sunstar photo by Ruel Rosillo

Practicing under a huge “torch” must work wonders for one’s game.

Kids Football Center-Pomeroy, a squad of “extras” whose practice venue is under the Olympic urn of the Cebu City Sports Center, turned a lot of heads as it topped the Players 6 division of the 9th Aboitiz Youth Festival at the University of San Carlos-Technological Center with a 4-3 win over Paref-Springdale.

“They play regularly at the Sports Center under the torch, so we decided to field them in the tournament,” said team manager, Dondon Ramos, whose squad was bankrolled by Karl Veloso.

And play they did, toying with Pabol B, 9-0, in the eliminations en route to topping their group and overcoming Pabol A in the semifinals to move to the finals match.

The final, which drew a huge crowd, saw pint-sized MVP Kurt Cuizon put the energizer bunny to shame as he kept on going and going, scoring all four goals.

At the other end, girl goalkeeper Andrea Pelicano proved she could play with the boys as she kept the Springdale strikers at bay.

Gabgab Villacin struck first for Springdale in the fifth, but 10 seconds after the restart, Cuizon dribbled past the defense and added two more to put KFC ahead at 3-1.

“It’s their second straight tournament, and their second runner-up finish,” said Springdale coach Mario Ceniza. “The team was also second in the San Roque Football Festival.”

Springdale made up for the loss with a 2-0 win over Hiroshi FC in the in the Players 12 division finals.

MVP Karl Arcenas, who stood a foot taller than the HFC defense, scored once in each half for the win.

In the Boys 17 final, Cebu International School’s Michael Sharpe scored the lone goal in a tough 1-0 win over Don Bosco College to duplicate their ladies team’s win last Saturday.

Sharpe, who played for Cebu in the Adidas Under-19 Nationals and had stints abroad, deflected Paulo Cases’ corner in the sixth, while goalkeeper Red Miguel and defender Andre Antigua held on to seal the win.

On the other hand, goalkeeper Jestoni Pelago did it all for a 2-1 shootout win over Springdale in the Boys 14. Pelago got past Paolo Pascual for the first goal and then stopped Pascual in the turnaround, paving the way for Junjun Pintuan’s game-winner.
Pintuan clinched the MVP award.

Some 1,200 players from 109 teams, including four from Dumaguete, joined the two-day football fiesta, which served as the opening salvo for the ninth Aboitiz season next month.

FOR the Cebu International School Girls 12 team, it pays to play with the boys. For
CIS’ Girls 17 team, it pays to be just plain talented.

Playing for the first time in an all girls tournament, the CIS Under-12 players showed who’s the better team as they whipped Bright Academy, 4-0, with Gabby Aboitiz scoring all four goal in the P12 division finals of the 9th Aboitiz Youth Football Festival at the University of San Carlos-Technological Center yesterday.

“Previously they played with the boys in the Players 10 (division) and it’s good that now, they get to play against their own,” CIS athletic director Brian Bedford said.

In the Girls 17 division, despite CIS splitting up its talent pool into two teams, both still made it to the semifinals against Dumaguete City teams Foundation University and Silliman University.

“I was asked why we didn’t make one strong team and a weak one so we can be assured of winning the title. We split the talent - one went into the final and the other has a chance for third. This is better,” said Bedford after CIS beat Foundation in the semi, while the other lost to Silliman.

In the championship, CIS scored a 2-1 shootout win against Silliman, while a bungled penalty by Amanda Darza proved costly as CIS lost, 0-1, to FU in the battle for third.

In the Girls P12 division, Aboitiz’s strong kick was the biggest headache for the opposition.

Most players take it slow after getting a yellow card, but it worked otherwise for Aboitiz as she scored the first goal a minute after referee Archie Reyes booked her in the fifth.

A quick turn-and-shoot in the eighth had CIS up, 2-0. Aboitiz struck again using her pin point accuracy from a 15-yard free kick to make it 3-0.

CIS keeper Jennika Wannemacher rarely had to work as Christelle Dychangco, who was named the MVP, kept the Bright strikers at bay before Aboitiz capped her four-goal output with a rebound off her own shot in the 13th.

The rest of the team members are Bronwen Hughes, Janine Negrosa and Amanda Booth.

In the Girls P17 championship, the sleeky Mara Reina could have ended the game early but she missed a penalty and a scoreless regulation forced the shoot out, where CIS keeper Czarina Bruce came up with two big stops. Monica Moraza scored the first point and Reina redeemed herself with the game-winning shot.

In the P10 division, the wily Jun Jay Arizabal had two assists and a goal for Don Bosco’s 3-0 win over Springdale before Springdale got back with a 3-1 win over Don Bosco in the P8 division.

The Aboitiz Youth Fiesta winds up today with competition in the P6, Boys 12, B14 and B17 still at USC-TC.

THERE is one reason why football in Cebu is growing - Aboitiz.

“Without the Aboitiz sponsoring (us), there would be no cornerstone for building football in the city,” Cebu Football Association board member and Cebu International School supervisor Mark Bretherton said during the launching of the 9th Aboitiz season yesterday.

