WILL the 5-time CESAFI champions University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors add the Men’s Open title or will ERCO be able to end their two-year title drought when they face each other in the Men’s Open championship of the 19th Aboitiz Football Cup this afternoon at the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC).
The USC Warriors will be riding on their success of ending the reign of the vaunted Leylam FC when they prevailed over the two-time champions via a 4-3 penalty shootout in the semifinals.
“The players are ready to give it all. They want to enjoy the moment,” said head coach Allan Medalle who added that “It’s the finals, they have to give it all and utmost awareness of their roles and responsibilities.”
According to Medalle, there is no pressure on the team at all because they know how to deal with the task. “It’s a matter of performance perhaps.”
ERCO, on the other hand, will be banking on the Under 18 Boys title win of Don Bosco yesterday morning to lift the two-year runner-up as most of the players on that team will also be manning the squad.
“That Under 18 championship match served as their practice. We cannot really be sure, look at what happened to Leylam which is a very strong team, all we can do is hope,” said ERCO team manager Rodney Orale whose son ER is the team’s namesake.
Head coach Glen Ramos immediately came home from his Global Cebu FC duties in Manila in time to call the shots for the team.
ERCO, however, only had its full practice last Friday because most of the players were still finishing their thesis.
As earlier mentioned, Don Bosco defended its Under 18 Boys title via a 1-0 edging of Pomeroy courtesy of John Clyde Vitualla in the 48th minute yesterday, still at the CCSC.
Vitualla was named as the Most Valuable Player and also got to bring home the Golden Boot award. His teammate Joseph Kei Ceniza was named as the Best Goalkeeper.
Two booters of Pomeroy snagged the rest of the special awards. Tom Colina was named Best Midfielder and Jyric Bincolero was named Best Defender.
Third place went to DB Boys Home with a 2-0 blanking of Springdale while DBTC also bagged third place in the Under 15 Boys category with a 2-0 edging of Pomeroy.
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