The English striker Louis Clark announced his transfer from Kaya FC Philippines to Tampines Rovers FC Singapore on Instagram

Louis Clark who has been a great figure in Kaya FC since joining the club in 2014 from Cobram Victory FC of Australia took to Instagram to announce his transfer from Kaya FC to Tampines Rovers FC of Singapore. “Happy to say I will be playing in Singapore next season with @tampinesroversfc”

Photo credited to Louis

In the post he expressed his joy and excitement to play in S. League and AFC competitions in the coming season. “- cant wait to play in the S.League AFC Champions League qualifiers & AFC Cup”

He also expressed his sincere gratitude to Kaya FC and the fans for the unforgettable experience. “Have to say a huge thank you to everyone involved with @kayafc for the past 2 years it has been a unbelievable experience that I will never forget.”

Louis has had a successful spell with Kaya FC winning the 2015 UFL Cup, Golden Boot with 10 goals in the 2014 FA League Cup and a successful outing with Kaya FC in their maiden participation in the AFC Cup.

The forward will surely be missed in Kaya FC not only as a player but as a coach who was one of the brains behind Kaya Academy since joining the club in 2014. 

With his announcement, Louis has been another big profile player from the UFL to join S. League following Mark Hartmann transfer from Global FC to Geylang International in June 2016.

By Lerche Njang! A freelance blogger/Writer for Parrot Post Philippines and a blogger for ABWN Australia on football. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook: @CoachLerche

Picture credit to Manchester United facebook page!

Three first half goals put Manchester United back into the winning ways with Paul Labile Pogba scoring a stunner while Zlatan Ibrahimovic had a brace in the 3:1 win of Swansea City Football Club in the Premier Leaguer as Jose Mourinho was watching from the stands at the Liberty Stadium!

With performance such as that from #Pogba, there is no doubt why Manchester United paid that much for their man. 

Zlatan received his fifth yellow card of the season meaning he will be watching from the stand in the game against Arsenal FC after the international break. 

Swansea City struggled to find their feet through out the game but managed to pull one back in the 69th minutes when Sigurdsson delivered a free-kick into the area and Van Der Horn nodded the ball home from 10 yards.

By Lerche Njang

Freelance blogger for Parrot Post and ABWN Australia

Manchester United beaten 2:1 away to Fenerbahce in the Europa League!

In a match that Manchester United fans were looking for answer to the game against Burnley in the Premier League, United left people with further questions as Wayne Rooney’s late long range thunderbolt strike was not enough to safe United from Moussa Sow’s second-minute overhead kick and a second-half Jeremain Lens free kick that handed the home side a desired 2:1 win.

With all the attacking options in Rashford, Martial, and Rooney capable of running down their opponents on the pitch when at their best, you would have thought there will be many goals but things went wrong early and Manchester United failed.

The best chance for United came in the 21 minutes as Martial found Rooney in the box but his first touch was not good enough to convert the chance and injury rocked the team again with Paul Pogba forced out of the game after a challenge from Josef de Souza in the 29 minutes and was replaced by Ibrahimovic who was left on the bench from the start of the game.

United’s made further attacking changes by bringing in Mata and Henrikh Mkhitaryan but could not create chances to score and it was more difficult to cope at the back with two left-backs playing at centre-back.

Had the Fenerbahce’s Emmanuel Emenike converted his clear chance following his 68th-minute introduction, the score line would have been different but De Gea that was not at his best in the game made his best save of the 90.th minutes.

One thing to take to Manchester in the match is the fact that Wayne Rooney was back on score sheet.

As United continues their struggles to get the right rhythm against a well-organized defense, it has left some people with questions if Manchester United is in crisis? Are they lacking creativity to break tight defense? Or, has the game advanced beyond Mourinho’s Philosophy, tactics and style? These are questions to be answered as the season progresses.

