UFL-LBC Cup Quarterfinals Underway

Eight teams which overcame the group phase return to action following a long respite as the United Football League-LBC Cup quarterfinals kick off Sunday at the Ayala Alabang field in Muntinlupa.

Four equally-exciting matches are on tap with the clash between Global Smartmatic and Stallions proving to be the most intriguing in the first knockout phase of the tournament backed by LBC Hari ng Padala.

The teams will be trying to shake off the holiday rust as they seek to remain in contention for the coveted Cup.

Air Force Rider collides with Navy at 1 p.m. on field B, a match simultaneous with Army and Nomads on field A.

The Global-Stallions tiff is set at 3 p.m., along with the battle between Manila Sudanese Club and unbeaten Union FC.

The Airmen, last season’s league champion, will be the odds-on pick to prevail against Navy, thanks to its formidable lineup composed of current members of the national team.

Yanti Barsales, Ian Araneta and Chieffy Caligdong lead a solid attack line for Air Force, mentored by Edwin Cabalida.

Army will be led by veterans Roel Gener, Nestorio Margarse and Ed Gempisaw, who scored the lone goal in the 1-0 victory over Navy in their final group match.

Gener and Margarse are coming off a stint in the Suzuki Cup. Also part of the Army squad are former national players Luis Brilliantes, Wilson Dela Cruz, Ricardo Becite, Jeoffrey Lobaton and Philip Caballero among others.

Eduard Sacapano, who was backup to Neil Etheridge during the Azkals’ campaign in the Suzuki Cup, will provide an experienced cover in between the sticks for Army, which won all of its three games in the group stage.

Nomads have shown a knack of pulling through in the face of adversity, as they won their last two group matches in the group phase to catch the last bus to the quarterfinals.

One of the oldest clubs in the tournament, Nomads are looking to relive the glory days of the club in this tournament.

Global Smartmatic cannot afford to relax against a potent Stallions side, which is bannered by some of the finest talents from Iloilo.

Global has ample attacking threat in Misagh Bahadoran and Izu El-Habbib up front, while Azkals skipper Aly Borromeo is expected to pull the strings at midfield.

Stallions will be powered by the fleet-footed Jovanie Simpron, who made his mark while playing for Far Eastern U in the UAAP.

Jason Cordova, who has a history of putting up solid performances in big matches as well as losing his cool, is also part of Stallions, along with Bervic Italia, who played for the country during the 2005 Southeast Asian Games.

An equally interesting duel is Union FC and Manila Sudanese Club. Union, an attack-minded side, which has yielded only one goal in the tournament is expected to assert its play against MSC, a team that barely made the quarterfinals.

Union has a wealth of talent on its side as well as young players capable of shining in big matches in the likes of Roel Viva. Jerome Cuyos will be the target man for Union with Hamirou Sarr expected to play an influential role on the left flank.


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