Philippines Football League: Kicking Off A New Era

 

Lost in the shuffle of the on-again-off-again schedule of the PBA bubble is the start of football action, with the Philippines Football League finally holding matches at the PFF National Training Centre in Carmona Cavite.

This year's edition of the PFL is different in many ways, first of which is the presence of Qatar Airlines, an actual big name international corporate sponsor, which has thrown its support behind the PFL. We're already starting to feel its effects on social media, as all matches have been made available via livestream and the league has been exhibiting a strong presence on social media.

Another difference is the absence of traditional football powerhouses like Ceres-Negros, Global FC, Philippine Air Force, and Green Archers United. While the former is still alive albeit with a new name, the latter three may have left the league for good.

Which leads us to the third major difference, the rather diminished field, with only 6 clubs participating in a rather short season. Each club plays only 5 games, which makes each game extremely important. 

Why? Because the league champions qualify for the AFC Champions League Group Stage while the second placer automatically goes through to the AFC Champions league Qualifying playoffs. Talk about raised stakes! 

Amidst all these differences, here are three things to watch out for during this PFL Championship:

Thing #1 United City's continued dominance.

The United City FC (as Ceres-Negros) has been the PFL champion in all three years of its existence. That seems likely to continue as they've kept all their major pieces, such as Stephan Schrock, the Ott brother Manny and Mike, OJ Porteria, Robert Lopez Mendy, and PFL leading goal scorer Bienvenido Maranon. One key difference to watch out for is the managerial switch from Risto Vidakovic to Trevor Morgan. Will this change propel UCFC even further in Asian club competitions? We certainly hope so.

Thing #2 The Azkals Development Team

One of the better things about the PFL bubble competition is we get a glimpse of the future now. The Azkals Development Team is playing here and it can only spell good things for our youngsters. They get to go up against seasoned professionals playing high-level Southeast Asian football, which will help speed up their own development. Players to look out for include team captain Marvin Angeles, long a part of the Azkals seniors team, Fil-Scot Yrick Gallantes, and UAAP superstar Jarvey Gayoso. It is a bit odd though, that Gayoso, a prolific goal scorer, has now been shifted to defense, a position he first played for the U-22 Azkals in the SEA games. 

Thing #3 Maharlika Manila FC

Maharlika Manila FC is the brainchild of Anton del Rosario, a former star for the Azkals, who played in those years when the national team first started making waves in the Southeast Asian level. This Maharlika Manila team is interesting in several aspects, the first of which is that its players are literally playing for the love of the game. Why? Because players' salaries for the first season amount to P1 each only...and yet, here is the team with a full roster. The team also features some familiar names as, aside from del Rosario, the likes of Jerry Barbaso, David Basa, and Yannick Tuason are also on the team.

On a personal note, I've always loved football and hope that the PFL can arrest the decline of football's popularity in the country. I hope you all join me in supporting this league. Here's where you can get your PFL fix:

Website: https://www.pfltv.ph/

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WeArePFL

On Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCewlC5rcsENhcjnrsfvIpaw

PBA Bubble: Burst or Not?

 

After two "positives" which turned out to be negatives, the PBA was shut down temporarily as they waited for updated regulations from the IATF.

While it would be easy to complain about the unexpected stoppage, it is the responsible thing to do, as there is nothing that is more important than the safety of our players and officials.

As we wait for play to resume, here are three things to keep watching out for in the PBA Bubble:

Thing #1 Breakout stars

RR Pogoy, CJ Perez, Matthew Wright, Bobby Ray Parks, Mo Tautuaa. We always knew they were good but in the bubble, they have been extraordinarily good. 

Of the five, the most unlikely entry is undoubtedly Tautuaa, who never seemed to find his groove until now. Hopefully, he continues his development and becomes the star we always thought he could be.

Thing #2 The Return of the Beast

Calvin Abueva finally makes his return to the hardcourt and did not disappoint. In the two games he has played, he is averaging a double-double (19.5 ppg, 10.5 rpg) as well as 6 assists and ` 1 steal per game. Those are MVP numbers, if these were his numbers over 7 games. Let's hope he has indeed learned his lesson and continues to be beastly with his game, not in anything else.

Thing #3 The Odd Winning Ways of Rain Or Shine

How does a team averaging 26% from three (dead last) and 47% from 2 (at the bottom half of the league) get to be 4-1 at this point? It's just so unlikely for these numbers to lead to so many wins and yet, here they are. The Paint Masters are finding ways to win in ugly ways and were actually one missed Nambatac layup away from a 5-0 record. Imagine that.