Monday, March 31, 2008 RP booters to play vs Visayas Prisaa football squad By Henry C. Villalva
THE Zamboanga-bound Western Visayas Prisaa men's football squad is scheduled to play a tune-up match against members of the national training pool in April 1 at the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) Regional Training Center in Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo, said RP team mentor Norman Fegidero Jr.
Fegidero is also the head coach of the regional champion varsity side that will see action in the April 6-12 National Private Schools & Athletics Association (PRISAA) meet.
The regional champions are scheduled to leave for Zamboanga City on April 6 with assistant coaches Carlo Torbela of the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos and Noah Sajo of West Negros University, said WV Prisaa technical director Roger
Banzuela, sports task force chair of the Negros Occidental Private Schools Sports Cultural & Educational Association (NOPSSCEA).
The team is composed of Carlos Bolo Jr., Hemerson Campo, and Miguel Gonzales of University of St. La Salle; Samson Sare, Jeffrey Villariña, Joey Garcia, Michael Pacite, and Jeepee Gardose of UNO-R; Erl Tomodos, Francisco Doniesa Jr., Mark Ferrer, Jalor Soriano, Ryan Lirio, Ruffy Llorente, Gino Palomo, and Jayme Poderoso of WNU; as well as Iloilo reinforcements Eli Cagayanan of Western Institute of Technology and Peter Sobredo and Roman Paolo Suñer of the John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University.
The WV squad is the defending champion in the national Prisaa, topping the event last year in Iloilo City.
Meanwhile, Fegidero also confirmed that the RP team hopefuls are slated to go on a Visayas tour later where they will be playing tune-up matches against local squads in Bacolod City, San Carlos City, Dumaguete City and Cebu City, as part of their preparations for the Asian Challenge Cup Group 2 Qualifiers slated May 11-20 in Iloilo.
Fegidero said he expects four more Fil-foreign players to arrive soon to join the training camp in addition to the two Fil-Ams already here - defender Anton Del Rosario and midfielder Edward Mallari. He earlier told Sun.Star Bacolod he wanted to tap the services of Fil-British standouts Philip Younghusband and Chris Greatwich, who were both members of the national side who saw action in the 2006 Asean Football Championship (formerly known as the Tiger Cup) qualifiers at the Panaad pitch in Bacolod City.
But Fegidero also said he preferred taking in Fil-foreign players who are willing to come early and join the training camp before he decides on the final composition of the RP lineup.