By Lerche Njang
a freelance blogger with the Parrot Post and ABWN Australia

JOSE MOURINHO FORCED TO WATCH FROM THE STAND AS MANCHESTER UNITED DRAW 0:0 WITH BURNLEY IN FRONT OF THE 75,325 OLD TRAFFORD FANS

In a game that Paul Pogba shines and the team controlling 72% of the possession, Manchester United that have won just 1 of their last 7 Premier League games failed to score in front of the 75,325 Old Trafford fans that were desperately looking for a win. 

The Man of the match Tom Heaton was to good to be beaten as Burnley ran home with a point from Old Trafford.

Jose Mourinho was force to watch the second half of the game from the stand as he was sent off by the referee Mark Clattenburg for questioning his decision not to award what appeared to be a penalty when Matteo Darmian was brought down in the box just before half time. 

Later in the game, United were reduced to 10 men as Herrera was sent off following his second yellow card.

It was an inspiring afternoon for the Burnley goalkeeper as he stopped the sustained pressure from Mata, Pogba, and Ibahimovic with Rooney firing over in a close range from a stoppage time free-kick.

It might have been a disappointing result for United but the team chemistry was something that could be built on. 

By Lerche Njang

Lerche is a freelance blogger with the Parrot post and ABWN Australia.

POINT OF VIEW ON WHY FOOTBALL IS NOT A MAJOR SPORT IN THE PHILIPPINES

POINT OF VIEW ON WHY FOOTBALL IS NOT A MAJOR SPORT IN THE PHILIPPINES

We understand that a lot has been done in developing football in the Philippines both in the national and grassroots level and the country is also quite effective and efficient in terms of licensing of coaches. However, there are some aspects affecting developing the sport in full force and unless we get it right it will be a longer way to have football becoming a major sport in the country. Below is our top list:

FOOTBALL IS FOR THE RICH: Football is seen as a game for the rich.  In Manila, for example, the high cost of registration to join a team or be part of a team has marginalized the rest of the population from having access to the world’s number one sport. This situation limits the game from reaching out to a pool of talents who may belong to economically average and/or less fortunate families. We have seen that when it comes to football, a good percentage of our world best players hailed from poor communities. Therefore, with this current mentality such as this, it will be difficult to find raw talents with big hearts who will be willing to train hard and long for his or her country to win coveted cups in football matches.

CULTURE DOES NOT PROMOTE YET: For any sport to be successful and popular, the culture of the country must promote it. Unlike basketball courts where you find in every corner of the country, it is very rare to see places/pitches where people gather to play or watch football as leisure even in Manila, which is, so far the center of all football activities.

GOVERNMENT DOES NOT PLAY A PROMINENT ROLE: There is no doubt the Philippine government already plays its role in the promotion of the sport, perhaps through funding and several aspects. However, so much more needs to be done in terms of promoting football to become a major sport in the country. It will be difficult to have that big dream of appearing in any FIFA World Cup tournaments with only 5% of the country’s population following the game.  

BIGGER FUNDING IS NEEDED: Philippine football will certainly go forward when more money has been invested on its promotion and projects. Greater football feats cannot be achieved if Philippine football heavily relies on money that is given to every Federation from FIFA.

MEDIA DOES NOT PROMOTE: Football does not get featured enough in local Philippine sports channels or news flash on sports. The only professional football league (UFL) in the country does not, or hardly goes live on television. Neither is live commentary on radio available to the listeners. Football needs to be featured more by the media—tv, radio, newspapers, magazines, etc.  The audience needs to be seeing and hearing it often for easy recall until such time that they understand the game and gets hooked to it. Just as when an artist launches a new music, you see it on TV, hear it on radio until the population sings and dances to his tune unconsciously because they are bombarded by it. This is promotion.

CHANGE OF RULES

The United Football League changed the rule in signing foreigners into clubs. This has inadvertently affected clubs with lesser budget, as they were, unlike the bigger clubs, unable to sign Filipinos playing abroad or some of the bests in the country.  This caused the level of competition to drop dramatically thereby reducing the number of spectators to very few or none at all, as compared to 2015 and the previous seasons.

