ASIDE from the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R), which turned from doormat to contender in a year’s time, this year’s Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. high school football tournament has also seen the remarkable transformation of the University of San Carlos-Basic Education Department.
Though they weren’t really door mats last year, they weren’t exactly contenders also. Sure, they’d always make the semifinals in the league but that’s only because it used to be a five-team league with the fifth team being USJ-R, which once lost a game, 27-0.
This year, USC-BED finished at fourth place in the elimination round, but the Warriors could have gone as high as second place. A late collapse against Don Bosco Technological Center had them losing, 1-0, and an experimental phase in their first game--where their keeper was deployed as striker--saw them losing a close one to Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu, 2-0.
I had a chat with coaches Dino Musni and Allan Medalle, who took over the reins of the USC-BED program just this year, and they said one of their first struggles this year was to change the attitude of the players and parents. USC had this certain defeatist mentality in the past, one that had led to its football team getting isolated in the local football community.
It’s not just an observation from me but from others as well. It’s what I also told the two coaches too. Before, it seemed USC operated with the notion that “officials will screw them up” before the whistle could be blown. As a result, you have players taking the field expecting a loss and supporters picking fights because they expect refs to screw them.
So far, the changes in the team have been palpable. And in the stands too. Though there was that one incident of a parent approaching the other team’s group of supporters, that was more of a reaction and she didn’t initiate that. Coach Dino told me too that they’ve reminded the parents to, well, not react.
USC is fourth and up next for them is the no. 1 team SHS-Ateneo de Cebu, which has won all five games in the elimination round. But like I told Dino, they have a real chance against the undefeated Eagles, as long as they keep that “we can win this” mentality and not revert to their old one.
I caught the first half of their last game and USC-BED was dominating USJ-R but I was surprised when I learned later that the team lost, 2-0. I asked the two coaches what happened and they said some of the players buckled under pressure and played like the USC of old.
I’m pretty sure both coaches had some choice words for the players during their practice after that game.
Aside from the high school team, USC too is busy buidling up its age group—from as young as U7—and its girls team. It tapped the multi-titled Apple Bariñan, who steered Ateneo to the Palarong Pambansa title this year, to build up its girls futsal program.
USC won’t win any futsal titles this year for sure as it is still starting. But since this sleeping giant has been finally awakened from its slumber, expect another contender in the futsal community in a few year’s time.