AFTER three straight wins, Queen City United will have to add two more to clinch the coveted Philippine Football Federation National Women’s Championships at the Tiongko Field in Davao City.

Their first hurdle is their semifinal match up against Cagayan this afternoon with the winner taking on the winner of the other semis between defending champion Davao City and Ilo-ilo tomorrow.

In their first match, they defeated Ilo-ilo 2-1, then blanked Iligan 3-0 before sending Rizal home, 3-0.

“We are just relaxing today because tomorrow (today) we know that Cagayan really prepared for us, and we have prepared for them also,” team captain Jan Salac said.

Salac and QCU defeated Cagayan 6-5 on shoot out to take the Cebu Invitational Football Cup title last May at the University of San Carlos.

“We have seen and studied their plays, just as they have studied ours, however, we will be using different tactics tomorrow,” Salac said.

Today’s semifinal is also a chance for Salac and eight others to make up for their loss in the 2001 edition, when they eventually wound up third.

The other members of that squad are Remelyn Melgar, Katrina Bejec, Kristine Oplado, Carmel Colina, Maripette Ocampo, Kristina Fuentes, Marlou Solon, and Eleanor Rabaya.

After getting a yellow card in the first match, striker Rhodora Toledo will also have to take it easy today to avoid another yellow and a one match ban.

“I’ll try not to play too hard today,” Toledo said.

QUEEN City United (QCU) hit its elimination-round target after a 3-0 win over Rizal in the Philippine Football Federation National Women’s Championships at the Tiongko Field in Davao City.

The win put the Cebuanas on top of Group B with a perfect 3-0 card, which pits them against Cagayan de Oro in the crossover semifinals tomorrow.

Defending champion Davao City topped Group A and will take on Iloilo, which finished second to Cebu after a 2-0 win over Iligan yesterday, in the semifinals.

QCU coach Richard Montayre had told Sun.Star Cebu before leaving for Davao that the team will aim to top its group in the elimination round.

Wily striker Rhodora Toledo made up for her scoring drought in their first two wins (2-1 over Iloilo and 3-0 over Iligan) as she came up with two goals in their second straight shutout win.

Toledo banged in a follow-up of her own shot in the 33rd minute for a 1-0 lead by QCU, which is representing the Cebu Football Association in the eight-team tournament.

“They (Rizal) were marking well, and it took a long time for us to score,” said a former QCU player Dione, who watched the game.

Early in the second half, captain Jan Salac’s shot from midfield hit the mark for a 2-0 count, and Toledo capped her performance after breaking away from her defender and flicking a shot past the keeper.

QCU is now assured of at least duplicating its best finish in the nationals. The team finished third in the 2001 edition, which was also held in Davao.

TWO down, one to go.

Cebu’s Queen City United got off to a roaring start as it defeated Iloilo, 2-1, in the opening match of the Philippine Football Federation National Women’s Open Championship at the Tiongko Field yesterday.

QCU then chalked up win number two with a 3-0 bashing of Iligan City last Wednesday to book a semis spot.

“They played very well. I told them not to give Iloilo a chance to shoot and they were able to do that,” coach Richard Montayre said. “I think we controlled 70 percent of the game.”

Midway into the first win, Katherine Bejec one-timed a cross from left flank past the goalkeeper for a 1-0 lead.

Ivy Jane Bongcasan doubled the lead early in the first half after getting a pass from Rhodora Toledo, who broke away from her defender.

Still, Iloilo refused to give up and got one courtesy of an alleged miscall by the referee late in the second half.

“The player was clearly offside but the linesman didn’t see it so the ref called the goal,” team captain Jan Salac said.

“We had lots of chances. If we had converted them, maybe we could have won by eight goals,” said Montayre.

A win against its final assingment, Rizal today will assure Cebu of a number one finish in thier bracket and avoid an early clash with Davao.

Got this email from (ethel_sanchez@acesaatchi.com.ph), I guess, she could use some help so I posted this here. If you have time to waste for friendster, please answer this.

Hi guys,

My apologies… I know this email is unexpected since I only got your
addresses from the Philippine Football Federation website.

I’m Ethel Sanchez, a Junior Strategic Planner at Ace Saatchi Advertising.
Right now, I’m working on a small research about football in the
Philippines, specifically about its players. I do hope you can spare a few
minutes and answer the following questions. Your help will truly be
appreciated… Thanks so much in advance!

