is no more space for bad news. It was then that my luck started to turn.

The big digital signboard said 0-0 with the first half almost coming to an end. I told the couple that if this stands, adjustments will be made and we have a good chance of winning this game.

We parked the car, got our tickets and made our way to our seats for the second half.  It was then when history happened. Misagh’s poke. Javier’s rebound.

2-nil after seventy minutes. Unreal. Unbelievable. Felt like it was Christmas morning and getting the gift you wanted the most.

The UP Pep squad cheering for their National Squad

We did however concede in the end. From perfect to almost perfect.  I was a bit angry at first but after looking back what we gone through to get to that moment, I’d take it. I couldn’t ask for more.

An almost traffic violation, a broken car window, a dead battery, and carmageddon may have happened but I didn’t care.  I was a lucky SOB and with it came an Azkals win.

By Ivan Gayares (@ivangeoffrey)

Azkals launch new LGR kits for World Cup Qualifying

The Philippine Azkals together with LGR Sportswear launched the new Azkals Kits for their Asian World Cup Qualifying Campaign last night at SPARTA in Mandaluyong City.

In a first of firsts, the Azkals tapped local sportswear brand in LGR to produce the kits gor them.  Currently the biggest local sportswear brand across Philippine Sports, LGR produced home (white) and away (blue) kits including other team accesories.

      

Like the Azkals, LGR also came from humble beginnings from a modest dress shop to a leading brand serving teams from the UFL, PSL, PBL, and the PBA.

LGR EVP Rhayan Cruz

 Azkals Team Manager Dan Palami

The launch also featured LGR’s footwear partner in Adidas Philippines who provided the Azkals with top of the line (unreleased) boots for their campaign.

Adidas Ace Boots

 Adidas X Boots

These boots will be launched soon according to Patrick Giron of Adidas Philippines. The event was hosted by football player and SPARTA owner Amanda Fernandez.

            Azkals Crew with LGR’s Rhayan  

Ceres-Azkals raring for national team duties

By Ivan Gayares (@ivangeoffrey)

Ceres-La Salle standouts in Martin Steuble, Patrick Reichelt, Manny Ott, and Juani Guirado started their national team duties Monday with the first practice of the Philippine Azkals at the Rizal Memorial.

The team welcomed greenhorns in Kevin Ingreso and Luke Woodland into the fold including the return of Stephan Shrock.

“It was exciting to see new faces, playing them, look at (how) they play, and get closer (together)” said Reichelt.

Though the session was a light one, it was evident that Bacolod-based players were eager to show their wares and fight for their place in the team.

“It was fun.  We have a lot of new players, good players, so the level was higher and it was really fun to play with them” said Ott.

Steuble added “It was nice to see all the guys, to meet the new teammates, to have an easy session to start, and get to know the guys.  Were always positive looking forward to the games”.

Ian Ramsey also arrived in practice after arriving a few hours earlier from Australia.  The rest of the team will arrive in the next few days after fulfilling their personal and club commitments.

“Were waiting for the rest, to have them play for the national team, and (were) waiting for the big games” said Ceres captain Juani Guirado.

 

Ceres-La Salle tops Group A with come from behind win against Green Archers United in UFL Cup

Ceres-La Salle FC overcame a one goal halftime deficit to win 4-1 against Green Archers United last May 23 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.  

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Second half strikes from Jeong Woo Lee, Bienvenido Maranon, Adrian Gallardo, and Jeffrey Christaens made the difference as the Bacolod squad officially tops Group A in the cup.

Its was United who made a difference early in the game when Robert Lopez-Mendy opened the scoring in the 4th minute.  The veteran broke away from the Ceres defense and score to the delight of his team.

The early goal opened up the game where both teams had their own chances in the first twenty minutes.  Bad news however came in the 22nd when Patrick Reichelt was subbed off by Camelo Tacusalme due to an apparent injury.  Reichelt has just returned after having a minor surgery to his foot in the mid-season.

The Bacolod squad were the slightly more dominant team the rest of the half as they secured half chances but were unable to convert.  The first half ended with United still having the one goal advantage.

Ceres picked up where they left off in the first half but the Archers were a tough nut to crack and did not allow an equalizer. It took one full hour and a substitute in Lee to level the game to one-a-piece as he outran the United defense. The Bacolod squad took note as newcomer Maranon added another after just one minute with an assist from fellow spaniard Adrian Gallardo.

The Archers almost pulled a leveler with a breakaway from Jimuel Ariola but GK Louis Casas stopped him just in time.  The busboys made it 3-1 in the 69th when Maranon returned the favor to setup Valdes for the clubs third goal.  Jeff Christaens made it 4-1 for Ceres after a great team effort with Kyum Son Cho to seal the deal for Ceres in the 81st.

