The 2013 UFL Cup Tournament Format

Here is the groundwork for the format on how the 2013 UFL Cup works:

1. Draw to be made to determine the 7 groups that the 28 teams will be subdivided into.

For reference, here is how they are tiered:

Tier I: Stallion FC, Global FC, Loyola Meralco Sparks FC, Kaya FC, Pachanga Diliman FC, Green Archers United FC, PSG FC (a.k.a Pasargad)
Tier II: Nomads FC, Philippine Army FC, Philippine Air Force FC, Team Socceroo FC, Union Internacional-Manila, Forza FC, Agila FC
Tier III: Laos FC, Philippine Navy FC, Cimarron FC, Manila All-Japan FC, Dolphins United FC, Cebu Queen City United FC, Ceres-La Salle FC
Tier IV: Blue Guards FC, Bright Star FC, General Trias International FC, Manila Hurricanes FC, Manila Jeepney FC, Manila Tala FC, Mendiola FC 1991

2. Once the groupings are determined, the order of fixtures within the group will be determined. That will done also via draw.

The group stage will be a single round robin, with the top two teams of each group and the two best 3rd-place teams among the seven groups will advance as the 16 teams to the Knockout Stage.

3. The Round of 16 seedings have already been determined as follows:

1 = Group A 1st placer
2 = Group C 1st placer
3 = Group E 1st placer
4 = Group G 1st placer
5 = Group B 1st placer
6 = Group D 1st placer
7 = Group F 1st placer
8 = Group G 2nd placer
9 = Group E 2nd placer
10 = Group C 2nd placer
11 = Group A 2nd placer
12 = Group F 2nd placer
13 = Group D 2nd placer
14 = Group B 2nd placer
15 = Top 3rd placer
16 = 2nd-best 3rd placer

With that as a guide, here is the knockout stage bracket to determine who will be the UFL Cup champions:

Now all we need is for the games to be played.

UFL Cup Draw to take place today

The 2013-14 United Football League Season will be one step closer to being ready, as the scheduled UFL Cup Draw is set to take place on this afternoon at Taguig.

27 teams are looking to attempt to prevent Ernie Nierras and Stallion FC from retaining their title, which is expected to commence in mid-October. Included in those 27 teams are guest teams who are not yet officially part of either Div I or II of the UFL, like the reigning PFF-SMART Club National champions Ceres-La Salle, returning surprise team General Trias International FC and newcomers Manila Jeepney FC.

The competition has two phases: the Group Stage and the Knockout rounds. The Group Stage will have the 28 participating teams sorted into seven groups of four teams, with a single round robin matches to take place. The teams have been tiered into four levels, based on their finish in the United Football League last season.

The top two teams of each group, and the two best third place teams of the Group Stage will then tangle in a single elimination knockout phase to eventually determine who will be hoisting the UFL Cup crown.

The 28 participating teams in their respective tiers are as follows:

Tier I: Stallion FC, Global FC, Loyola Meralco Sparks FC, Kaya FC, Pachanga Diliman FC, Green Archers United FC, PSG FC (a.k.a Pasargad)

Tier II: Nomads FC, Philippine Army FC, Philippine Air Force FC, Team Socceroo FC, Union Internacional-Manila, Forza FC, Agila FC

Tier III: Laos FC, Philippine Navy FC, Cimarron FC, Manila All-Japan FC, Dolphins United FC, Cebu Queen City United FC, Ceres-La Salle FC

Tier IV: Blue Guards FC, Bright Star FC, General Trias International FC, Manila Hurricanes FC, Manila Jeepney FC, Manila Tala FC, Mendiola FC 1991

Mighty Sports withstands Sealions in the Danny Espiritu Cup

Defending champions Mighty Sports withstood a furious rally from Sealions to emerge with a 107-100 victory in the Danny Espiritu Cup at the Reyes Gym this past Sunday.

