12 collegiate teams battle for Ang Liga football crown

MANILA, Philippines – The annual Ang Liga football tournament is set to parade 12 collegiate squads in its 13th season that opens shop on Sunday, July 5.

Founded by San Beda head coach Aris Caslib and College of Saint Benilde mentor Marlon Maro in 2003, Ang Liga is a yearly inter-school soccer tourney, which pits the best teams from different universities and colleges in the country before the commencement of the regular football season during the academic year’s second semester.

For this year, Ang Liga is introducing a new league format as 12 teams will be divided into two groups of six.

Each bracket plays a round-robin elimination, in which every 11-man troop is slated for five matches against other squadrons in the same group.

The top four teams of each cluster will advance in the crossover quarter-final round, where only four winners will go head-to-head in the knockout semi-final stage.

Meanwhile, the victors of the semi-final round will face each other in the championship, while the losing squads will battle for the second runner-up trophy.

Group A houses University of Santo Tomas, Far Eastern University, Lyceum of the Philippines University, Adamson University, Ateneo de Manila University and Emilio Aguinaldo College.

On the other hand, Group B consists of San Beda College, National University, University of Perpetual Help System Dalta, University of the East, University of the Philippines and College of Saint Benilde.

San Beda College will be hosting most of the contests in the elimination round, while University of Makati and Malayan Colleges Laguna will cater as the back-up locations.

Matches from quarter-finals up to the championship round will be held at the historic Rizal Memorial Stadium.

Ang Liga is also introducing a Division 2 competition, where the second units of San Beda, UP, Lyceum and NU will be playing against the football brigades of University of Batangas, University of Makati and Malayan Colleges Laguna.

– Rappler.com