Clear Dream Match to feature Man Utd stars Scholes, Cole with Younghusbands
The yearly Footballing slugfest between teams selected by Phil and James Younghusband has been set for June 7, 2014. Here is what you need to know about this year's event.
The Guests.
Last year former Chelsea mid Dennis Wise and Italian World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro participated in the game. Clear has now partnered with Manchester United so it's no surprise that two Red Devil legends have been roped in for the 2014 event.
Old Trafford Ironman Paul Scholes played 499 times for Man U from 1993 to 2013 and scored 107 goals for the side. The English midfielder was also capped by England on 66 occasions. He made his second and apparently final retirement last year. The carrot-topped Scholes turns forty in November.
“Talk to (Zinedine) Zidane or Xabi (Alonso) and they will say Scholes was the best player they ever played against” said Phil Younghusband.
Andy Cole, aged 42, is the second-leading goalscorer in the history of the Premier League, bulging Premiership nets on 187 occasions for Arsenal, Newcastle, Blackburn, and both Manchester clubs. His most prolific spell was with United, when he struck 93 times from 1995 to 2001. Only Alan Shearer has found the net more times in the Premiership.
It has not yet been decided which player will play for which club, but James Younghusband jokingly said during Monday's press conference that “I hear both of them want to play for Team James.”
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The kids.
Clear will also be holding Football camps for youths aged seventeen and older in Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, and Metro Manila. The top six players from the camps will get a chance to play in the match as well. Previously young players like Ronald Batisla-ong and Mikko Mabanag have suited up in the CDM. This casts the net even wider for the kids.
It can be said that this new development is even more important than the presence of Scholes and Cole. The game now directly helps the development of players who could very well end up on national youth teams or even with the senior team. The mere fact that they will be able to learn from both the two Manchester United legends and the UFL's finest will be priceless.
The rest of the players.
Clear's Drew Copuyoc encouraged everyone at the press con to visit cleardreammatch.com.ph. It's there where a list of 50 of the UFL's best players can be found. Fan voting will eventually whittle that number down to 32 players. The voting period starts now and runs until May 6. Phil and James draft players on May 10. It was revealed that the most active fan on the page could win a trip to Manchester, England in November, presumably to catch a Red Devils match.
The venue.
Copuyoc says that a venue has not been determined yet for the game. I hope it's on an artificial grass field since the past two CDMs have been contested in strong downpours at Umak, with the pitch turning into a swamp on both occasions. Phil won the first match in 2012, 5-1, while James exacted his revenge a year later via a 4-1 scoreline.
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Rizal Memorial is supposed to have its two-star artificial pitch in by next month. I think everyone hopes the match is held there. The game sold out very quickly last year in Umak, which has a fraction of the capacity of RMS. Another option could be Emperador, but again it has limited seating, is not particularly accessible, and has a below-regulation sized pitch.
The beneficiary.
Once again the Tuloy sa Don Bosco Foundation will get a share of the proceeds of the matches.
The shock admission.
“In the first match, I wasn't prepared” confessed James. The Azkal winger got Loyola teammate Freddy Gonzalez to coach his side in the second match and it paid dividends. Phil will retain the services of his coach from 2013, Loyola Vice Chairman Randy Roxas, himself a fine player once upon a time for Ateneo.
The Big Question.
Is this the last ever Clear Dream Match? The question was asked in the press con and Copuyoc was coy, saying it still needed to be decided.
But the Clear brand manager did affirm one thing: “We'll continue to develop Football in the country.”
Follow Bob on Twitter @PassionateFanPH.
