Jeepney booters snatch 'Homeless' Host Cup

MANILA, Philippines - Team Jeepney Philippines bucked the loss to injury of its top player and went on to nip Norway, 4-3, and capture the Host Cup trophy in the Homeless World Cup in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil recently.

Jun Jun Aragon took over from Hammid Pasion, who sustained an ankle injury in the early going of the contest, with the Bacolod native combining with Abdula Pasion and Tonie Mark Arinal in the first half before taking charge in the second half.

He sealed the win with a brilliant move and strike in the left corner of the net.

The RP booters thus closed out their campaign with a 9-3 (win-loss) slate, finishing 25th overall and copping the Host Cup trophy, one of the six trophies up for grabs in the tournament, which drew 64 nations and held to generate awareness and opportunity to marginalized people from all over the world. 

The event also served as a venue to promote public awareness on the plight of the homeless and poor and to generate change in the lives of those trapped in extreme circumstances.

It has become a premier sporting event and a social voice around the world.  

The other members of Team Jeepney Philippines were brothers Mark and Lexter Maravilla, Michael Quinlat and Revect Lagardo.

Team RP lost its first two games to Brazil, 2-9, and Chile, 0-9, but edged Croatia, 4-3. It dropped a 2-4 setback to Italy in its fourth game but swept its next eight games, including an 8-2 rout of Sweden and a 14-4 romp over South Korea.

The Filipinos also pulled off squeakers over Argentina, 5-4, Norway, 3-2, and Germany, 8-6, before thumping Finland, 6-2.

Team RP finished 37th in a field of 48 in the event’s inaugural staging in 2008 in Australia then wound up 29th in last year’s staging in Italy.