MP United U14 to debut in Pilipinas Cup

Members of the MP United U15 team pose for a photo before playing in the NMIFA fall league last week. Majority of the players of the squad will be making their debut in the 2014 Pilipinas Cup later this month. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

MP United Football Club will have two entries to the 2014 Pilipinas Cup, as its U14 team is set to debut in this month’s tournament to be held at the Nuvali Evoliving Field in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, Philippines.

The club which will also compete in U17, is bringing in 17 players for the U14 division contest in the 2014 Pilipinas Cup that will run from Oct. 27 to 30. The MP United U14 team is composed of Joshua Abragan, Richard Chin, Danielle Colombo, Steven Goodwin, Clayton Izuka, Cody Leon, Edwin Kim, Tony Kim, Alex Park, Kevin Park, Go Sekiguchi, Rinto Takahashi, Sun Joon Tenorio, Jon Villagomez, Seung Mock You, Keeanu Diaz, and Ba Da Lee. Completing the squad are Lydia Tan and Eric Abragan, who were named team manager and assistant coach, respectively.

MP United’s U14 crew will be battling the division crown against 15 other teams from all over the Philippines. The list includes early favorites Don Bosco Cebu, Ateneo de Manila University, and Green Barons FC of Laguna), which were among the top finishers in their division in last year’s U13 competition (the league changed the age group to U14 this year). Others on the list are Don Bosco College (Canlubang, Laguna), FC Nasugbu (Batangas City), Global FC Youth (Quezon City), Higala FC (Cagayan De Oro), Kaya FC (Pasay City), Loyola Meralco Sparks FC (Pasig City), Paref-Southridge Football Varsity (Muntinlupa City), Pilipinas Dragons FC (Pasig City), RC Tanauan Labuyo (Batangas City), Roxas Wildcats (Batangas City), Young Pinoy FC (Makati City), and Green Archers United FC (Muntinlupa City).

The 16 teams will be divided into four groups and each pool will have a round-robin format in the elimination with the Top 2 teams advancing to the playoffs. The groupings have yet to be determined.

Since it will be MP United U14’s first time to compete in the Pilipinas Cup, Tan said the club is hoping to make a good impression in the annual event by playing fair and showing good sportsmanship.

“They must also play aggressive, but still show respect to their teammates and opponents. If they do feel under pressure they must stay focus, have teamwork, and give their best on the field,” the team manager added.

Tan also said that since majority of their players are making their first appearance in an off-island competition, the club is counting on its players who had previous experience participating in international tournaments to provide leadership and stability to the squad. She is talking of goalie Clayton Izuka, Sun Joon Tenorio, Cody Leon, Alex Park, Joshua Abragan, and Edwin Kim who played in tournaments (at least one) in China, Taiwan, and Japan before.

Tenorio scored the lone goal in the CNMI U14 National Team’s win against Guam in the AFC U14 Championship 2014 Qualifiers at the National Football Training Base in Beijing with Kim assisting him with a cross pass. Izuka, Park, Leon, and Abragan were also part of that national squad which gave the Commonwealth a historic first win in the Asian Football Confederation-sanctioned tournament.