Azkals tagged top dogs in Smart club tourney

MANILA, Philippines - After their tour of duty with the Phl football team, Azkals Chieffy Caligdong, Ian Araneta, Phil and James Younghusband and Misagh Bahadoran will bring their act to the first PFF-Smart National Men’s Club championships on Aug. 9-13 in Cagayan de Oro and Iloilo.

Caligdong and Araneta, along with the Fil-Iranian Bahadoran, will banner the bid of NCR’s Technika Football Club against the Younghusband brothers of Rizal’s Smart San Beda club in Group A action.

Out to steal the limelight from the prominent Azkals in their bracket set at the Don Gregorio Pelaez Memorial Stadium in Cagayan de Oro are Iligan’s Ba-o Breakers and Leyte’s Laos FC.

Vying for glory in Group B are Iloilo’s Stallions FC, which is backstopped by former members of the Phl youth team, NCR’s Pachanga, Davao’s Colombia, and Baguio’s Baguio United. They will hold their group matches at the Central Philippine University and Barotac pitches in Iloilo.

The clubs will be a group single-round-robin play with the top 2 advancing to the crossover semifinals slated at the University of Makati. The championship will feature a home-and-away format but the PFF is looking at the possibility of staging the two legs at Rizal should an all-NCR or all-Luzon finale take place.

“We expect a very competitive tournament as all the teams have really prepared hard for this,” said PFF competitions committee head Cyril Dofitas during yesterday’s PSA Forum.

“This is the best venue where our players can showcase their talents and then we’ll also get to look at the coaches with regards to how they manage their teams in crucial situations (for possible consideration into the national team),” Dofitas added.

A revival of the long-dormant nationwide club meets, the PFF- Smart tourney is part of the multi-million peso 10-year partnership of the PFF and the telco giant.

“We may have lost to one of the best teams in Kuwait but football is here to stay and will flourish and Smart is here to support it,” said Smart sports manager Epok Quimpo in the same forum.