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Friday, June 02, 2006
RP U-14 soccer team loses first 3 games
Playing in its first international match, Team Philippines lost all its first three matches without scoring a goal in the Asian Football Confederation Under-14 Festival at the Universiti Kebangsaan in Bangi, Malaysia.
“The team arrived (in) KL airport past 8 p.m. and at UKM Billeting House at 9 p.m. the night before the tournament. Players had to undergo stringent registration procedures, physical examination and they were able to sleep only around midnight.
“Players were tired of the trip. First-time jitters, especially playing on foreign soil, somewhat affected the performance of the team. Hopefully, players can adjust and will be mentally ready on the second day,” wrote Jonathan Maximo, head of delegation and Cebu Football Association president, in his e-mail.
The Philippines, which has Cebuanos Evanjames Mendoza, Kevin Tecson and Joshua Cruz in its line-up, bowed to Indonesia, 0-3, and dropped its next match to Singapore, 0-2, before losing to Cambodia, 0-4.
“Technically and tactically, Indonesia is the better team,” Maximo said.
In the Singapore game, the Philippines conceded both goals in the penalty box after the strikers broke away from the defenders.
The AFC Youth Festival offers two types of competition. The first format has teams playing six 30-minute games of football with no halftime break, while the second format has teams playing three 60-minute games of 30-minutes per half.
The Philippines was still to play Australia, Maldives and Thailand in the second day of competition under the first format last May 31. The Filipinos will play against Myanmar, Malaysia and Laos in the second format today.
Results of the May 31 game were unavailable at press time. (ML)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (June 2, 2006 issue)
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