According to AGFI executive vice president the initial grant of for the first tournament nine years ago was P20,000 while this year it has ballooned to P200,000.

This year, the Cebu Football Association organized Aboitiz Cup has gone regional with four teams joining the Youth Festival this week end plus new divisions for the coming Cup competitions while a two-division Men’s League will be launched on Oct.

“The Aboitiz Group Foundation Inc wanted us to go regional this year,” CebuFA president Jonathan Maximo said. For the weekend tournament, teams from Silliman University, Foundation University, Dumaguete FC will send representatives.

On the other hand, Maximo said teams from Cagayan, San Carlos City and the Makati Football School wanted to send team but they heard of the Aboitiz too late and will instead join next year.

This year’s Aboitiz Youth Festival has also attracted over 1,240 players in 109 teams. “The number could have been bigger but we had to turn down some of the teams because field limitations,” Maximo said.

New clubs and schools who will join this yea are from Blessed John Seminary, Camp Lapulapu National High School, Cebu Institute of Technology, Center for International Education, St Scholastica, Cebu City NSHS, FC Inter Cebu, Don Bosco Missionary Seminary, San Roque FC, Bright Academy and DB Youth Pasil.

The new divisions this year are the Players 6, Girls 17 and Girls 12.

“We wanted to split the women’s division and instead of just holding the women’s open we want another division so there will be an incentive for the schools to put up teams,” Bretherton explained.

After the youth festivals, the regular Cup type competitions for the different age bracket will follow while the Men’s League will be launched middle of next month.

The AGFI though is not resting on its laurels. Plans are being made to make the Aboitiz tourney a national tournament next year, while they are also scouring for a field to address the lack of venue for Cebu football.

IF PLANS push through, Cebuanos may have something the rest of the country doesn’t - a football show.

The Cebu Football Association is planning to put up a football show in the city together with Dexter Araquel, a producer of the only football show in the country, “Soccer Showdown,” which closed down a few months ago.

“We are planning to put it up within this year so we can feature our local tournaments and players,” CebuFA president Jonathan Maximo said.

Maximo is currently canvassing at the local channels on how much it would cost to air a weekly one-hour show. According to Maximo, the CebuFA will provide the technical management and tournaments while Araquel will provide the production outfit.

“Hopefully, it will materialize and we could get sponsors for the show,” Maximo said.

The soccer show would be the next big step for the CebuFA as it brings football to one of the bigger stage - broadcast media - and they can now attract more sponsors.

“We can also feature our coming league, not just the highlights but we could also have player interviews and statistics,” Maximo said.

The proposed football show is just the latest in a string of good news for local football fans.

Aside from the coming Aboitiz Men’s League, which will have two divisions, Cebu has also been chosen to host one of three Center For Football Excellence in the country, headed by noted coach Mario Ceniza.

The CebuFA is also planning to bid for the hosting rights of the Asean Football Federation Youth Football Festival in the middle of next year.

THE Cebu Football Association has a problem these days - albeit one that they welcome.

A record number of teams, including those from outside of Cebu, have signed up for the Aboitiz Youth Football Festival on Sept. 17-18 at the University of San Carlos-Technological Center.

The huge turn out, some 1,000 players in 100 teams, is proof of the impressive growth of youth football in Cebu, which started only in 2002.

“This is what’s giving me head aches these days,” CebuFA president Jonathan Maximo said, “how to accommodate all the teams in the schedule.”

Aside from the local teams, teams from Foundation University and Silliman University of Dumaguete have also signed up along with San Carlos City and Liceo de Cagayan, in the event which will de divided into the Players 6, P8, P10, Boys12, B14, B17, Girls 12 and G17 divisions.

“I didn’t expect the turnout to be this large; some 105 teams. But we will find ways to accommodate everybody, said Maximo, who added that five teams are already on the waitlist in the B17 category.

This year’s CebuFA will also be strict with player registration incompliance with the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) rule to have each player registered with the local football associations (FAs). The coaches will meet with Maximo on Tuesday for the tournament’s draw and schedule.

After the Youth Festival, the CebuFA will hold a Cup competition for the various age groups, including the Men and Women’s open.

“This is also inline with the various national youth tournaments next summer,” Maximo said.

BASED on their showing in Pre Southeast Asian Games tournament, national coach Aries Caslib expects bigger things in men’s football in the biennial meet on Nov 27 to Dec 5 at Bacolod City.

The Philippine team finished third in Group in the Pre Seag tournament in Bangkok Thailand with losses to Myanmar and Malaysia and a convincing 4-1 win against East Timor with Peter Jaugan, Jose Ombos, Jerome Orcullo and Emilio Caligdong scoring.

“It has really been a long time when we scored big, and it is positive just coming before the SEA games,” Caslib wrote in an email to Sunstar Cebu.

A search in the Asean Football Federation data base of results showed that the last time the Philippines scored more than a goal in a match was a 2-3 loss to Laos in the Brunie SEAG in 1999 while no results shows the Philippines scoring more than three goals in a win.

“Although we were badly beaten by Myanmar, it must be noted that in all our matches we scored and I believe this is one of the few RP teams who has scored seven goals in a competition,” said Caslib.