Niño Marquez nailed five three-pointers on his way to 22 points, while Edrick Ferrer added 20 markers. Current Adamson assistant Kenneth Duremdes flirted with a double-double with twelve points and nine rebounds.

Mighty held a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter before a minor skirmish led to the ejection of Marlou Aquino and Jam Alfad from the game. That somehow fired up Sealions, as they managed to score 26 points in six minutes to make it a game late. But Mighty held on to secure their second win in four matches, thanks to steady free throws from Duremdes, Ferrer and Gerard Francisco, while sending Sealions to back-to-back losses after a 3-0 start.

According to tournament commissioner Mike Buendia, there will be sanctions to be meted out towards the players involved in that skirmish.

The second game of the Sunday doubleheader featured an undermanned Naughty Needlez finally securing their first win of the tournament, just getting past Expert Global Solutions, 69-60.

Naughty Needlez relied on a balanced scoring effort, led by Vaughn Canta's 14 points, with James Martinez, Raymond Aguilar and Elvis Tolentino each netting twelve to send EGS to their fourth defeat.

The scores:
First Game

Mighty 107 -- Marquez 22, Ferrer 20, Celiz 15, Duremdes 12, Sabelina 11, Francisco 7, Colina 7, Acibar 5, Gamboa 3, Dimaunahan 3, Aquino 2, Evangelista 0, Lozada 0.

Sealions 100 -- Zagala 20, Billones 19, Asoro 16, Malabanan 16, Raymundo 10, Junio 5, Garrido 4, Martinez 4, Mabigat 3, Solis 2, Alao 1, Alfad 0, Ricafuente 0.

Quarters: 24-17, 48-37, 78-63, 107-100.

Second Game

Naughty Needlez 69-- Canta 14, Tolentino 12, Aguilar 12, Martinez 12, Taupa 9, Garcia 5, Zapata 3, Espinosa 2.

EGS 60 -- Catamora 16, Arias 13, Ranises 9, Caspe 8, Roda 6, Valena 2, Siqua 2, Kalawa 2, Feliciano 2, Melano 0, McCoy 0.

Quarters: 17-10, 32-25, 54-42, 69-60.

Week 10 UAAP Power Rankings

Before the Wednesday UAAP games, I will be posting my UAAP rankings based on the games they played during the past week. So the record may not necessarily match the rankings.

Normally, this would be posted by Wednesday morning, but I wanted to include the last games of the season. So I delayed it to today.

DLSU (beat UST) - Sweeping the 2nd round is an achievement, in spite of how much they downplay it.
NU (beat Ateneo) - Character win over the defending champions. Can the Bulldogs fulfill the manifest destiny?
FEU (beat UP) -Terrence Romeo offensive explosion
UE (beat Adamson and UP) - Collective effort to take things over from Roi Sumang.
UST (lost to DLSU, beat Ateneo) - They did just enough to get into the Final Four, with Jamal Sherriff developing into an effective quarterback for Pido.
Ateneo (lost to NU and UST) - Fell short of the end goal. Been a while since someone said that about this team.
UP (lost to FEU and UE) - Not even the Cheerdance competition could rescue the downtrodden Maroons. They didn't give up, though.
Adamson (lost to UE) - The end of the Leo Austria era.

D Rose Tour in full bloom at Manila

Derrick Rose made his long-awaited return to the Philippines a few days ago for the final overseas stop of his D Rose Worldwide Tour.

As explained by Adidas Philippines' Country Manager Georges Youssef, “This tour is an expansive effort to connect Derrick Rose with his fans and support the growth of basketball on an international scale.”

The 2009 Rookie of the Year and the 2011 Most Valuable Player spent a couple of days here, with a busy itinerary.

On his arrival on Saturday, he was the guest of honor in the Adidas Unite All Originals party. Sunday may have been Cheerdance day at the Mall of Asia Arena, but if you were at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum, you were witness to the D Rose Tour's 3-on-3 tournament.

The tournament brought together 16 top high school teams from the ASEAN region, with the chance and opportunity to be playing in front of the NBA superstar. Thailand won the tournament, beating out Arellano in the final.