Ceres outshines Bright Star FC in UFL Cup

Ceres-La Salle FC put on a scoring clinic when they beat a hapless Bright Star FC 14-0 in last nights 2015 UFL Cup Group A match at the Rizal Memorial Stadium. Substitute Lee Jeong Woo top scored with four goals while four other players registered a brace.

It started as early as the 4th minute when center back Valentine Kama scored with a volley off a rebound.  Adrian Gallardo’s initial free kick hit the bar and Kama was there to pounce on the goal.  Two minutes later, winger Jayson Panhay slammed it past the Bright Star keeper after collecting a delightful assist from fellow wing man Orman Okunaiya.

Gallardo joined the scoring in the 13th minute while Kama collected his second 3 minutes after to make it 4-0.  Jayson Panhay brought his A-game after showing Messi-esque techniques to ‘break the ankles’ of a Bright Star player.  Moments later, he added his second goal after slotting it near the far post on  a very tight angle.

The Bacolod squad showed superb team play in the 27th when Martin Steuble floated a pass to a rushing Panhay who unselfishly lays off to Gallardo who collected his second goal to make it 6-0 for Ceres.  Steuble also joined the scoring four minutes after with a thunderous shot from 20 yards out. Ceres closed out the half with their eight goal coming from Nate Burkey.

The Bus-men were relentless as second half substitutes continued the onslaught for the UFL League leaders.  The Korean connection in Lee Jeong Woo and Cho Kyum Son paid dividends as the latter supplied the former to make it 9 for Ceres.  Lee was on fire as he destroyed the Bright Star defense by scoring three successive goals to get top scoring honors for the team.

Mari Angeles showed some brotherly love by assisting to his brother Maru to claim Ceres’ 13th goal.  Nate Burkey then completed his brace in extra time to close out the win against newcomers Bright Start FC.  Ceres will complete its Group A assignments when they face Green Archers United on May 23 where the fixture will decide the probable number one seed for the group. Ivan Gayares

 

Ceres hacks out hard-earned victory against Stallion

By Ivan Gayares (@ivangeoffrey)

Ceres-La Salle FC maintains its unbeaten record to hack out a hard-earned 3-0 win against a highly physical Stallions Squad.  Adrian Gallardo Valdes top-scored for the Negros-based team with two goal and Juani Guirado contributed a slick goal himself in the dying minutes.

It wasn’t easy for Ceres as Stallion started the game hard showing physicality with some early fouls.  OJ Clarino had the first crack  on goal in the 5th minute after connecting to a Simone Rota free kick.  In the 6th minute, Orman Okunaiya tried to catch the keeper off his line but his 30 yard shot was over the bar. A minute after, Landry Nguene breaks away to the left but his weak shot was easily collected by Casas.

Play was stopped as the lights in the grandstand area went off near the 8th minute mark.  The failure seemed to have started as the rain was getting stronger with the lights tripping on cue. It took thirty minutes before the play to resume as the light were slowly returned to their original state.

The break did not stop both teams from starting strong as Ceres’ Valentine Kama  had his solid header blocked by the keeper in the 11th after an Okunaiya cross.  In the 17th Michael Casas punched out a Simone Rota free kick but his momentum made him hit his head on the post afterwards.  Two minutes after, Rota again snuck a pass from a free kick to acutting Jordan Minta but his shot went wide of the goal. Ceres had another chance with a strike from Kama but it went straight to the keeper.

Stallion again reasserted themselves with intense physicality providing a hard number of fouls in the half hour mark. In the 32nd minute, Christian Nana was called for a trip on Patrick Reichelt with referee Wally Bermejo pulling out his yellow card from his pocket.  Team Captain Reuben Doctora came on the defense of his player as another yellow would mean the sending off of Nana.  The incident triggered a discussion between the referee and the linesman and Bermejo returned the card to his pocket to the disappointment of the Ceres bench.

The Gilligans-backed squad had a great chance when Nguene provided a dangerous cross to a streaking Doctora but the chance was cleared by the keeper. The deadlock was broken 3 minutes from halftime when an Okuinaya free kick from the side was headed in by Adrian Gallardo.  The Spanish player found himself alone in the far post and easily headed the ball past Henri Bandeken Fong. The half ended with a 1-0 scoreline in favor of Ceres.

Ceres made a defensive display in the first five minutes of the second half after snuffing all equalizing attempts from Stallion.  The Bacolod-based squad then found offense on its own as they created plenty of chances just before the hour Mark.  Martin Steuble provided a cross to Kyum Son Cho but Cho’s header went wide in the 54th. A minute after, Marvin Angeles found Gallardo Valdes alone in the middle of the box but the Spaniards well-placed shot bounced off the post.