Here are the questions:

1) Where do you usually hang out during your spare time?
2) Why are you into football? What do you like most about it? What benefits
do you get out of playing?
3) Are you the type who: (please choose all that applies to you)
a. likes to play football only physically
b. likes to play but do so other than physically (video games/ table)
c. highly interested to keep oneself updated with the latest news
d. likes the feeling of belonging to the football club community
4) Where do you usually play football?

May God bless you always.

Ethel V. Sanchez
Strategic Planner
Ace/ Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising

2005: Year of the Inspirational Consumer
Best regards,

THE good news for Cebu Football just keep on pouring.

After the plan of the University of San Carlos to put up a world class football field, the introduction of two divisions in the Men’s Open comes another news, noted youth coach Mario Ceniza is selected as one of only three coaches in the country to head the Center for Football Excellence.

Last June Ceniza, together with 40 other coaches joined the CFE Coaching Course in Bago City.

“I thought that those who joined were already selected for the CFE,” Cebu Football Association president Jonathan Maximo said, “But it turned out, only three of them were selected by the Philippine Football Federation and the Asian Football Confederation.”

Maximo received the confirmation last Saturday in a form of a contract between Ceniza, the CebuFA, the PFF and the AFC. The other CFEs will be in Dipolog and Dumaguete City.

“Mario Ceniza has proven himself a competent and qualified coach during the CFE coaching course,” Maximo read part of the contract.

As stipulated in the agreement, Ceniza is now in charge of selecting players born in 1992-92 for the CFE, which is part of the long term plan of the PFF to provide national team mainstay tasked to win the gold in the Southeast Asian Games in 2015.

Among his duties are to recruit the city’s elite U14 players for the CFE in time for the Visayas Camp later this year and the national camp next year. He is also tasked to train and develop new players.

“I think the PFF and the AFC has seen the potential of youth football in Cebu and Mario also played a big role in us being selected,” Maximo said, “I also told them that the Cebu City government has also been helpful of football and in fact is willing to play abroad as far as Team Cebu City is concerned,”

Maximo plans to endorse the CFE to Cebu City Sports Commission chairman Jonathan Guardo, who has earlier promised to help the CFE and to the provincial government since Ceniza’s responsibility also include players of the province.

The last time I played a full game of football, FVR was still drumbeating about his Philippines 2000 program.

Not a few years, barrels of beer, truck loads of cigarettes later, I donned my oft ignored football spikes I bought last December, last Sunday.

Last time I played, I remember having the usual “cycle,” You start playing, and gradually pace yourself for the long run ahead, and about in the middle of the second half, your feet feels a little bit hot, then, you feel a sharp pain in your side, and you mouth dries up a little.

Last Sunday, Aug 14, I cycled up in the first two minutes of the game.

It used to be, at the middle of the match, I could still shout but yesterday, I couldnt. I just clapped to get the team’s attention for a pass.

Boy, I guess, for once the government is right, Cigarette smoking is really bad for your health.

The newsroom in our office is on the second floor, third if you count the mezannine, I guess, I’ll have to come up with an excuse to be absent tomorrow.

I feel so dog tired I can’t wait till the next game.

FOOTBALL in Cebu is set to take the next big leap as the Cebu Football Association (CebuFA) is planning to put up two divisions for the Men’s Open this year.

This is also in line with the thrust of the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) to encourage provincial football associations to put up leagues of their own. The PFF will put the provincial champions in an Area League.

The first division of the Aboitiz League will be eight of the top teams in the city while the other teams will play in the second division.

“They (coaches) welcome the idea,” said CebuFA president Jonathan Maximo in an interview yesterday.

Maximo met with the coaches Thursday to bring up the plan and discuss changes in the football calendar this year.

“This is also good because there will also be relegation and promotion, and there is stricter hold on the players,” Hiroshi Football Club coach Francis Ramirez said in an interview last Friday.

Relegation is when the two lowest rank teams in the first division is demoted to the second division. The top two teams in the second division will moved up to the first division.

Following PFF instructions, teams will start the season with a set of players who can no longer transfer teams until the end of the National Men’s Open.

Since the budget for the Aboitiz Men’s Open this year is only for 34 to 36 games, the Cebu FA is considering asking some of the teams to shoulder the fee for the officials since two divisions will mean more games.

“The fee is 600 per game, maybe we can split that between the two teams,” Maximo said.

For the second division, Maximo is inviting all weekend football warriors to contact the Cebu FA for them to join.

“I am encouraging those from the call centers who have teams to contact us so they can join our tournaments, all they have to do is register,” Maximo said.

