UFL Rant N Rave: Team of the Week (4): Young at Hart

Formation: 4-4-2
GK: All clubs owe Abodallah Golkhah one - his fine form behind the sticks last Saturday, halted Stallion's amazing run & denied them from earning maximum points for the first time in the season.
DEF: Mansour Madadi, who captained his side versus Stallion FC should also be credited for keeping Pasargad's defense intact, despite being a man down early in the second half. Carli De Murga was steady in both Global matches last week, and was in the score sheet once again versus the Archers. Pat Ozaeta was a rock at the back & prevented Kaya from creating chances all game long. Roel Gener's somersault-backflip celebration was awesome, and so was his well-placed header to go level against Nomads.
MID: With 3 goals in 2 matches, James Younghusband is the Player of the Week. His aggressiveness in both ends & in both games, lifts Loyola back in top spot. James partnered well with Mark Hartmann, who was also superb in both games - proved in the first that he's still the league's best in set pieces & was a quality-provider for both of their goals in the second match. The defense minister Davide Cortina was everywhere when they faced Kaya, put on a lot of defensive pressure which allowed Loyola more possession of the ball. Though only scoring a goal in 2 games, Misagh Bahadoran was a constant threat in the wings in both of their matches (vs Loyola & GAU).
ATT: Phil Younghusband got back to his scoring ways after coming back from suspension & inspired the team to win over tough rivals Kaya. Ian Araneta's brace Saturday night, gave the reigning champs its first league win and further sank Navy FC to the bottom of the table.


Player of the Week: James Younghusband (Loyola)


Other notables: Byeong Yeol Jeong (Loyola), Y.Bersales (Air Force), M.Piñero (Navy), I.El-Habbib (Global), J.Theuer (Nomads)


You could also follow us on Twitter @UFLrantNrave for our regular random thoughts & top 3 lists.

UFL Rant N Rave: Team of the Month (January)

Team of the Month: 
GK: Wilson  Munoz (Stallion)
DEF: Val Kama (Global), Jason Sabio (Kaya), Anton Del Rosario (Kaya)
MID: William Espinosa (Global), James Younghusband (Loyola), Yoon Byeong Jun (Stallion), Lee Joo Young (Stallion)
ATT: Joshua Beloya (Kaya), Phil Younghusband (Loyola), Ruben Doctora (Stallion)


Player of the Month: Lee Joo Young (Stallion)
Coach of the Month: Ernie Nierras (Stallion)


Coach Ernie Nierras & Korean striker Lee Joo Young make up our Coach and Player of the Month for January, after both led Stallion FC to an astonishing 3 league wins in as many games. The club scored a total of 14 goals (conceding only 2) and recorded big and convincing victories over Navy and powerhouse clubs Air Force and Loyola. Lee currently leads the league in scoring with 6 goals.


For our random thoughts on the league, follow us on Twitter (@UFLrantNrave).

UFL Rant N Rave Top 3: Best League Rivalries

As with most sports, there are a number of great rivalries in the United Football League (UFL). Rivalries are occasionally created due to a particular event that causes bad blood between teams, players, or owners, but for the most part, rivalries exist for geographic reasons. No matter what the case, there are the Celtic-Rangers, Inter-AC Milan, Liverpool-Man United and of course, the Real Madrid-Barcelona rivalries. We have our own and this is MY top 3:

Loyola Meralco Sparks vs Green Archers United – Not sure about this, but some football scribes called this the Philippines' El Clasico. Blue versus Green. Katipunan versus Taft. Ateneo versus La Salle is one of the greatest local rivalries in sports. I know GAU is made-up mostly of La Sallians. How many Ateneans are there on the Loyola roster? Nevertheless, Loyola leads GAU in the number of commercial endorsements and in their head-to-head battle (since 2011) with 2 wins and 1 loss.

Global vs Air Force – They are the teams that have dominated the league & the only champions of UFL tourneys the past 2 and a half years. Contests between the two have always been close and down-the-wire. Some say the Caligdong-Barbaso match-up is a must-see, and so is the scoring display of Araneta-Bersales and El-Habbib-Bahadoran. Their affairs are usually low-scoring but always intense. In the last four meetings between both teams, it’s been even at 2 draws and a win each.

Kaya vs Loyola Meralco Sparks – Perhaps the hottest & most anticipated encounter would be this. This new rivalry was born out of their hotly contested semis encounter in last year’s UFL Cup. Loyola, with a thrilling comeback, edged out their counterparts 5 to 4 after being down 3 goals at the half. The match of the year was so in-demand, that it had been replayed a number of times on TV. This match-up also brings big names, celebrities and camera-friendly WAGs to the stands. Despite Kaya being a place ahead in the table last season, Loyola tops their head-to-head match-up (since 2011), winning 2 games and drawing one. 
You could catch what probably would be the match of the season, Kaya FC versus Loyola Meralco Sparks today (February 4) at 4pm in Rizal Stadium or on AKTV on IBC13.
If there's an El Clasico, I wonder what to name these match-ups. Anyone got suggestions?What's your favorite rivalry? #UFLrivalry

Follow us also on Twitter @UFLrantNrave .

*Photo credits: Mark Cristino, interaksyon.com

UFL Rant N Rave Top 3: Top Utility Players

There are so many players who could play multiple positions in the midfield and defense. When a team-mate is injured, some will typically slot into the position and fill the gap. While there are some, who for their height and strength, could move in from the back to play a striker's role.