 Member’s of the UAAP Finalist De La Salle Green Booters who supported their senior teammates playing in the Sunday matches

Both teams got into a passing groove in the 65th minute with great build up plays only to be spoiled good defensive coverage from both teams.  Ceres had plenty of half chances with a Cho header and a karate volley from Manny Ott in the 71st and 73rd minute respectively but both shots went wide.  Simone Rota also had a good shot from the top of the box but it was blocked by Valentine Kama.

In the 77th minute, Gallardo Valdes got a long ball, which was generated by a good defensive work by his defenders, and provided a through pass to a cutting Patrick Reichelt.  Reichelt found himself one-on-one with the keeper but his shot was blocked by Bandeken Fong.  The Azkal player recovered the blocked shot and laid off to Okunaiya who then finds Gallardo Valdes in the middle and pokes the ball past the keepers reach to secure the two goal advantage for Ceres.

Ceres’ Michael Casas had a flurry of saves  in the last ten minutes including one from Nathan Alquiros to secure a clean sheet for his team.  The busmen made  the score 3-0 when Juani Guirado flicked the ball with the back of his head to the surprise of the Stallion keeper.  A penalty was awarded to Stallion in the final minute of injury time as Balot Doctora was seen rolling into the box.  The call was however changed when the linesman clarified that the foul was incurred outside the box.  The resulting free kick from Rota was blocked by the Ceres wall with the final whistle blown shortly after.

Tempers flared agter the game when an exchange of words between two players.  A member of the Stallion coaching staff had to be restrained after jawing the opposing player.  Cooler heads prevailed and the issue was immediately resolved after the match.

“Stallion had their game plan I think they followed it but god willing we scored the goals that we needed but it was a hard game for us. All in all I think we performed well” said Ceres Coach Ali Go. “The referee did not control anything. He did everything wrong but thats the way it is. There’s referees, you have to play with it and good thing we won the game” he added.

It was the fifth win in as many games for Ceres and their second against a title contender which moved them to third in the league.  They are still the favorites to finish the first round on top of the table because of their unbeaten streak and having two more games to play than the current leaders.  Stallion meanwhile have dropped to fourth place with their second loss of the season.

Ceres will play Green Archers United on April 7 while Stallion will face Kaya FC on April 12. The Ceres-Team Socceroo match was moved to April 21 from the original March 31 play date.

Breaking Down the 2015 UFL Schedule

It felt like Christmas morning when I received a copy of this years UFL competition schedule. Seven months of loaded domestic and international football was too much to take-in in one go, so I decided to break it down for all of you.

UFL Division 1

UFL Division 1 will headline a complete 10-team cast for the highest level of Philippine League football.

The Ten First Division teams are:
Ceres-La Salle FC
Kaya Fc
Global FC
Loyola-Meralco Sparks FC
Stallion FC
Manila Jeepney FC
Philippine Army FC
Green Archers United FC
Team Socceroo FC
Pachanga-Diliman FC

Division 1 starts on February 7 with the final games on August 16, 2015. It will be a total of six months of action with a break in between rounds from April 19 to May 30. The break would be used by the UFL for its All-Star Break and also on the start of the youth competition in the summer. Both rounds will have the same order of opponents which will be highlighted by the games from the Big Four (Kaya, Ceres, Global, and Loyola). All games will be played in the RMC with no provincial games set in the schedule.

UFL Division 2

UFL Division 2 will only have 7 participants with new side Kabuscorp de Laguna FC and returnees Mendiola FC 1991. Division two will run with the first division but will finish earlier due to the number of teams. All games will be played in the RMC.

The Seven Second Division Teams are:
Laos FC
Agila FC
Pasargad FC
Kabuscorp de Laguna FC
JP Voltes FC
Mendiola FC 1991
Forza FC

The Cup

The initial schedule if the cup was created for eight groups of four teams (32 teams in total). Realistically, there are only 17 teams for the UFL so theres a chance for other clubs to join the Cup. The Cup may also be shortened in the group stages if the ideal number of participants are not met.

The best feature for me was the interweaving of both the League and Cup Competitions in the schedule. April 28 marks the Cup’s first day for the Group Stages with the Final on Aug 22, a week after the League ends. This is good as there is the incentive of still winning a major competition even if the League is settled early.

The AFC Cup

Ceres will play on Feb 17 against Maziya FC in the Maldives. If they win, they will already travel to India to meet Bengaluru FC for the first Group stage match. Global and Ceres will play six home and away matches with their games playing on different dates for every game which opens a possibility of TV coverages. All games will happen midweek and home stadia are Panaad and Rizal Memorial for Ceres and Global respectively. The group stages of the AFC Cup will end on the mid of May.