Rose also showed that he is really on track from his recovery from his knee injury, playing in an exhibition 3-on-3 with the Thais against a select group of PBA stars. He also gamely played two-ball (with the lovely Isabelle Daza as his partner against the YHs) and a three-point shootout (narrowly losing to reigning 3-pt king Chris Tiu) during that event.

On Monday, he held a general press conference with the media in the morning, with the general consensus from the discussion being the following:

1. He knows he is ready to play for this season, and that the best advice he got was from his agent, former Chicago Bulls guard BJ Armstrong, "be patient."
2. He, and the rest of the Chicago Bulls, trusts and buys into Tom Thibodeaux system. (Thibs has been criticized for overextending some of his players, namely Luol Deng and Joakim Noah.) He also believes that Thibs is a genius, especially on the defensive end.
3. He has a hand with the regards to the design of his shoes. (If you remember, one of the criticisms in the immediate aftermath of Rose's injury was that the shoe was partially to blame)
4. The concept of his logo (as seen on top) was that with his family in mind. 3 petals for his brothers. the center represents his mom and looks like a 1.
5. He wants to play for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup.

The adidas D Rose Tour is supported by the official hotel partner, Marriott Hotel, the official hydration partner, Powerade and the venue partners Smart Araneta Coliseum and SM Mall of Asia.

Loyola Meralco Sparks to participate in the 2013 Menpora Cup

The Loyola Meralco Sparks of the United Football League will be participating in the 2013 Menpora Cup scheduled from September 20-27 in Indonesia.

Loyola is in Group B with Indonesian club sides Arema FC, Mitra Kukar and Persepam Madura and will have their matches in Malang, while those teams under Group A are comprised of the Malaysian Under-23 team, A-League champions Central Coast Mariners and Indonesian club sides Persib Bandung and Sriwijaya FC, and their matches will be played in Bandung. The winners of each group will tangle to determine the champion of this tournament.

The team named an 18-man side that will participate in the tournament, with some holdovers and new acquisitions.

Highlighting the new acquisitions are players who played last season with Stallion Sta. Lucia in Joaco Cañas, Joo Young Lee and Won Hyeong Lee, as well as Clear Dream Match Best Defender Yves Ashime from Pachanga Diliman.

Elevated from the youth side are FEU standouts Val Jurao and Chy Villaseñor, while Guam international Jonah Romero is with the team on trial.

Leading the way for the holdovers are the brothers Phil and James Younghusband, Chad Gould, and Matthew Hartmann.

Here are their scheduled fixtures at the Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang (kickoff time in Manila):

September 21 vs Arema FC 730pm
September 23 vs Mitra Kukar 430pm
September 25 vs Persepam Madura United 430pm

Loyola Meralco Sparks squad for Menpora Cup

1. Phil Younghusband
2. James Younghusband
3. Roxy Dorlas
4. Chad Gould
5. Simon Greatwich
6. Matthew Hartmann
7. Joo Young Lee
8. Won Hyeong Lee
9. Joaquin Cañas
10. Ref Cuaresma
11. Baba Sampana
12. Samuel Bonney
13. Yves Ashime
14. Jonahan Romero (on trial)
15. Val Jurao
16. Jake Morallo
17. Min Ho Park
18. Chy Villaseñor

Chicago Wizardry

This weekend, it will be about a superstar who plies his trade in Chi-Town here in the Motherland. However, here is another Chicago star who got some mad skillz of his own.



Neat work, Kid.

Avenido returns to power Skyforce to fifth win in Danny Espiritu Cup

Skyforce continued their winning form with a 90-83 victory over Sealions in their match this past Sunday in the 2013 Danny Espiritu Cup at the Reyes Gym.

Leo Avenido made his return to the lineup by pumping in 22 points, as well as contributing four rebounds, five assists and two steals, as he and Ronjay Enrile made sure that their unbeaten run goes to a fifth game.

