Tan Holdings FC to join Guam tournament

Tan Holdings Football Club is fielding a U14 team for this weekend’s 2015 Youth Invitational Gobblefest in Guam.

John Ezekiel Canape, right, seen here battling for the ball against MP United’s Jeremiah Diaz during their co-ed U12 game in the NMIFA youth league last Saturday at the Hopwood Junior High School Field, will suit up for Tan Holdings’ U14 team that will compete in Guam this weekend.
(Roselyn B. Monroyo)

The club’s U14 crew is composed of Christian Castro, Leandro Bichayda, Skyler Secharraimul, Joshua Waldo, John Canape, Ichiro and Taka Borja, Nicolas Tkel, Dave Tanghal, Angelo Bergancia, and John Ezekiel Canape. Miko Moran is the team’s coach.

Tan Holdings FC’s strikers will play in Guam from Nov. 27 to 29 and will be up against the host’s Wings, Southern Cobras, Tigers, Islanders, and the Philippines’s Don Bosco.

“Most of our players are first-timers in an off-island tournament. It will be a challenging event because we are scheduled to play back-to-back games for two days and three on the final day,” Moran said.

Though they have a tough schedule, Moran said they welcome the competition and the opportunity to see how teams outside of Saipan play.

“We will be playing with some of the top teams in Guam and Don Bosco from the Philippines. I’m sure we will learn a lot from them and this tournament will help our players improve. This event is a great experience for our players, especially the younger members of the squad,” said Moran, who has two 12-year-old players and five 13-year-olds on his roster.

The Tan Holdings mentor urged his players to play 100 percent, always practice good sportsmanship, and be observant of their opponents when they are not playing and on the bench.

“They can learn a lot from just watching how other players from the opposing teams play and move around the pitch,” Moran said.

Moran’s wards will debut against Wings at 12:40pm this Friday and will have their second match on the same day against the Southern Cobras at 11:30am. Each game will be played in two 30-minute halves with a five-minute break.

For Day 2, Tan Holdings will duel the Wolverines first at 10:30am before facing the Islanders at 11:40am. On the final day, Moran and company will challenge Don Bosco at 10:30am. In the afternoon matches during the last day of the tournament, playoff games will take place with the No. 1 and 3 squads in the team standings colliding for the first finals berth. The second finals seat will be contested by the No. 2 and 4 teams, while the remaining squads will also have playoff matches for rankings. The finals and consolation game will be played in the afternoon.