UFL Cup: Quarterfinals cast set as 'new order' emerges in PHL football

The first round of the UFL Cup has wrapped up, with a few surprises thrown in along the way. The top eight may have made it through to the quarterfinals but as noted by many, a new order is emerging in Philippine football. Competitive edge With many teams having bolstered their ranks from the recently-concluded UFL League season, this year's UFL Cup has been ultra-competitive. Among those, Global FC is considered the general favorite, having having added Demit Omphroy, Matthew Uy, and Denis Wolf, among others. Stallion FC however, will once again the dark horses of the competition (no pun intended), having persuaded Rufino Sanchez and Joaquin Garcia to move on loan from Inter De Madrid, whilst also signing Jason De Jong on a permanent deal. Competitive balance was the theme of Stage Two, as no team managed to win all their games. Global FC, General Trias International FC, and Kaya FC boast the best defensive records, conceding only one goal each in their four matches, while Loyola Meralco Sparks FC has once more outscored everyone, totaling 23 goals. Double figures in games was only reached once, in a 12-0 victory for Loyola against Mendiola FC 1991, a much more competitive and positive showing, which proves the UFL right in their Stage One. Group A Global FC kicked off the UFL Cup against Pasargad FC at the Rizal Memorial Stadium and looked comfortable from the get-go. Recording a 3-1 win over their foes, they went into their next match with confidence, but General Trias, which thrashed Navy 5-0 in their first game, held the League Champions to a 0-0 draw, albeit on a terrible pitch in Nuvali. Global won their remaining two games against Team Socceroo and Navy comfortably, while General Trias and Pasargad arranged an all-or-nothing showdown between the sides for their last games. The newcomers managed to hold Pasargad 1-1 and make it through to the next round behind Global, as the only Stage One team which made it through to the quarterfinals of the UFL Cup. Pasargad may be out of the UFL Cup but their showing does at least mean they will be one of ten NCR FA representatives for the 2013 PFF National Men’s Club Championship. They also boast the top scorer of the Group Stage with Masood Shadideh finding the net eight times, ahead of Rufo Sanchez for the Stallions on seven and Izzo El Habbib on six goals. Group B Green Archers United and Kaya took charge of their group and eased into the next round, though not after an early scare as a 1-1 draw between the Archers and Kaya forced the two to win by as many goals as possible in their other assignments to finish on top. The Green Archers managed the better goal difference, meaning they placed first in the group, while Kaya, runners-up from the last UFL League, finished runners-up anew in Group B. Forza managed to earn four points, being the only other team in the group to pick up a win, dispatching Dolphins United, while Diliman drew twice to avoid finishing last in the group. Group C Despite a shock 2-1 loss to Pachanga FC, Loyola managed to top the group, though things went down the wire in what was considered to be the toughest group of Stage Two. When the dust settled, the Sparks, Pachanga, and Nomads all tied on nine points after three wins and a loss each. The Sparks, like last year, had the best goal difference of any team, racking up 23 goals and conceding just four, as their heavy wins over Manila Nomads and Mendiola FC 1991 sent them through as group winners. The Nomads, which saw coach Michael Denison resign following their last game and one too many controversial decisions from UFL officials, meanwhile settle for third. The club earned victories against Laos and Pachanga, but their goal difference was the worst of the top three, after their 8-1 defeat to Loyola. They'll have to settle however for representing the NCR FA in the 2013 PFF National Men’s Club Championship, though they will be disappointed not to be featuring further in the UFL Cup. Pachanga may have lost 1-0 to Nomads, but they sneaked ahead of the ex-pat filled club with a surprise victory over Loyola and by clinching a winner against Laos, which had pulled back from two goals down to equalize in the last game of Stage Two. Group D Army ended the League on a sour note, suffering a heavy defeat to GAU which consigned them to a ninth place finish, only ahead of the Navy, who were relegated. However they’ve shown signs of rejuvenation here, as in their first game of Group D, when they pulled a surprise win over Stallions, even keeping a clean sheet with a 2-0 victory. That result seems all the more impressive when you consider that the Stallions scored nineteen goals in their next three games, evenly spread out in a 6-0 win over the Sta. Lucia Mustangs, an 8-0 win over Agila FC, and a 5-1 win over the Air Force. The club went on to draw against both the Mustangs and the Air Force 1-1, after beating Agila. Finishing with eight points they had to settle for second, despite their solid win over Stallions, who clinched the top spot with nine points. The knockout stage The results set up some interesting matches for the quarterfinals. The pick of the bunch is certainly Global versus Kaya, which will be played at UMAK this Tuesday night. The winner there then moves on, against the winner of Loyola versus Army. In the other half of the bracket, the winner of the Green Archers versus Pachanga will face either Stallions or General Trias, a tricky tie for both clubs. Whatever happens in the next round, one thing’s for sure: Philippine football is only getting better and better. - AMD, GMA News