UNAVAILABILITY OF GOOD VENUE/FACILITIES

When lighting facilities went bad in Rizal Stadium where football matches usually take place, it was not immediately fixed. Instead, all games were scheduled during the day causing three clubs to drop out of the league as most of their players have another work during the day and therefore they are unable to have enough players for the matches.  As an unfortunate consequence, about 60 local players dropped out of the only professional football league in the country.

In the upcoming Philippine Football League from PFF, we recommend that PFF make use of the media in briefing the people and public on what are to be expected in the league as this will give people something to look forward to. We also recommend that PFF get into an agreement with Universities and Colleges to allow their players to be members of football clubs and to release players to fulfill their club duties especially during important football matches.  

We believe that to widen and attract more people to play football in the Philippines, there must be more public fields for free where people could go and play football. Futsal could be the best way to start as Basketball courts are readily available. It has to be promoted through an intensive campaign across the country. Money has to be invested on this, regular media coverage has to be utilized and the concerned government agencies have to be at the forefront of these activities.

In conclusion, there will be real growth in football in the Philippines when adequate attention has been given not only to Azkals and the Foundations but also to the grassroots football development and clubs and a clear path is established for local talented Filipinos to progress to the National team.

In our next publication we will talk about the important role of college and university football in the overall youth football talent development in the Philippines and its setbacks.

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FC Metro Manila are the team to beat in MFL Finals 2016

As FC Metro Manila U13, U15 and U17 qualify for the Mabuhay Football League finals we take a closer look at the U15 squad.

The team is lucky to have Coach Lerche Njang who has brought in lots of experience into the team as a Head Coach and of course the Club Manager Dennis Dokas who is always there to inspire the boys to perform to their full potential.

With a bunch of attacking players capable of posing major problems to their opponents, FC Metro Manila U15 has become a team to beat in every competition.

The winning mentality in this FC Metro Manila U15 side is: if their opponent scores one goal, they must score two. The thrilling play of the attacking predators is complemented with a strong midfield and defensive line and great goalkeepers that rarely concede goals.

In what is widely expected to be a complete showdown between FC Metro Manila U15 and Global FC U15 in the Mabuhay 11 aside football League final, it is worth mentioning here that FC Metro Manila is going into the game full of confidence having won 7 of their last 9 finals in all competitions and a winning run in the league with wins against Young Pinoy FC 10:0, Uno Filipino FC 5:0 and Tuloy Sa Don Bosco FC 4:0 in their last 3 fixtures.   

In the Little Azkals striker AARON GENESIS (Horse Power), FC Metro Manila possess a player who has shone brightly in every game and scored almost at will. With 7 goals in his last 3 matches he is regarded as one of the most wanted strikers around at his age. His speed and power is rare at his age, his vision and positioning is of a high caliber. His experience is great and his achievement is excellent with the recent being the 2016 plate winner in the UFL Youth League while on loan with Ceres FC.

MARC ADVINCULA who has been a dominating force for FC Metro Manila is an attacking midfielder with great first touch, passing, dribbling and scoring ability almost equal to that of a striker with 4 goals in his last 2 matches. Watching him play would make you believe that the Little Azkals is missing someone who might become Philippines’ Andres Iniesta in the near future. His decision-making in the final third makes him a dangerous player around the box. He is a player already with lots of international experience in Singa Cup and Gothia Cup.

JIMMEN ALDA is a sensational player capable of breaking down the opponent’s defense with his quick feet, dribbling skills from the flank.  He continues to prove his superb goal scoring ability with both legs in all matches with the recent being his 30 yards right footed volley against Tuloy Sa Don Bosco FC that might contest as the goal of the season. He is a selfless player that knows how to create chances for his teammates and himself. No doubt the coach described him as “one of the most important players within the squad” and tipped him for greatness in the game.

NAOKI KAWASHIMA is a utility player known to possess real power and skills and can fit in as a midfielder, winger or a center forward. He has been instrumental for the team getting to the final of Mabuhay League Final. With his desire to be always involved in play and his effort to try new things, it is sure that his future in the game is very bright. His mature attitude towards the game and being a good team player make him a desirable player to have in a team.