THE UNIVERSITY of San Carlos lady booters are ready to avenge their losses to Iloilo and Davao City when they represent Cebu City in the Philippine Football Federation National Women’s Cup at the Tiongko field in Davao City on Aug. 16-23.

“The last time we played Iloilo in 2001 we lost, and against Davao we scored first but also lost,” team captain Jan Salac said during yesterday’s Scoop forum at Baseline Restaurant.

Salac is playing in her third National Championship along with Bontic Ocampo, who also attended the forum yesterday.

In their first attempt in 2001, they managed to salvage third place, while in their second try in 2003, they failed to reach the semifinal round.

This time around, after months of constant training under Richard Montayre, they are confident of a better finish in the tournament, which also has teams from Zamboanga, Iligan, Rizal, South Cotabato, Cagayan, Iloilo and defending champion Davao.

“This time the team is more confident and has the courage to fight for the championship,” said Salac, whose team now carries the name Queen City United.

The Cebuanas have been undergoing endurance training the past two months and have also honed their skills and plays in preparation for the tournament.

Last summer QCU went undefeated to win the ladies crown of the Cebu Invitational Football Cup against the Cagayan de Oroteam, the same team they will meet in Davao City.

AFTER winning the CIFC Cup, Rhodora Toledo and QCU goes to the National Women’s Championship. Sunstar file photo

QUEEN City United is ready to face the best of the country when it represents the Cebu Football Association (CebuFA) in the Philippine Football Federation National Women’s Championship at the Tiongko field in Davao City on Aug. 16-23.

“We have been practicing four times a week for the past two months,” QCU coach Richard Montayre said, “So far, I am satisfied with the team’s performance.”

Montayre is aiming for the group leadership to avoid a semifinal clash against the defending champion Davao City and will face Iloilo in the opening match on Tuesday.

Cebu is in Group B with Iloilo, Iligan and Rizal, while Davao is in Group A with Zamboanga, South Cotabato and Cagayan.

“The teams in our group are all good,” Montayre said, “but we will aim for the top spot.”

QCU is made up of Iris Meca, Lady Ocampo, Janice Dalisay, Cristina Fuentes, Madelyn Cena, Eleanor Rabaya, Kathrina Bejec, Kristine Oplado, Ivy Bungcasan, Julieta Rosos, Valerie Rafanan, Jan Salac, Marlou Solon, Elaine Macasero, Rhodora Toledo and Carmel Colina.

Meanwhile, host Davao Football Association (DFA) has pulled all strings to ensure a smooth and safe staging of the Women’s Open, which is part of the events of the city’s annual Kadayawan festival.

“We have coordinated with the Mayor’s Office, the local police and Task Force Davao to ensure the safety of the players,” DFA secretary general Dwight Dave Peñano said.

They are hoping to avoid incidents such as the 2003 bombing of the Sasa wharf that caused teams to back out of the tournament.

Use of the Tiongko field has also been limited for the past three months to ensure quality pitch conditions.

GOOD news for Pinoy football fans.

The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) is set to strengthen the club system in the country and will put up a national league in the next two years.

The move is also in line with the Asian Football Confederation’s thrust to help the Philippines and other struggling nations with the staging of the AFC President’s Cup, a tournament for country’s like Afghanistan, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Chinese Taipei, Guam, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Macau, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Palestine, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan and Timor

“We were not able to participate in the first AFC Cup because we did not have a national league,” Cebu Football Association (CebuFA) president Jonathan Maximo said.

Maximo attended the PFF board of governor’s meeting last Saturday in Manila, where the PFF announced the plan to put up a national league in 2007.

The PFF plans to start in the provincial football associations (FA).

“The plan is for each FA to put up a league, not a cup competition,” Maximo said. “The champion in each FA will compete in the area league, like the Liga Mindanao or the Visayas Liga.”

The champions in both leagues will face each other in the national league together with the champion of Ang Liga in Manila and the Luzon League.

The PFF is also set to address the perennial problem of players transferring from one team to another.

“At the start of the competition, each club will only have 25 players and they can not change the line-up until the season ends,” Maximo said.

The line-ups will also be forwarded to the AFC.

“AFC wants to support the clubs here. They want to give them as many matches as possible, so the FA leagues might be double- or triple-round robin,” Maximo said.

Transfer negotiations will now be done club to club instead of player to coach and negotiations will be limited in the off-season in a semi-professional football environment.