The two combined to score ten points in a critical stretch late in the fourth quarter, with Sealions cutting the lead to just one at 80-79 with over two minutes left to owning a 90-83 lead with 16 seconds left in the ballgame.

Sealions, who at one point owned a ten-point lead early in this game, suffered their first loss in four outings. Leading in scoring is Ronnie Zagala with 23 points, five rebounds and four assists, with JR Raymundo and Gilbert Malabanan contributing 13 and 10 points, respectively.
 
The scores

Skyforce 90 -- Avenido 22, Enrile 16, Sanders 14, Caceres 8, Vergara 8, Vizcarra 5, Tan 4, Allera 4, Sta. Maria 3, Misolas 2, Dedicatoria 2, Sta. Cruz 2, Capistrano 0, Sotto 0.

Sealions 83 -- Zagala 23, Raymundo 13, Malabanan 10, Martinez 9, Junio 9, Solis 8, Asoro 6, Gelig 5, Alfad 0, Alao 0, Garrido 0, Ricafuente 0.

Quarters: 22-28, 45-44, 64-65, 90-83.

UAAP Board resolves UE clarification

The UAAP Board has made its ruling on the clarifications that the University of the East requested on Thursday.

The body decided to re-impose the one-game suspension on Ateneo head coach Bo Perasol for the incident involving a La Salle fan from a couple of weeks ago.

According to the UAAP Board Secretary-Treasurer Malou Isip, “Coach Bo was in the game venue [Araneta Coliseum] when he was supposed to be serving his suspension, that is why the board decided that he should be serving the penalty,”

UE sought a clarification after there was proof that Perasol was in the venue for Ateneo's 2nd round victory over the University of the East.

The UAAP Board also announced that Far Eastern University will forfeit five wins due to one of its players (Vangie Soriano) participating in a tournament simultaneous with the current season, something that is not sanctioned by the league.

New addition Sabelina secures Mighty Sports' first win in Danny Espiritu Cup

Mighty Sports's new signing Mclean Sabellina helped the defending Danny Espiritu Cup champions take their first win of the season.

Sabellina scored 31 points and contributed 13 rebounds, two assists and three steals to help Mighty beat Globalport, 100-89 this past Saturday at the EAC Gym.

Mighty never looked back after an Edrick Ferrer triple to snatch the lead from the Batang Pier, from an 11-12 deficit to a 14-12 lead that would be able to stretch to as large as 14 points.

Ferrer would finish with 14 points while Nino Marquez added 17 of his own.

Globalport's defeat meant that they remain winless after five matches in the tournament, even with the tournament-high 42 points from Erwin Sta. Maria in this particular game.

In the second game of the doubleheader, MOB Alliance used a 21-0 blast in the third quarter to put away Expert Global Solutions, 84-59 to move them into a tie with Skyforce with an unblemished record after four matches.

Richie Melencio led MOB with 15 points and 8 rebounds, while Eric Sugitan contributed a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds, as they dropped EGS to a 1-3 record, with the lone win coming in via forfeit.

The scores:
First game
Mighty Sports 100 -- Sabellina 31, Marquez 17, Ferrer 14, Manuel 13, Acibar 7, Francisco 6, Aquino 4, Lozada 4, Evangelista 4.

Globalport 89 -- Sta. Maria 42, Asuncion 10, Baculi 8, Gamboa 8, Tenerepe 7, Capacio 6, Gavina 6, Bercede 2, Bernal 0.
Quarters: 30-22, 55-44, 79-69, 100-89.

Second game
MOB Alliance 84 -- Melencio 15, Sugitan 10, Cornejo 9, Ong 9, Maconocido 8, Corpuz 6, Custodio 6, Montilla 6, Acosta 6, Gonzalgo 4, Sarangay 3, Viernes 2, Tajonera 0, Ranises 0.

