Football: UFL back in action with FA League Cup
Image copyright Bob Guerrero.
Club football returns to the spotlight on Saturday when the United Football League’s Football Alliance League Cup kicks off.
Like England’s Capital One League Cup, only full members of the league’s divisions will participate. Non-league teams like Cebu Queen City United, Blue Guards, and Bright Star will not play. They may have to wait until next year’s UFL Cup to test their mettle against the best Pinoy club sides.
The fourteen teams have been divided into two round-robin groups of seven. The top four from last year’s league were seeded, with two in each group. Then a random draw made the rest of the groupings.
The top four from each of the two pools will then meet in a single-elimination quarterfinals bracket. I am told the competition will conclude with a final match on November 6.
Group A consists of Loyola, Stallion, Manila Jeepney, Pachanga-Diliman, Ceres, Green Archers United, and Army. Group B is made up of league champs Global, Kaya, Team Socceroo, Manila All-Japan, Forza, Laos, and Dolphins.
Several sides, like Pasargad, Air Force, Navy, and Agila, begged off from the competition.
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Okay I know what ya’ll are thinking: this is a pretty awful, unbalanced draw. It is, and I’m partly to blame, since I was the guest on Hans On, Hans Smit’s show, when we drew. I was one of those picking up the eggs from the bowls. But I swear it was a totally legit draw, and representatives of GAU, Loyola, Pachanga, Global, and the league were present. The cookies just crumbled in such a way that most of the division one teams are in Group A and most of the second-tier squads are in Group B.
You can watch the draw proceedings here.
The matches will mostly be played in the expansive, full-sized pitch at Rizal Memorial Football stadium, but some group games will still take place in Emperador Stadium in Taguig. I suspect that the quarterfinals onwards will happen in Rizal.
There has been no shortage of player movement in the off-season. To recap most of the signings, check out my post from my wordpress blog here.
By far the most intriguing team in this tournament is Ceres. Everyone wants to see just how good this new-look side will fare. Already two-time defending Smart Club Championship titleists, Ceres have beefed up in a big way. Jeff Christiaens, Nate Burkey, Marwin and Marvin Angeles, Ed Sacapaño, and Manny Ott are just some of the Azkals who have found their way into Leorey Yanson’s roster.
There are conflicting reports about Paul Mulders also suiting up for the busmen this year. One Bacolod newspaper has reported it while another has not.
There’s also a new coach. Korean Cha Soung Yooung has replaced Ali Rojas Go at the helm of the club, with Go sliding up to the position of Club Director. It’s hoped that Ceres’ attractive brand of possession football will remain.
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Loyola has also been transformed, with the entry of ex-Azkals coach Simon McMenemy and a bunch of new players, including the hulking Englishman Jamal Fenelon into the forward line.
Fans of homegrown players will appreciate Manila Jeepney. FEU’s Kim Chul Su is coaching that team now, and he has brought in several ex-Loyola players and a passel of Tamaraws, most notably the breathtakingly skilled Arnel “Nano” Amita.
Games will be held on Saturdays, Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, so there is plenty of opportunity to catch a match at either of the two venues. Check out the full slate of group matches on this link.
The league says that the semifinals and finals will be aired, presumably either on TV5 or Aksyon TV.
Next year the UFL has said they will follow European convention and play the league and cup competitions concurrently. There will also be an all-star weekend sometime in May. I am hoping that one of my pet projects, the Iloilo-Negros Occidental All-Star match, will be a part of that. Exciting times indeed for the Philippines de facto top football competition.
But the UFL League Cup will not just be a chance at silverware. With the Suzuki Cup looming for the Azkals in late November, one thing is certain: it will also serve as a shopwindow for Philippines coach Thomas Dooley to determine the team he will bring to Vietnam.
Follow Bob on Twitter @PassionateFanPH.
Check out this weekend’s schedule.
Chehttp://ufl.ph/fixtures-results/
