Azkals teammates clash for 2011 UFL Cup

It's the Younghusband brothers of the Loyola Meralco Sparks versus Chieffy Caligdong and Ian Araneta of the Air Force Phoenix for the UFL Cup on Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.   Philippine Azkals striker Phil Younghusband will team up with Mark Hartmann when they try to lead the Sparks to victory. The two combined for 37 goals in the six games they played to finish 1-3 in the UFL’s top goal scorers.   Air Force is not to be outdone in terms of firepower as Araneta and Caligdong are ranked second and fifth in scoring with a combined 25 goals.   The two teams faced little challenge in their road to the finals. Loyola Meralco opened its campaign with a 15-0 demolition of Team Socceroo FC and continued dominating teams in Group B. The Sparks routed Internacionale FC, 7-1, and Agila FC, 5-1, respectively.   They crushed Sunken Garden United, 14-0, in the knockout stage then squeezed out a 2-1 decision against Stallions FC in a game where three red and seven yellow cards were issued.   In the semifinals round, the Sparks overhauled a 3-0 halftime deficit before the Younghusband brothers and Mark Hartman scored five goals in the second half to book Loyola’s first finals appearance.   Similarly, Air Force steamrolled its elimination round opponents starting with a 4-1 win over Laos FC. The Phoenix never let up and overwhelmed Philippine Navy Redjuice FC,  6-2, and thrashed Manila-All Japan FC, 13-0.   Araneta then held a scoring clinic for the Airmen in the knockout stage where he finished with seven goals in Air Force’s 15-3 pummeling of Manhur FC. The Phoenix defeated Green Archers United, 3-1, in the quarterfinals.   Air Force faced Global FC in the semifinals, a rematch of last year’s 2010 UFL Cup Championship. This time, the Airmen avenged their loss scoring two late goals to unseat the champions.   Keys to winning   Loyola Meralco Sparks: Hold the defensive line at no cost Even if they have allowed three goals in the first half against Kaya, they changed their strategy on containing the defensive line and worked the ball from the midfielders all the way up to the attacking area of the line.   Take advantage of striking more attempts to score goals in the second half After the substitution of the Kaya goalkeeper, they made it a point to break through the defense of and take more attempts at the goal.   Airforce Phoenix: Awareness of open space in the midfield area Against Global, they penetrated the game from the mid-half of the field that led to easy passes to Araneta and Caligdong.   Determination Each player on the pitch stood their ground to up to the end of the game, giving a fight and not giving any chances to offensive threats like Misagh Bahadoran and Ezo Elhabib   Strengths and weaknesses   Loyola Meralco Sparks Strengths An international coach, Chul Su Kim, who is an experienced tactician A powerful threat of strikers from the likes of the Younghusbands and Hartmanns An all-star defensive lineup with captain Patrick Ozaeta   Weaknesses The tendency to relax when they are ahead Midfield falters once in awhile When strikers get frustrated, they lose their temper and tend to play individually   Airforce Phoenix Strengths A powerful striking force from the likes of Caligdong and Araneta The squad has been together for a long time; they have had the time to gel and familiarize themselves with each other's play   Weakness An old and aging squad — JVP, GMA News