MANZANO GERARD is an incredible center forward with good body strength. He is a player that could be deployed as a lone striker with his ability to hold the ball upfront and wait for support. His height and speed is great and shows high potential in his goal scoring ability. He is another player with international experience.

IVON LAVAPIEZ is ammunition going forward with his running speed and his ability to beat the defenders and score goals in one versus one situation.  All these exceptional skills make him a perfect player going forward from the right wing. His agility and quickness on the ball is excellent for a young player.  

IAMU MILLER TSARLAYZE is an attacking player mastering his treat among the predators. The coach describes him as a “skillful player with great potential”. With his desire to learn, he is tipped to achieve great things in near future.    

As we watch FC Metro Manila U15 team maturing into units that could rival those of the great sides in Youths football, we see the defensive midfielder DOMINIC GARCIA starting to earn his recognition as one of the outstanding midfielders in FC Metro Manila U15. His constant presence in the midfield provides extra security for the team’s back line. His height, body weight, heading ability and tackling have been outstanding.

CHARLES CUSTODIO is another impressive defensive wall in the midfield. His ball handling, passing, heading, change of direction ability and his confidence on the ball always put him ahead of some of the other great ones. No wonder Kaya FC took him on loan to help them during the 2016 UFL youth season. His experience playing with the older age groups has made it easier for him when playing with his age group.

Being a new player in the club, PEDRO VILLAMEGOR though yet to establish himself in the team, has a great potential that would manifest, as he continues to gain the confidence and trust of his teammates and the coach. His height and desire to mark the opponent would give him advantage over others in his position and will bring additional advantage to the team when he is finally settled. 

The central defender and captain AHRRI CASTANEDA is a must-have defender capable of playing in various positions. He has demonstrated his talent to a wider audience proving to be one of the team’s most inspired defenders. He is regarded as one of the best young defenders around. He is not the most physical player but his ability to read the game and command his back line has been tremendous. His skills and calmness rank him in a different level among others. There is no wonder he has been awarded with best defender awards in various Cups and League competitions.

AKITA TONONOBU is a revelation! Having won 2 Mabuhay Cup with FC Metro Manila U15, the center back has earned the trust from his coach as one of the great defenders in his disposal. His bravery, tackling and sliding always put him in the starting lineup while his height is always a bonus for any team during set pieces.

An all round player who has played in almost all the positions, SOLMAYOR NHEL has excelled with FC Metro Manila U15 as a defender and the coach sees him as one of the best players who is always willing to give his all for the team. As a right back, he offers you that security at the back and attacking option going forward as a make shift forward within the team.

HORII KAITO is another wonderful player who can play as a midfielder but with much competition in the midfield. He showcases strong play with both left and right foot that a regular audience would not know he is a no natural left footer that is rarity. Kaito has flourished in the left back position. He is a player who knows how to have real shooting power with both legs. When playing as a left back, he can make that dangerous cross into the box with his powerful strike.   

JOHN MARCO is a great right fullback that likes to go forward. He is seen as a potential attacking option from behind during games. His speed tracking down the opposition player has been fantastic and his dribbling skill is great for a defender.

CERVANTES DAREN is a right back player that sometimes plays as a central defender during cup competitions. He is an excellent player that can give the coach many options. With his fearless mentality he is tipped for greatness as a defender.  

Being new to the team, MAZO is yet to establish himself.  However, he has already showcased his potential to be another formidable and fast defender.  Moreover, the coach  recognized his ability in becoming an outstanding player.      

The team is blessed with CACAPIT PAUL and JOHN RHAIN MISAGAL. The two goalkeepers work in the goalpost for FC Metro Manila U15 has been outstanding.  It is no surprise then that both have won best goalkeeper in cup and league matches. Both young players can play with their feet, which is line with the team’s philosophy of playing out from the back.  

