RP FOOTBALL TEAM ELATED OVER MVP?S SUPPORT
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 13 Dec 2010
Without exception, the members of the Philippine National Football Team expressed elation on Sunday over the support of esteemed businessman-sportsman Manny Pangilinan for the squad as it prepares to face undefeated Indonesia in the Sukuki Cup semi finals in Jakarta.
Pangilinan who together with former PBA chairman Ricky Vargas, Smart Sports Pato Gregorio and PBA Commissioner Chito Salud paid tribute to the team prior to the Barangay Ginebra ? Rain or Shine game on Sunday, committed P1 million for the training expenses of the team which was regarded as a tremendous boost to the morale of the team which leaves for Jakarta on Tuesday night.
Their opening match in the two-leg semis on December 16 and the return engagement on December 19 will be telecast ?live? by ABS-CBN Studio 23.
RP team manager Dan Palami is scheduled to meet with Gregorio over lunch on Tuesday to discuss further support of PLDT-Smart of Mr. Pangilinan, popularly known as MVP, for football which is a sport in which the Philippines dominated Asia some decades ago.
Pangilinan is well-known as the foremost supporter of sports in the country and together with Vargas and Gregorio have worked out several grassroots development programs in various sports,foremost of which is boxing where the country won one gold, one silver and one bronze medal at the recent Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.
With the influx of several legitimate Fil-Foreign players and a number of other outstanding footballers currently seeing action in the major leagues in Europe and the United States, the future of Philippine football appears much brighter.
The players who attended the PBA games and enjoyed the action were clearly appreciative of the warm support of the fans many of whom crowded around the recognized stars such as brothers Philip and James Younghusband, Neil Etheridge and Filipino players led by Ali Borromeo and Anton Del Rosario among others.
The resounding success of the Philippine National Football Team in the on-going AFF Suzuki Cup has resulted in a flood of messages on the social networking sites and by email from Filipinos abroad informing the Inquirer about several Fil-foreign players seeing action in top class leagues abroad with many of them ?playing in Europe which is a hotbed of soccer.
Among those mentioned was outstanding 18 year old David Alaba who plays for Bayern Munich from out of Austria. His mother is a Filipina and his father a Nigerian.
Another talented player is 25 year old Dennis Cagara from Leyte whose father is Filipino. He was a member of the Danish National Youth team and played in the German Budesliga for Hertha Berlin from 2004-2008 and scored four goals in 28 matches when he was on loan to Dynamo Dresden, Cagara reportedly played for AGF Aarhus till the summer of this year.
23 year old Jonathan De Guzman played for Mallorca in the famous La Liga and suited up for the Dutch club Feyenoord from 2005 to 2010 while his brother, 29 year old Julian De Guzman played for Deportivo La Corona in the La Liga from 2005-2009 and sees action for Toronto FC in the Major League Soccer in the US.
Another player in Europe is Jerry Lucena who is a F il-Danish player and was a member of the Danish Under 21 team and plays for FC Esbjerg in the Danish League.
New York based Filipino Arcal Astrud informed the Inquirer that a 29 year old Fil-Japanese Satoshi Otomo currently plays in the Indonesian Super League for Bontang FC while Fil-Italian Simone Rota, 26, who is from Paranaque City is currently a member of A.C. Pro-Sesto in the Italian League.
Among the others playing abroad listed by Astrud were 27 year old F il-German Denis Wolf who is currently a member of FC Magdebvurg in the RegionalLiga Nord in Germany. He reportedly scored 8 goals when he was in the Hanover squad in 2005-2008, scored 7 goals when suiting up for FC Fortunna Dusseldorf in 2005-2007 and 13 goals when he was a member of the FC Rot Weiber Erfurt team in 2007-2009. One other Fil-German listed is 24 year old Stephen Markus Schhrock who is currently a member of FC Greuther Forth in Bundesliga 2.
There?s a 25 year old Fil-Chinese identified as Lexton Moy who is a member of FC Tai Chung in Hongkong?s First League who also played for
Laredo Heat FC In 2007, Crystal Palace Baltimore in 2007 and New York Athletic Club in 2008-2009. Fil-American Joshua Vincent Alcala played for Austin Lightning in 2005, Crystal Palace Baltimore in 2007 and Austin Aztex in 2009.
An outstanding goalkeeper who stopped the famous Los Angeles Galaxy team of celebrated soccer star David Beckham in a penalty shoout in the finals of the Major League Soccer finals in the US is 30 year old Nick Rimando. Rimando whose father is a Filipino helped Real Salt Lake win the title in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw when he stopped 2 goals in a penalty shootout to give his team a 4-2 victory last November.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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