EGS 59 -- De Vera 13, Arias 9, Ranises 8, Caspe 7, Sigua 6, Melano 6, Valera 3, Catamora C. 3, Feliciano 2, Roda 2, Kalaw 0, Catamora D. 0, McCoy 0.
Quarters: 20-14, 41-34, 67-42, 84-59.

Week 9 UAAP Power Rankings

Before the Wednesday UAAP games, I will be posting my UAAP rankings based on the games they played during the past week. So the record may not necessarily match the rankings.

DLSU (beat UE and NU) - Unbeaten in the second round. Juno has allowed his players to work it.
FEU (beat Adamson) - Nash got things rolling again offensively. We'll see in the postseason.
UST (beat UP) - Jeric Teng returns, gives team a much-needed boost as they head into the sibling rivalry with his brother.
NU (beat UP, lost to DLSU) - Streak snapped against a red-hot DLSU side. Test of mettle about to be seen against Ateneo.
Ateneo (beat UE) - Still on track, but the tough road remains.
UE (lost to DLSU and Ateneo) - Team sorely missed Ralf Olivares and his ability to catch fire.
Adamson (lost to FEU) - At least it's good to see Jericho Cruz back on the court.
UP (lost to NU and UST) - Cheerdance is already this Sunday, and given their on-court state of affairs, that is a welcome sight for those who bleed Maroon at this point.

Avenido-less Skyforce takes out Naughty Needlez

Skyforce continued their winning run in the 2013 Danny Espiritu Cup with a 91-84 victory over Naughty Needlez at the Letran Gym this past Saturday.

Bucking the absence of Leo Avenido, Skyforce relied on former NCAA standouts Floyd Dedicatoria and Ronjay Enrile to fend off their opposition to secure their fourth win in the tournament.

Dedicatoria scored 19 points while Enrile added 17 markers.

Naughty Needlez were in control early and even secured a 10-point lead at one point, but Skyforce would retake the lead and hold on to it, surviving a 16-4 run late in the fourth quarter to send their opponents to their third straight loss.

The scores:
Skyforce 91 -- Dedicatoria 19, Enrile 17, Sanders 13, Allera 10, Vizcarra 9, Sotto 8, Vergara 5, Sta. Cruz 4, Caceres 2, Misolas 2, Sta. Maria 2, Capistrano 0, Tan 0, Salansang 0.

Naughty Needlez 84 -- Ybañez 27, Canta 16, Espinosa 11, Hall 11, Aguilar 9, Cunanan 8, Martinez 2, Manalo 0.
Quarters: 19-26, 52-41,  71-62, 91-84.

Streak continues for Skyforce, Sealions, MOB in 2013 Danny Espiritu Cup

Skyforce, Sealions and MOB Alliance maintained their undefeated record in their respective matches this past weekend in the 2013 Danny Espiritu Cup.

At the Treston Gym in Taguig on Sunday, Skyforce relied on Ronjay Enrile's 19 points as they bucked the return of Marlou Aquino and Kenneth Duremdes, as well as an 18-point first quarter deficit, to secure a 98-84 victory over defending champions Mighty Sports.

The other game at Treston featured Ronnie Zagala and Gilbert Malabanan leading Sealions to a 80-74 win over Expert Global Solutions. Both of them scored 19 points as they kept EGS at bay.

The day before at the Letran Gym, MOB Alliance made it rain from the three point area against GlobalPort BatangPier for a 105-91 victory.

Jopher Custodio knocked down four triples on his way to 17 points, while Macky Acosta and Jeff Viernes each converted three treys, as MOB as a team made 14 shots from beyond the arc.

Erwin Sta. Maria led the Batang Pier with 28 points in a losing cause.

The scores:

First game
MOB Alliance 105 -- Custodio 17, Acosta 15, Viernes 13, Sugitan 14, Reyes 11, Corpuz 9, Sarangay 7, Cornejo 7, Melencio 4, Ranises 3, Maconocido 3, Gonzalgo 2.

