Support our team

The Queen City United Football Club, which will be carrying Cebu’s colors in the United Football League that opens this weekend in Manila, needs our support.

I had a brief chat with Raffy Musni, one of the team representatives, the other day and he said that they were busy trying to put together the team’s kit in preparation for their opening match this Sunday against Pachanga FC.

Without Raffy mentioning it, I know who is now bankrolling the team, but then also I hope that other Cebu companies would come forward and support the squad in this national tournament, which they envision to be the premiere league of the country.

The UFL is considered as a semi-pro league as many players are getting paid to play for the various squads.

Players of the Philippine Azkals are in the rosters of Kaya FC and Global FC. I still have to go over the rosters of the other teams and I’m sure there would be some more familiar names there.

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The UFL is a dream come true for the thousands of football players in this basketball-crazy nation.

While basketball players aim to play in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), our footballers now look forward to getting a stint in the UFL.

As of now, there is not yet a lot of money if you play football in this country, but steadily, the attitude of sponsors and even the media giants are changing that the world’s number one sport is slowly being accepted by more Filipinos.

I’d like to believe that football is now a household name, but reality tells me that a little more effort is needed to make that happen.

Through the UFL, we hope to see that happen.

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Let me go back to where I started in this column. I’d like to ask the Cebuano business community to chip in their support to the team.

The UFL Cup, which opens this weekend, is scheduled to finish this December.

Initially, QCU has three matches scheduled under group C and if the team makes it to the top two of their bracket, they will advance to the round of 16.

Then the teams would further be trimmed down until there are only two left to fight for the championship.

With a limited time to put up a team together, QCU’s aim is to make it to the round of 16. This is not a long shot and I am hopeful to make it to their match in this stage early November.

Cebuanos in Manila can throw their support to the team by attending the games. The match this Sunday is at 1 p.m. at the University of Makati field.

We have a long way to go to having a top-notch football league in this country, but it is not anymore an impossible dream.

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MILESTONES: Belated happy birthday greetings to those who turned a year older last Monday like Elizabeth Maza, Emmet Penson, Filamor Balista-Ramos, Prets Lim, and Atty. Kate Go.

The same goes to yesterday’s birthday celebrants like my cousin Emilie Iway-de la Vega, Sheelah Marie Malicse, The Freeman’s Chen-chen Rosaroso-Ebuna, Hazel Tan, and my mistah Lt. Col. Mark Edwin Moro.

Today’s greetings go to Ret. Commodore Winston ‘Arf’ Arpon, karateka Oliver Rondez, and Innah Garcia.

Congratulations also to my mistahs who have recently assumed as battalion commanders Lt. Col. Jun Balaoro of the 87th IB and Nap de Vera of the 14th IB, which are both based in Samar Island. The same goes to Lt. Col. Flor Sison, of the 9th FSSU in Zamboanga.

More power to all of you!