With all these exceptional players, it is no wonder why FC Metro Manila U15 have scored 19 goals in their last 3 matches and conceded none.

SPIRITED AZKALS COME BACK THRILL FANS AS KOREA DPR BOW

Philippines 3:2 Korea DPR

Picture from Goal.ph

The crowd in Rizal stadium were not only thrilled, they were entertained as spirited Azkals came from behind to defeat Korea DPR 3:2 to keep Philippines hope of AFC Asian cup alive as they progress to the next round of the competition.

The game started with both teams sharing possession and attacking from end to end. However, it was the away side that had the first scoring chance but their shot went wide.

As the game progress, both teams created chances but were not able to convert any until 43^rd minutes when Javier Patiño brilliant move and shot was block by the Korea DPR’s goalkeeper but Misagh Bahadoran was at hand to slot home the follow up with a good header the first goal of the night.

As Azkals fans were still celebrating Korea DPR Kyong Jin equalized in the added time to put the crowd back on their sit and the half ended 1:1

Second half started and Ri Hyok Chol struck again for the away side to make it 1:2 as they came into the second half with lots of energy.

With Azkals knowing there is nothing to be afraid of going forward, they mounted pressure after pressure as Koreans started delaying tactics. At about 84 minutes, Manny Ott carved in the come back to set Rizal Stadium crowd on fire after a series of quick passes that also involved Patino who was up for a task through out the night and the fresh spirit of James Younghusband.

The decider that made the Korea DPR to bow and send the crowd to the 7^th heaven came in the last minutes of the regulation time as Patino again found Iain Ramsay in the box who made no mistake in finding the back of the net and give Azkals the desired victory as the game ended 3:2. 

This win has no doubt put the Azkals coach on the driving seat for contract extension. 

NOMADS BRAVE MIDFIELDER: 22 YEARS NIGERIAN ANTHONY IS OUR NEW MOST WANTED PLAYER IN THE PHILIPPINES

The 22 years 5.8 ft Nigerian Anthony’s strength, game intelligent and natural aggression made him an asset for Nomads Brave in the WFL, Philippines until the ban came to the team when they were about to play against Kaya FC in the second leg. He is aggressive and fearless in his challenge. He is a combative box to box midfielder who likes to be involve in play at all times whether in the defense or attack. He possesses and incredible shot from distance with both left and right foot. His heading power is an asset during set pieces. His goal scoring ability makes him a stand out performer when deploy in more advance role.

He was heavily involve in the Nomads Brave 2:1 win of Belarus FC at home, 4:1 defeat of Superbad FC, 6:1 emphatic win of Ceres Cruis FC, and 2:1 lose to Kaya FC in the first leg.

Though new in the Philippines and yet to experience UFL, his performance in the WFL with Nomads Brave shows that he is the type of player who is capable of playing in any level of competition. We see him becoming additional force with a team in this 2016 UFL season. He is a player who knows how to give those short and long range passes with accuracy and power to secure the teams back four or three.

He has had experience under studying and training with two important Nigeria Super Eagles football players, Mikel Obi of Chelsea FC, London and Onazi of Lazio, Italy from his hometown of Jos playing in the position he so much love.

Anthony also has experience playing in the Nigeria Nation Wide League, and various cup competitions in the country. 

The Parrot PH Football is watching out to seeing this name feature with one of the teams in the UFL League this season after the UFL Cup competition.

PHONE NO.: +639296418993

Send your CV and video clips to us (parrotph@gmail.com) as we scout for who is our most wanted.

*Note: Sending CV and videos to us would not make you our most wanted as we would have to do our background check and make sure you have the necessary skills to be our most wanted.

NEIL ETHERIDGE SAFE HANDS WAS NOT ENOUGH TO SAVE AZKALS FROM UZBEKISTAN 1:0 DEFEAT

Uzbekistan 1:0 Philippines

In a night that Philippines needed nothing more than victory against Uzbekistan in the FIFA world cup and AFC Asian cup qualifiers, Azkals faltered but the 26 years English League One club Walsall goalkeeper Neil Etheridge became a hero as he saved his 10-man Azkals from humiliating defeat.

