Sparks S'pore stint big boost to Phl football

MANILA, Philippines - The Loyola Meralco Sparks view their upcoming semifinal showdown with S-League powerhouse Tampines Rovers FC in the RHB Singapore Cup as an opportunity to show how Philippine football has progressed in recent years.

“Winning would show the other countries that the Philippines is really on the football map, not just with the national team (Azkals) but with the clubs as well,” said Phil Younghusband, ace striker of the Sparks, who have partnered with Cebu Pacific for this campaign.

The Sparks, though, will be the underdogs in the two-leg series set Oct. 4 and 7 against Tampines Rovers FC. The Stags are three-time titlists in the S-League and are bannered by naturalized striker Aleksandar Duric. 

The first Phl club to play in the bootfest, Loyola Meralco is intensively gearing up for the history-making campaign in the Lion City, enjoying tremendous support from Filipino fans and supporters, led by partner Cebu Pacific, the country’s largest flag carrier.

“Football has taken the Philippines by storm and Cebu Pacific wants to do its part in promoting the sport,” says Candice Iyog, Cebu Pacific vice president for marketing. “This partnership with the Loyola Meralco Sparks is especially meaningful in that we are helping a talented team represent the Philippines on the international stage.”

Cebu Pacific has given the Sparks full support, providing roundtrip tickets for every single match since their debut in the Singapore Cup last May against Singapore’s Geylang United FC. 

Loyola Meralco hacked out a 2-1 win over Geylang in the Round-of-16 to advance to the two-leg quarterfinals against Myanmar’s Kanbawza. The Sparks prevailed over the Burmese booters on goal aggregate, 5-3, setting up the semis showdown with Tampines, 4-1 (aggregate) winners over Albirex Niigata.

The Sparks, meanwhile, will play the Philippine Azkals in a tuneup match at 10 a.m. today at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium prior to their Singapore sortie.