Beyond the schedule

There are no schedules indicated for activities after the League and Cup so I’m assuming that a mini tournament, probably the second installment of the FA League Cup will be done in the latter parts of the year.

The Local Supercup, match between League and Cup winners, match date is not yet part of the schedule but will undoubtedly happen.

Qualification beyond the round of 16 of the AFC Cup is unknown as only the Round of 16 match schedule is set on May the 26th. We will still see if out local teams progress to the next level.

The Schedule was well thought of and the fans will mostly be happy with it. The schedule seems to be a bit busy for Global and Ceres but there is enough rest days in between for match and travel recovery.

The full schedule will be available in the UFL Website (ufl.ph).

Keys to the Azkals victory against Thailand

The Azkals have shown that they can match up with arguably the best Southeast Asian side and now have the chance to go for the biggest upset in this tournament. I have already outlined some major points in my previous post (How the Azkals can perform the “Miracle in Manila”) for the first leg so I present to you some more keys to the Azkals victory.

Attack through the center

This may sound counter-intuitive because we have strength in the wings but Thailand has conceded from a header and runs towards the middle. It is imperative that the midfield move the ball a little bit faster to make this work as we have all seen how well scouted we are by the Thais. The bigger pitch in the Rajamangala may help us in doing this. Having a good balance of wing and center play will bring us to the final.

Stay Physical without the intent

Were obviously the bigger team at the moment and we have put it to good use. The difference now is that we will have a new set of referees which might be stricter than the last one (who treated the game like Sunday football). The Thais will likely try to hurt Amani seeking retaliation but he should check his emotions for this one. Maintaining our physical play without the intent will do us wonders if we get through the finals as we do not have a serious yellow card situation.

Lastly, Focus.

Playing an away game against forty thousand fans is not an easy task. The Azkals have shown nerves at the first half of the first leg and they must forget that they even have nerves in Bangkok to stand a chance. Focus is desperately needed in the final third as we have wasted scoring goals in the first leg. The home team may have the advantage but the pressure is all on them.

The odds are against us in todays game but we have a fair chance of getting our result. I do hope that the players perform and with a little luck, we may be well in our first finals appearance in Suzuki Cup history.

ANIMO AZKALS!

How the Azkals can perform the “Miracle in Manila”

The Semi-Finals of the 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup are upon us and there is no better way to start it with the match-up between the Philippines and Thailand.  The Thai squad are coming in as heavy favorites with their unblemished record and a recent 3-0 friendly win against the Filipinos.  The Azkals (a worldplay for Streetdogs) will be reprising their underdog role in Manila against the unbeaten Thais.  Here are some of the ways the Azkals can pull of the biggest upset in the tournament.

1) Clip Thailand’s “Wings”

Elephants do not fly but for this high-flying War Elephants squad, their “wings” elevated them to favorable results in their competitive matches.  From their opening goal against Singapore to their last minute strike against Malaysia, all goals were generated from the flanks including the cross that cost Singapore a late penalty.  The final passes of Thailand do not necessarily come from their wingers but also from their strikers and center halves who drift wide when the opportunity arises. Daisuke Sato and Simone Rota will have their hands full for the first 90 minutes of this matchup but will be expected to matchup well.

2) Boss the Defensive midfield

The Azkals need to play like they did against Indonesia in order to make a difference.  The 4-0 win looked like a wrestling match full of choke holds and quick surprises,which were attributed from the midfield.  Manny Ott and Jerry Lucena should rekindle their form against Garuda as the Philippines squad will need a near perfect game from their in order to succeed.

3) Score First, then Double it

The best way to beat this young Thai Squad is to score against them first. Malaysia has done this but allowed the Thais to equalize hence the need to double the advantage. This will totally destroy the visiting teams confidence and will make them doubt themselves up to the 2nd leg. Patrick Reichelt will need to overcome his nervy first half performance against Indonesia in order to free up Phil Youngusband and have the Philippines attack from multiple fronts.

4) Defend like the Spartans

With the back four left alone with a big gap in the midfield, the Red Warriors were able to score twice from a distance and the Azkals never recovered. What is needed is a repeat pressing performance from the whole team which resulted to two wins in the group stages. Patrick Deyto should make up for his disappointing performance against Vietnam for them to get a good result before leaving for Thailand.

5) The Fans Should Show Up (Rain or Shine)

The Azkals need all the help they can get outside the pitch and making a hostile environment for the visitors is a must. The Philippine squad is sure to give an inspired performance when buoyed from the home crowd. Booing the visitors should be done for a full ninety and nothing should be given to chance.