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MANILA, Philippines – “Excited kami kase once-in a lifetime opportunity ito,” says FEU Tamaraw Paolo Bugas.
The midfielder, the only FEU player with a full senior international cap for the Philippines, has experienced the most glorious highs ever conceivable for a Pinoy collegiate footballer. He and his fellow Tams have lifted the UAAP Season 76 and Season 77 football trophies. But in August they step up to a whole new level.
The Tams will represent the Philippines in the World University Football Cup in Xiamen, China, where university sides from other 11 other nations await.
The home team will be the China Sports University squad from Beijing. The University of Tokyo represent Japan, while their arch-rival South Korea will be present in the form of the Dong-Eui University eleven.
There will be two other ASEAN teams in the form of the University of Nottingham Malaysia campus team and Thailand’s Rangsit University footballers.
The European contingent promises to be powerful. France’s Universite de Lyon is going to Xiamen, as is Russian club from Kuban State University. Portugal is also sending a team from the University of Coimbra.
Two African clubs will also duke it out, namely the University of Bamenda in Cameroon, and the University of Johannesburg in South Africa.
An international competition is not complete without Brazil, and the Universidade do Rio Grande do Norte will inject a dose of “Jogo Bonito” into the tournament.
All of the teams are supposed to be champion squads in their respective collegiate competitions.
Tournament rules say the teams will be split into four round-robin groups of three, with the group winners making the semifinalists, and the final four victors playing in the final match on August 16. There will also be a bronze medal game. The tournament kicks off on August 10.
It is my understanding that the organizers, Waylong Sports International Co. Ltd., are footing the bill for the entire trip, and they are even taking care of uniforms for all the teams.
The tournament website, wufc.co, says that the matches will be aired on Fox in the Americas and Asia. Eurosport will carry them in Europe. There will also be live streaming on Youtube of the entire tournament.
FEU athletic director Mark Molina relishes the opportunity to match up his team against at least two top international collegiate teams.
“When we started our program eight years ago we dreamt of UAAP championships and producing international-caliber players,” says Molina.
“We are proud of Amani Aguinaldo (who played a year with FEU seniors team), Paolo (Bugas), and Nano (Amita), but more than that, this gives us an opportunity to compete in the world stage as a team.”
FEU is arguably the most successful youth football program in the country. They completed the “double treble” this year, winning the UAAP juniors, seniors, and ladies titles for the second year in a row.
(READ: Green and Gold Glory: Dissecting FEU’s football dominance)
Coach Kim Chul-su will bring a very experienced squad to Xiamen, including Bugas, Amita, and Season 77 leading scorer Eric Giganto. Even though striker Jhan Jhan Melliza is no longer with the team having played his last year in Season 77, he is still a student and will be available to play in Xiamen. FEU actually got the invite for the event during the last season. It was their previous championship in Season 76, in 2014, that got them qualified for this event.
Two foreigners, Nigerian centerback Josh Mulero, and Korean Jung Dong Gyu, are also on the roster.
The Tams will also take two very good players, Van Rey Diaz and Chy Villasenor, who missed the last season.
Do the Tamaraws have a chance at winning? One factor in their favor will be the climate. Xiamen is on the same latitude as Taiwan, so the semi-tropical conditions will be an advantage, especially if they play a European club at the 9:30 am time slot. The weather in Xiamen over the next ten days could feature highs of up to 32 degrees celsius if forecasts hold up.
Many mature football nations also do not bother sending their most gifted young footballers to get a tertiary education. Instead the top kids focus exclusively on the game in youth academies and teams. So the players set to face the Pinoy team may not be the crème-de-la-creme of their age group. But having said that, it is hard to imagine a champion team at any level from Brazil or France not being a very strong side.
Of course it’s not just FEU who is being measured in this competition. The entire Philippines will also be represented.
Coincidentally, Melliza’s last taste of international competition was in China as a teenager. He now returns for his final outing as a youth player for his country. And he wants to make a statement.
“Super saya nito at challenge sakin bilang isang football player na pakita sa iba na meron tayo ibubuga sa pagdating sa football.”
(This is going to be fun and it’s a challenge for a football player to show that we (the Philippines) have something to offer when it comes to football.) – Rappler.com
Follow Bob on Twitter @PassionateFanPH.
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