MP United captain holds ground in PH league

MP United’s Enrico Del Rosario, second left, poses with Agila MSA officials and supporters after getting a silver medal in the division finals of the 2014 United Football League in the Philippines last month. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Del Rosario played for the Agila MSA, which made it all the way to the finals of the Youth Division of the 2014 United Football League. He suited up for four games with Agila MSA, helping his team force a scoreless draw against the Philippine Army in the last match of the regular season. Then in the quarterfinals, Del Rosario and his teammates routed Pachangan Diliman FC, 10-1, to advance to the semis where they also prevailed against Nomads FC, 5-3, to set up a division title showdown against Kaya FC. Agila MSA went on to lose the finals in penalty shootout, 6-7.

“Enrico was made to play as holding midfielder by our coach Richard Leyble. He said Enrico was a steady force in midfield. He was calm and collected. He did not panic and executed his role well. At the start, with his teammates still trying to figure him out, adjustments were made, but after the first match, he got into the groove. He played a big role in getting the team to the finals. Too bad they lost on penalties,” Agila MSA general manager Troy Borja said.

“Enrico played a big role on the team. In our second game I need to adjust his position because of his fitness. Then I put him as my central back and I knew that he can lead our back four well. He played beyond my expectations. In our last game, he was at central back and our team played a very tough game in the championship. He led his back four very well and it’s very organized. I recommend that Enrico focuses on central back, as he can always win the ball specially the aerial battles and 1 v 1 situations,” Leyble said.

Agila MSA is happy the club decided to recruit Del Rosario and it hopes to see the MP United defender next season after a brief, but impressive stint in UFL.

“We already saw Enrico during the Pilipinas Cup last year and in the tryouts for the Philippine Youth national team. We knew he would do well given his discipline and skills. He was a bit hobbled though by a nagging ankle injury but to his credit he played through the pain. We would love to have Enrico play for us next year if he still wants to join us. He can join the U19 team and we can also list him as a youth player in our UFL Division 2 team,” Borja added.

Del Rosario said he is willing to return to the team and was thankful for the opportunity to be part of a champion-caliber squad.

“It was a great experience playing with Agila MSA. I am thankful for their trust and for welcoming me on the team. It felt amazing playing in the finals as there were a lot of good teams in the league. It’s one of the best games I’ve ever played. I just stayed focused in the game and executed what the coach told me,” the 17-year-old athlete said.