Members of the MFC Cebu U7 team pose for a group photo with their coaches. | Photo from Lokality by John Jocyril Alcoseba
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Roughly a week after clinching three titles in the SHS-AdC de Cebu Magis Eagles Football Cup, the young booters of the Makati Football Club (MFC) Cebu displayed their dominant form anew in a separate tournament.
The MFC Cebu booters’ emerged champions in the under-7 and under-9 categories of the recently concluded FR. Zago Football Cup – Don Bosco Tournament held at the Don Bosco Technology Center in Punta Princesa, here.
These are the same teams that won the titles in the SHS-AdC de Cebu Magis Eagles Football Cup in Mandaue City last February 3-4.
This time, the U6 team that won the title in Mandaue City ruled the under-7 competition last weekend.
MFC Cebu’s Team A in the under-7 division was comprised of Kiah Rongcales, Renzo Uy, Immanuel Aranas, Miguel Señor, Seth Gabriel Enopia, Singh Mcjohnston, and Xavier Cyn Aron. Aranas was named the “Most Valuable Player” in the competition.
They played under the supervision of coaches Romel Catarinin and Oscar “Dodot” Empleo.
MFC Cebu’s under-7 team finished with four wins and one draw in their entire campaign. They opened their campaign with a win against Don Bosco A, 1-0, followed by a 3-1 win over CFC and a 0-0 draw versus Real Galaxy A.
They beat Real Galaxy B, 5-0, in the semis and went on to rout Real Galaxy A in the finals.
“In every tournament we join, we have different confirmed players due to their availability. Of course, football is still an after school sport. There are factors of health and school that we highly prioritized because we champion a well-rounded child,” said one of MFC’s top coaches, Ref Cuaresma.
“We value program application and techniques; we put more importance on how they played rather than the goals they scored. Our program has been tailor-fit to inject tactics at a very young age, and this separates us from other clubs,” he added.
MFC Cebu U9 players and their coaches. | Photo from Shotster Motolaag
On the other hand, the players of the MFC Team A in the under-9 division were headed by MVP Neil Lucas Ramos along with Natan Mangubat, Zayne Acuña, Jose Caesar “Pepe” Tan, Clay Pedralba, Fred Yuan Miñoza, Niño Rito Nierre, Kain Jullian Pimentel, Samuel Josiah Lanozo, Shaun Kristoff Yu, and Achilles Casilac.
After their 0-0 draw against the Mighty Chief in the opening match, MFC Team A’s under-9 team won over DBTC-B, 1-0. They had another draw against DBTC-C, 0-0, but made sure to win their semifinals and finals matches.
They won, 1-0, via a penalty shootout against their counterparts, MFC Team B, and outlasted the Mighty Chiefs in the finals, 3-2, via another penalty shootout.
Their next tournament is the JSM Football Festival at the Dynamic Herb-Borromeo Sports Complex later this month. At the same time, they’re also set to defend their title in the Junior Soccer School and League Singapore in March.
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