Some 23 members of the Cebu Football Association (CFA) elite teams have been picked to join the training pool for national junior teams following the Philippine Football Federation Festival of Football (PFF-FOF) for Visayas in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental.
The football festival, held over the weekend, is PFF’s venue for identifying players for the national junior teams who will represent the country in international competitions.
Of the 22, eight were from the Boys Under 14 coached by Restituto Colina Jr. Those who made it were Don Bosco Technology Center’s (DBTC) Antonio Alforque Jr., Dustin Grey Ramirez, Charles Unabia, Tristan Enad and Januar James Villarin; University of San Carlos (USC) BED’s Angelo Colina and Lloyd Soco and Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu’s (SHS-AdC) Ronald Bitor.
Originally, there were just seven chosen but Boys Under 14 national team head coach Eliezer Fabroada asked Villarin to join the training pool on the last day of the festival.
The CFA Boys Under 14 had ended the football festival with a 2-1-1 win-loss-draw record. The boys defeated Negros Oriental Football Association (NORFA), 6-0, and Leyte FA, 1-0. Its game against Iloilo FA ended in a 1-all draw while the team suffered its lone loss against Negros Occidental Football Association (NOFA), 0-1.
In the distaff side, 11 girl booters made it to the training pool. They are St. Theresa’s College’s (STC) Maria Laela Borromeo, Trizza Musni, Kay Maxine Dotillos, Lea Birondo and Arriene Shannice Poblacion; SAIS’ Alexandrea Gumilao and Dominique Nicole Badines; SHS-AdC’s Maria Monina Isabel Neri; Tabor Hills’ Regina Echavez; SHS-Hijas de Jesus’ Regina Sarrosa and St. Louis’ Gazleen Ybanez.
Gumilao also made it to the Philippine Girls Under 14 last year, wherein the team placed second in an Asian Football Confederation regional tournament in Vietnam, the best finish by a girls football team in the history of Philippine football.
The Girls Under 14 had to play in a double round format because there were only three teams. CFA coached by Marlou Solon ended the football festival with two wins and two draws. The girls beat NORFA twice and ended their two games against NOFA in a draw.
Also picked for the Boys Under 12 training pool were Kamil Amirul, James Dominic Uy, Stephen Soria and SHS-AdC’s Yoji Selman.
The team coached by Tirso Ramon Roa only dropped one of its four games. It won against NORFA, 13-2, NOFA, 3-1, and Leyte FA, 1-0. Then suffered its lone loss against Iloilo FA, 1-4.
Aside from their respective coaching staff, the CFA elite teams were accompanied by CFA officials Raffy Musni, Amable Alan C. Medalla and Antonio Trebol.
Also lending support to the CFA elite teams were singer Jose Mari Chan, Carl Veloso, CASTILEX, Civic Merchandising, Jedcor Inc., Colonie Pest Control, QBC Sporting Supplies, KEVLAR Development Corp., LJM Transport, CFA BOD and DCDC.