Utility players have the ability to play in several positions naturally. Men who fly in the face of convention & perform well in two, or sometimes three different areas of the pitch. The more skilled, stronger & mentally prepared players are the better utility players, as they will have the competencies to fill the roles assigned to them.
During my time watching local football, i've noted a few players, so important to their club due to their versatility. Here is MY top 3 utlity players in the UFL:

Roel Gener – The 36 year-old all-arounder is the “national utility player”; plays the wings, defensive midfield or fullback roles for the Azkals. This gutsy Barotac Nuevo native also runs the show and places himself in the attack when needed for his UFL club.

Val Kama – In the central defense pairing of Guisso and Kama, Val may be the slightly better defender. Perhaps one reason, coach Graeme gets to move him freely to a defensive midfield role when needed. Has decent pace, which he usually combines with creative but effective clearances. And a pretty awesome job goalkeeping (vs Pasargad) in emergency situations.

Jonah Romero – Tireless grafter. High work rate. Great skill moving forward. Midfield, defense, no worries. Keeps his cool. That simple. And that effective. Jonah Romero.

For more Top 3 lists, follow us on Twitter (@UFLrantNrave).

Photo credits: www.interaksyon.com

UFL Team of the Week (3): YOON Yun Eh!

Formation: (3-4-3)
GK: The very calm Wilson Muñoz with his excellent positioning all game, prevented the Sparks from ever mounting a comeback.
DEF: The very tough Global FC defense which includes Badz El-Habbib & Carli De Murga, contributed to 2 of the 5 goals versus Nomads last Sunday. Kaya FC's all around player Jonah Romero was tough on defense & caused Navy a lot of problems when moving forward. 
MID: The Archers' Arnie Pasinabo was his usual creative self and continued to be a threat all game versus Pasargad. William Espinosa was a tireless worker, constantly beating the opposing fullback, and opened the scoring onslaught for Global early on. An assist and a cracker of a goal were Chieffy Caligdong's contributions before being subbed with an injury, early in the first half. The Stallion's creative midfielder Yoon Byeong Jun, bested all last weekend with a thunderbolt goal and two great assists en route to a third consecutive Stallion FC win.
ATT: The Stallion attack-duo of Ruben Doctora & Lee Joo Young make our list a third time after a goal each in a very convincing victory over the UFL Cup runners-up. Kaya prized-striker Joshua Beloya scored his first league goal and showed an array of skills, which makes him worth the future-superstar tag.


PLAYER OF THE WEEK : YOON BYEONG JUN (Stallion FC)

Other Notables: Charlie Sutcliffe (Pasargad), Meliton Pelayo (Army), Angel Guirado (Global)


You could also follow us on Twitter (@UFLrantNrave).


Contributions from: Cedelf Tupas, Jaron Genota.

UFL Rant N Rave Top 3: Most Promising Teenagers

Nothing is more valuable than the 'wonderkid', some say. Managers will spend a lot of time scouting and grooming a gem, a big investment that could bring club glory or big money, in the future.
They may have seen very limited time on the pitch on UFL league or cup matches, but their brief appearances and remarkable resume have given me enough reason to say they have the potential. Some of these gems may even be members of our Azkals youth squads real soon, who knows. It would also be very interesting to watch how they develop with more club matches and national team appearances (hopefully).

Russel Pierson - This former Kaya youth player started and played decently for the club when they battled Global FC for 3rd place in last year's UFL Cup. He is now Kaya's 2nd choice keeper. The great thing about Russel is not just his height & cat-like reflexes, at 16 he's got all that room to develop.
Jeremy Theuer - This kid reminds me of Arsenal's Theo Walcott. The high school kid from a Manila international school is so quick and agile, that he'll battle Azkals U23's Jeffrey Christiaens for the title, "The Next Chieffy Caligdong".
Kennedy Venida - People seem to speak highly of this former Team Socceroo standout, who has made his first appearance for the club versus Pasargad last week. At just 19, he still has room to flourish under Izo El-Habbib's tutelage.


You heard it here first (hehe), I'm banking on these kids to be the future of the UFL and the Azkals.
Know any other promising teeners in the league? Tweet #UFLwonderkid. There's limited information about these kids on the internet so please let me know if I need to correct data about them.


For more Top 3 lists, follow us on Twitter (@UFLrantNrave).


*Photo credits: Kayafc.com, Mark Cristino

UFL Team of the Week (2) : Just What the DOCTORA Ordered

Formation: (3-4-3)
GK: On a number of occasions, JEFF BLAKE's timely interventions prevented Navy through-balls from being scoring chances.
DEF: VALENTINE KAMA led Global's defense to the UFL week's only clean-sheet finish & did a splendid job as emergency keeper vs Pasargad. ANTON DEL ROSARIO & Kaya's back-line played solidly to limit Green Archers Utd opportunities. While Stallion FC right-back PI YONG JAE kept Chieffy in check for most of their match.
MID: JAMES YOUNGHUSBAND scored his clinical first league goal while JAKE MORALLO again was influential vs Army in a sub role. LEXTON MOY's brace sinked GAU's hopes of getting their first points of the season. Global FC striker ALEX OBIANG who was allowed to roam around midfield all game, scored & assisted - for the club's first win.
ATT: An all-important MARLON PINERO header gives Navy their well-deserved point vs Nomads. LEE JOO YOUNG & RUBEN DOCTORA scored 2 goals each, highlighting their domination of league & cup champions Air Force FC.


PLAYER OF THE WEEK : RUBEN DOCTORA (Stallion FC)


Other Notables: Park Bo Bae & W.Munoz (Stallion), Mk.Hartmann (Loyola), A.Pasinabo (GAU), Y.Hoshide (Global)