GlobalPort 91 -- Sta. Maria 28, Gamboa 17, Junio 11, Manalo 9 Asuncion 9, Arejola 8,  Bernal 5, Gavina 2, Bercede 2, Agarao 0.
Quarters: 31-28, 51-51, 84-74, 101-91.

Second game
Sealions 80 -- Malabanan 19, Zagala 19, Asoro 13, Billones 8, Alao 6, Solis 5, Alfad 4, Martinez 3, Mabigat 2, Raymundo 1, Ricafuente 0.

EGS 74 -- De Cera 17, Feliciano 16, Ranises 11, Arias 6, Catamora 6, Caspe 5, Kalaw 5, Roda 4, McCoy 2, Valena 2, Melano 0.
Quarters: 20-13, 36-34, 55-53, 80-74.

Third game
Skyforce 98 -- Enrile 19, Sanders 15, Caceres 13, Vergara 11, Vizarra 7, Misolas 6, Sotto 6, Dedicatoria 6, Avenido 4, Tan 3, Capistrano 2, Sta. Cruz 2.

Mighty Sports 84 -- Marquez 18, France 17, Ferrer 16, Sabelina 7, Francisco 7, Aquino 6, Acibar 4, Lozada 3, Celiz 3, Evangelista 2, Duremdes 1, Dimaunahan 0, Colina 0.
Quarters: 17-35, 49-48, 72-67, 98-84.

UFL Preseason schedule

This is the schedule for the upcoming UFL Preseason Tournament tipped to kick off later today. All matches are to be held at Emperador Stadium.

SEPTEMBER 07 (SAT)
2:00 PM  B5 vs B2: Pachanga vs Nomads
4:00 PM  B4 vs B3: Army vs Loyola
6:00 PM  C5 vs C2: Forza vs U23
8:00 PM  C4 vs C3: Navy vs Stallion

SEPTEMBER 08 (SUN)
6:00 PM  A5 vs A2: Archers vs Union
8:00 PM  A4 vs A3: Global vs Laos

SEPTEMBER 10 (TUE)
7:00 PM  A1 vs A3: Japan vs Laos
9:00 PM  A5 vs A4: Archers vs Global

SEPTEMBER 11 (WED)
7:00 PM  B1 vs B3: Dolphins vs Loyola
9:00 PM  B5 vs B4: Pachanga vs Army

SEPTEMBER 12 (THU)
7:00 PM  C1 vs C3: Kaya va Stallion
9:00 PM  C5 vs C4: Forza vs Navy

SEPTEMBER 14 (SAT)
2:00 PM  C2 vs C4: U23 vs Navy
4:00 PM  C1 vs C5: Kaya vs Forza
6:00 PM  A2 vs A4: Union vs Global
8:00 PM  A1 vs A5: Japan vs Archers

SEPTEMBER 15 (SUN)
6:00 PM  B2 vs B4: Nomads vs Army
8:00 PM  B1 vs B5: Dolphins vs Pachanga

SEPTEMBER 17 (TUE)
7:00 PM  B3 vs B5: Loyola vs Pachanga
9:00 PM  B2 vs B1: Nomads vs Dolphins

SEPTEMBER 18 (WED)
7:00 PM A3 vs A5: Laos vs Archers
9:00 PM A2 vs A1: Union vs Japan

SEPTEMBER 19 (THU)
7:00 PM C3 vs C5: Stallion vs Forza
9:00 PM C2 vs C1: U23 vs Kaya

SEPTEMBER 21 (SAT)
2:00 PM  A4 vs A1: Global vs Japan
4:00 PM  A3 vs A2: Laos vs Union
6:00 PM  B4 vs B1: Army vs Dolphins
8:00 PM  B3 vs B2: Loyola vs Nomads

SEPTEMBER 22 (SUN)
6:00 PM  C4 vs C1: Navy vs Kaya
8:00 PM  C3 vs C2: Stallion vs U23

