Football returns to Rizal Memorial

I can remember the exact moment when I realized I missed watching football in Rizal Memorial so badly.

It was in the first half of the Green Archers United Globe match against Stallion on Saturday night. There was a handful of folks in the grandstand, and a chance at goal materialized. The crowd wasn't huge, but the cumulative oohs, aahhs, shrieks, and gasps managed to reverberate off the weathered steel columns and roof and echo all over the ground.

It was a feeling that I didn't realize I missed until then. The sensation was unique, comforting, and familiar. The cathedral of Philippine football was back in commission.

Soon after the Azkals defeated Turkmenistan in the qualifiers of the AFC Challenge Cup in March of 2013, Rizal Memorial Football Stadium went under the proverbial knife, with its two-year old bermuda turf dug up to be replaced with a Limonta artificial turf from Italy. There were fits and starts and hitches and issues with the installation that dragged on interminably. Deadlines were pushed back, I believe more than once.

Meanwhile interest in the Azkals and football in general plateaued, thanks in no small part to a lack of Metro Manila home games. Without the national stadium available, home games were played in Bacolod and Cebu.

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But finally, the good folks at E-Sports got the job done, and on Saturday, the new turf hosted its first competitive match, with Kaya defeating Pachanga PLDT Home Fibr 4-1 in the United Football League's Football Alliance Charity Cup.

That game kicked off at three pm on a hot and muggy day, so it was a toasty affair. But the new turf proved to be very playable indeed in spite of the heat.

However the new artificial grass did turn up at least one surprise. In the second half of that match 16-year old Iñigo Herrera of Kaya chased a high ball near the penalty box of Pachanga keeper Steve Yambou. The goalie rushed out to douse the threat but the ball had some nasty backspin on it, and took a Kaya bounce, to borrow a bit of American Football parlance. The leather squirted back at Herrera violently, allowing him to gather it and spear past the keeper for 4-0.

I was sitting beside Philippines U21 national team assistant coach Leigh Gunn and he explained the somewhat curious behavior of the pitch. Since the turf is new, the blades of grass really stand up, thus grabbing and accentuating every bit of spin a ball might have. In contrast, the turf in Emperador is a year old thus the grass has flattened a bit and the effects of spin have lessened.

But at halftime of the evening's Archers – Stallion match, GAU's Chieffy Caligdong was all thumbs-up for the field, saying the pitch was easier on his feet and felt a lot more like natural grass than Emperador, which is also a Limonta pitch. For sure the extra cushiness can be attributed to two things, 1) a “shockdrain” layer under the carpet that, as the name suggests, both leaches water out and cushions impact, and 2) the smaller rubber infill granules that are more dirt-like and would presumably “give” more like the real thing.

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But the other big change with the Rizal Memorial playing surface is that there is more of it. E-Sports told me that PFF General Secretary Edwin Gastanes insisted that the pitch be 105 meters long and 68 meters wide, which is what FIFA prefers for international play. The old RMS field was slightly narrower and shorter. The new pitch now eats up a bit of the track, as you can see by this photo.

Rizal now has over 1200 square meters more real estate than Empy, which is supposedly just 97 meters long and 60 meters wide. Watching Stallion and United play, you feel the difference immediately.

UFL games in the cramped phone booth of Emperador can often feel like MMA matches with cleats, as players slam into each other on a regular basis. Once you get the ball in Empy, you can expect an opponent to mug you within seconds in an attempt to pry possession from you.

But football in the full-sized pitch of Rizal is like a breath of fresh air. Players have so much room and thus time to think, plan, and execute their moves. The result is a far more pleasing game, one which allows players to be more creative, more expressive of their individuality, and less reliant on brute force. It also demands, and promotes, better fitness because there is more distance to cover.

“You can really appreciate the game better on this pitch” said GAU technical director Hans Smit.

Fans can enjoy great football in the expansive pitch for the next two weeks of the UFL Charity Cup. You can see the schedule here. Entrance is pegged at just P50 for the grandstand. UFL general manager Rely San Agustin also asserted that the league will be holding more matches there in coming competitions.

The PFF Peace Cup, slated for September, is also scheduled to take place in Rizal, and if we get out of the group stage in the Suzuki Cup at the end of the year, perhaps even a home game against our neighbors.

The home of Philippine football is back, and fans and players alike are the big winners.

OTHER NOTES: Kaya and Pachanga both played young sides, but Kaya's kids came out on top. Rocky Plaza, Nico (Nocnoc) Cruz, Herrera, Juan Rafael Siggaoat, and Emilio Pelaez all got quality run-outs. For Pachanga it was UP midfielder Daniel Gadia who really shone... Leigh Gunn took in the game with the U21 team's new Australian conditioning coach, Matt O'Neil. The U21 team will go to Singapore for a camp in a few weeks then play in the Bolkiah Cup in August. That competition allows a few overage players, so Patrick Deyto is expected to play alongside the likes of Drew Liauw, OJ Porteria, and Pachanga's Paolo Salenga, who scored Home Fibr's only goal.... The management of Rizal Memorial did not open the main doors of the stadium, requiring spectators to pass through the vehicular gate near Ninoy Aquino. I hope in future games, the main entrance is opened. It's more fan-friendly.

Follow Bob on Twitter @PassionateFanPH.