The game started brightly as both teams came in with attacking intentions, however, it was the home side that had the first goal scoring chance as they came into a 1v1 situation with the Philippines number 1 who was brilliant in stopping the ball in the 6^th minutes of play.

The moment which defined the game came in the 10^th minutes of play when OJ Poteria who was instrumental in Kaya FC defeat of New Radiant of Maldives and Balestier Khalsa of Singapore in the AFC cup was shown a red card which we believe should have been a yellow for a tackle on the Uzbekistan player in their box. 

With Azkals now left with 10 men, they dropped deep with every player defending. This invited Uzbekistan to come out in numbers in search for opener but the goalkeeper who was fantastic and exceptional through out the night was always there to make those safes that proved why he was invited.

As the struggle to cope continued for the Philippines Azkals, they managed to get the ball out of the defense to their attacker that had options but he decided to shoot from a distance in the 20^th minutes but the shot was not strong enough to threaten the opponent’s goalkeeper.

The game continued with Neil Etheridge producing another safe when the back line allowed the ball to bounce and went over them for the home side striker to shoot. Etheridge produced yet another safe after safes until the half time as ball kept coming in from the Uzbekistan’s right wing.

Second half started and the home sides continue the pressure from where they stopped in the half with Philippines showing no attacking intention.  They came close to having an opener with a flick header but Etheridge was too good to be beaten. Another long-range shot came in the 52 minutes and the safe hands was equal to the task.

With all the wonders from Philippines Etheridge and Uzbekistan missed chances, that break through came for the home side as they finally found the back of the net in the 59^th minutes of play and left Azkals with a new mind set and approach.

With 1 goal down, Philippines came out with some counter attacking game that almost gave a fruitful result. But we believe they waited too long before putting pressure on the Uzbekistan which 59th minutes goal gave them a deserving 1:0 victory at the end of the full time whistle.  

We understood that Azkals were one man down in a game that wining was the only option. The team should have taken risk by playing with 3-man defense so that they could still attack and limit space for Uzbekistan to build their attack.  

We congratulate the whole team for the way they defended but the defending tactics was wrong for a game of that nature where scoring goals should have been the first priority.

Next game is against Korea DPR at Rizal Memorial Stadium Philippines.

Date: March 29 2016

Time: 8:00 pm  

  

PHILIPPINES MOST WANTED 15 YEARS TALENTED FOOTBALL MIDFIELDER

The 15 years Mercado Colin Szymon Redondo is a midfielder very much of the modern mould that would fit the Philippines National team age groups camp and football clubs around the world interested in young talents who could be the next big name in football. 

We see Szymon as one of the most talented young rising midfielders in the Philippines! Quick-footed player with natural balance and excellent shooting power! Physically, he might look weak but when the ball is closely on his feet, he can change direction quickly, and he doesn't get caught. For his age, he is unbelievable! His knowledge of the game is brilliant, his technical skills are fantastic and his height is superb. When his physical aspect of the game is fully develop, we believe he could become Philippines Andres Iniesta in the future.  

 He is known for his passing, dribbling, vision and movement! His ability to find and exploit space allows him to dictate the tempo of the game. His work ethics and willingness to play anywhere on the pitch makes him a player who could make the difference in a team.

There is no wonder FC Metro Manila has dominated Mabuhay League with such a player capable of creating scoring chances and adjusting to different positions in the field.

He is a natural right-footed player but his left foot is not weak.

Szymon who has played for Makati FC and currently playing for De La Sale South University and FC Metro Manila has lots of experience playing in Gothia Cup Sweden, Singa Cup, Singapore, UFL Youth League, Philippines, Alaska Cup, Philippines, Mabuhay League, Philippines and various school competitions is ready for a higher level and concentrated football.

Szymon on the ball

We would bring more about him as we follow his development and other talented players in the Philippines as we move around scouting hidden talents.