SEPTEMBER 23 (MON)
7:00 PM  D3 vs D2
9:00 PM  E3 vs E2

SEPTEMBER 25 (WED)
7:00 PM  E1 vs E3
9:00 PM  D1 vs D3

SEPTEMBER 27 (FRI)
7:00 PM  D2 vs D1
9:00 PM  E2 vs E1

SEPTEMBER 29 (SUN)
5:00 PM  SF 1:  1st D vs 2nd E
8:00 PM  SF 2:  1st E vs 2nd D

OCTOBER 05 (SAT)
5:00 PM  3rd Place:  Loser SF 1 vs Loser SF 2
8:00 PM:  Championship:  Winner SF 1 vs Winner SF 2

Week 8 UAAP Power Rankings

Before the Wednesday UAAP games, I will be posting my UAAP rankings based on the games they played during the past week. So the record may not necessarily match the rankings.

NU (beat UE) - Clearly with the momentum, as everyone thought they would have before the preseason.
UST (beat Adamson and FEU) - Wounded, not dead, they said.
DLSU (beat Ateneo) - Juno entrusted it to Jeron, who did not let him down.

Ateneo (beat FEU and lost to DLSU) - Ateneo gets swept on the record books for the first time in a decade against their arch rivals. Yup, no one said it was going to be THAT easy.
UE (lost to NU) - The thug life was a costly affair. And it will be again this week.
FEU (lost to Ateneo and UST) - UE at least can have a convenient excuse in their defeats due to being undermanned, but FEU? 1-4 record in the second round does not look good.
Adamson (lost to UST, beat UP) - The losing streak has ended, but the drama and intrigue gets even more intense. Losing Coach Leo at the end of the season will be HUGE once it happens.
UP (lost to Adamson) - The bigger win for UP is on the courts, with the Bartolome and General cases. As for the actions on the basketball court, it leaves a lot to be desired.

Awesome poster for USA vs Mexico WCQ.

 

In just over a week, Columbus will be rocking for the Hexagonal World Cup Qualifier match between the current frontrunners United States against a Mexico side currently struggling with form. I posted it here because I got to say that the poster is awesome. The man who designed this is Brent Rollins, whom possibly some Filipinos may have seen do some stuff for Status here in the Philippines.

Could be a song to groove to with this video.



h/t to SI's Grant Wahl for directing me to this nice masterpiece.

Malditas called up for Manila Camp portion of AFF

The Philippine Football Federation (PFF), through head coach Ernie Nierras, revealed the identities of the 24 young women called up to participate the Manila-based camp of the Philippine Senior Women's National Team, more recognizably known as the Malditas. The camp is the final phase of preparation for the 2013 AFF Women's Championship that is scheduled to take place in Yangon, Myanmar from September 9-22.

The team includes ten players culled from the lineup that participated in the AFC Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers in Bangladesh earlier this year, including skipper Marielle Benitez and Heather Cooke as well as the three ladies who were the final cuts for the said qualifiers in Isa Mondero, Raylene Larot and Chalise Baysa.

According to Nierras, he is using this tournament as part of the Under-19 team's preparations for next year's AFC U-19.

Almost the entire team is already here in Manila and they are already deep into their two-a-day training. They will also have scheduled friendlies, including one against the Pinay Futbol League All-Stars on September 1 at the Emperador Stadium, which serves as a donation drive for the victims of Maring.

The list of participants for Manila camp of the AFF Women's Championships are as follows:

Marielle Benitez
Samantha Nierras
Patrice Impelido
Natasha Alquiros
Isa Mondero
Christina De Los Reyes
Inna Palacios
Heather Cooke
Maria Louisa Park
Joana Houplin
Camille Wilson
Olivia Schmitt
Dominique Oro
Sunshine Soriano
Amanda Empleo
Sydney Pagador
Kristyn Alonzo
Patricia Dull
Chalise Baysa
Claire Lim
Jillian Jamero
Niki Regalado
Raylene Larot
Natalie Sanderson

Sealions, MOB tote 2-0 records in Danny Espiritu Cup

Veterans Egay Billones and Gilbert Malabanan helped maintain Sealions' unbeaten record in the 2013 Danny Espiritu Cup at the Makati Coliseum.