Ian Araneta and Caligdong scored once against Malaysia while former Carmen National School member Arnie Pasinabo had one against Malaysia.

Though the Philippine team has worked on their offense, things are still needed to patch their leaky defense which yielded six goals to Myanmar in their opening 2-6 loss. In their previous meeting, the Philippines lost to Myanmar 0-1 after yielding to an injury time goal in the 2004 Tiger Cup.

“There is a possibility at the top four teams will send the same team to the SEAG but Singapore mentioned that some players were not released because of the S League, on the other hand, we still have some players who did not travel with because of disciplinary maters or for other reasons,” Caslib wrote.

Among those who missed the Thailand tourney were Michael Casas, another former Carmen player who was cut due to disciplinary matters, Ali Borromeo, Chris Greatwitch, Mark Villon and brothers Philipp and James Younghusband of the Chelsea FC reserves.

“The main thing now is for us to gather all players available and conquer the Sea Games, it is possible with the 12th member of the team really involved in the matches,” Caslib said.

Caslib has asked for ample support from Pinoy fans, whom he calls as the 12th member of the RP team.

Goalkeeper Paolo Pascual came up with the big stops yesterday to book Paref-Springdale a semifinal spot after a 4-2 win over UV-Compostela at the SHS-J
field.

After a 2-2 deadlock at the end of regulation, the match went to a shootout where Pascual came up with two big saves, while RJ Sembrano and Timothy James Mateo converted their spot kicks for Paref’s win. Springdale got its first two goals from Miko Garcia and Carlos Veloso.

They will next face the dangerous Abellana National School (ANS), which scored a 9-1 rout over Pope John Seminary, while the other semis will pit Don Bosco College against SHS-J.

DBTC earlier dumped Cebu City National Science High (CCNSH), 9-2, while SHS-J showed no mercy to Camp Lapu-Lapu National School, 19-2, following their 23-0 blowout against Talisay.

In the Elementary division, rivals DBTC and Springdale also arranged a finals meeting after scoring identical 6-0 wins yesterday. DBTC blanked out Cebu City Central School while Paref defeated Bright Academy.

“I think DBTC will win against Paref. They are bigger and stronger,” said tournament director Francis Ramirez.

(when was the last time you read a headline like this?)

THE RP Men’s football team finally bagged a win in the Pre-Southeast Asian Games tournament in Bangkok, Thailand, scoring a 4-1 bashing of Timor Leste in its final match.

The former whipping boys of Southeast Asia finished third in Group A behind Myanmar, which beat the Filipinos, 2-6; and Malaysia, which slipped past RP, 2-1.

Cebuanos Oliver Colina, Arnie Pasinabo and Jhuniel Bapor are with the squad, who are gearing up for the 23rd SEA Games football tournament in Bacolod City on Nov. 27 to Dec. 5.

Meanwhile, Pasinabo’s former coach in Carmen National School, Graeme Mackinnon, was elated with his ward’s stint in the national team.

“Arnie has always showed great potential but he did not have the passion to want to train in Manila like Michael (Casas) did. I hope that this trip to Thailand will give him the urge to rethink and to play again for the national team because he is only 19 and would have a long career with the team,” Mackinnon said in an e-mail.

Casas was Mackinnon’s goalkeeper at Carmen National School and started for the RP team in the Tiger Cup, but was cut from the Bangkok trip because of attitude problems.

“Arnie is quick and deceptive on the dribble and during his time with us he developed his left foot to the point where he was able to shoot well with either foot, and that gave him the advantage of being versatile in playing either on the left or right side of the field,” Mackinnon said.

RJ Sembrano get past University of San Carlos’ Joushua Suarez for Springdale’s final goal in their 6-3 win in the Milo Little Olympics. Sunstar Photo by Allan Defensor

Paref keeper Paolo Pascual fails to stop a USC goal while TJ Matteo watches. A collission in the second half forced Pascual to sit out for a few minutes in their 6-3 win. Photo by Allan Defensor

PAREF Springdale had to dig deep into their arsenal to beat a surprisingly tough University of San Carlos 6-3 in the 10th Milo Olympics football at the Sacred Heart School Jesuit.

After taking a 3-1 lead, USC managed to level the count early in the second half behind Aries Opiniano and Kyle Tongson.

However, RJ Sembrano cut short USC’s jubiliation as two minutes later, Sembrano left footed a strike from the half court line past keeper Joushua Suarez for a 4-3 Paref lead.

Burly defender Timothy James Mateo got into the scoring act and took a shot also from midcourt to increase the lead to 5-3 with five minutes left and Sembrano punctuated their win with another goal in the dying seconds.

Meanwhile, Sacred Heart School-Jesuit toyed with Talisay City High School, 23-0, while University of the Visayas-Compostela thrashed the University of Southern Philippines, 8-0, and Pope John Seminary beat Cebu Institute of Technology 6-1. Camp Lapu-Lapu National High School defeated Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepcion-Mandaue, 3-1.

In the Elementary level, Bright Academy won over CIC-M, 7-5, City Central School blanked USC, 8-0, Don Bosco Technology Center defeated Cot-cot Elementary School, 3-0, and SHS-J forfeited its match against Springdale.