Billones led the way with 22 points and 11 rebounds while Gilbert Malabanan added 21 points as they beat Globalport, 100-87.

Erwin Sta. Maria led Globalport with 33 points, but the BatangPier allowed their opponents to come back from an early 13-point deficit to give their opponents their 2nd straight win.

In the second game, defending champions Mighty were pipped at the end by MOB Alliance, 71-70.

Jeff Viernes gave MOB their only lead of the game on a transition lay-up following a steal from Richie Melencio with 16 seconds remaining. The lay-up was the 17th point for the former NAASCU MVP, while also contributing four rebounds and five assists for the now 2-0 squad. They were down by as large as 18 points before undertaking the remarkable comeback.

Mighty had the chance to win the game, but Robby Celiz and Janus Lozada misfired on their attempts from beyond the arc. They were led by Bernson Franco, who had 17 points and eight rebounds while Celiz added 15 markers.

The scores:

First game

Sealions 100 -- Billones 22, Malabanan 21, Asoro 13, Zagala 12, Garrido 10, Martinez 9, Alfao 7, Solis 3, Raymundo 2, Alfad 1.

Globalport 87 -- Sta. Maria 33, Gamboa 22, Gavina 9, Baculi 8, Arejola 8, Bercede 5, Capacio 2, Colina 0.
Quarters: 17-30, 48-44, 69-63, 100-87.

Second game

MOB 71 -- Viernes 17, Custodio 14, Maconocido 10, Melencio 10, Montilla 8, Cornjeco 4, Tajonera 4, Reyes 4, Sarangay 0, Acosta 0, Liaz 0, Corpuz 0.

Mighty 70 -- Franco 17, Celiz 15, Marquez 12, Acibar 8, Manuel 4, Lozada 3, Ferrer 3, Gamboa 2, Francisco 2, Evangelista 2, Colina 2, Dimaunahan 0.
Quarters: 13-22, 29-38, 51-58, 71-70.

Week 7 UAAP Power Rankings

Before the Wednesday UAAP games, I will be posting my UAAP rankings based on the games they played during the past week. So the record may not necessarily match the rankings.

NU (beat UST) - Team Ball and Speed kills. This is the Bulldogs team that was ticketed to be the favorite.
DLSU (beat UP) - Perkins continues to impress. Juno sees this team getting better and better.
FEU (beat UE) - Arrested a skid without RR. Season 77 might be bright with Achi as the third wheel.
Ateneo (beat Adamson) - Quietly creeping up the standings.
UE (lost to FEU) - Just to remind people, Ralf Olivares is a one-and-done deal.
UST (lost to NU) - Postseason hopes teetering on the ropes.
Adamson (lost to Ateneo) - Probably on the outside looking in now.
UP (lost to DLSU) - New coach, same deal.

UAAP suspends Mammie, Casajeros, Torres

The UAAP announced yesterday that Commissioner Chito Loyzaga handed down suspensions to three players as a result of their actions over the weekend.

Loyzaga issued two-game suspensions to UE's Charles Mammie and Lord Casajeros, while La Salle's Thomas Torres was handed a one-game suspension. All of their suspensions are due to an accumulation of unsportsmanlike fouls with the "intent to hurt."

Torres was caught throwing a punch to Sam Marata in the 2nd quarter of La Salle's match against UP.

Casajeros hit Terrence Romeo twice in UE's double-OT match against FEU. It was supposed to be a one-match suspension given that  it had been the 2nd instance this season, but due to his "flagrant unsportsmanlike actions," it has been upgraded to two games.

Mammie extended his leg on Romeo on that same game, which led to Romeo reinjuring his foot. Since it is his third such violation, he has been suspended two games.

Mammie and Casajeros are to miss their matches against NU on Saturday and La Salle next Wednesday, while Torres is going to observe his suspension against Ateneo on Sunday.