MANILA, Philippines - Brothers Phil and James Younghusband will settle their score in the Clear Dream Match 3, the country’s biggest football all-star game that will get added star power with Manchester United legends Paul Scholes and Andy Cole suiting up.
Team Phil and Team James had split the first two rounds of their sibling battle over the past two years and to prepare for their upcoming third clash on June 7 at the University of Makati field, they finalized their rosters in the draft at the Hyve recently.
Phil tabbed fellow Azkal and Ceres-La Salle player Carlie de Murga to be his co-captain for the squad that will also have Chris Greatwich (Kaya FC), Sam Bonney (Loyola Meralco Sparks), Mark Hartmann (Global FC), Anton Gonzales (Pachanga), and Baba Sampana (Loyola Meralco Sparks), among others.
On the other hand, James picked Pachanga PLDT Home Fibr FC player and Azkal Nate Burkey as co-captain with Joaco Canas and Simon Greatwich (Loyola Meralco Sparks), OJ Porteria and Anton del Rosario (Kaya FC), and Misagh Bahadoran (Global FC) as some of his team members.
The draft was made after weeks of voting and competitive team campaigning.
With more than 700,000 votes, the 50-player voting pool consisting of the top-ranked United Football League players based on statistics was trimmed down to 30, each one drafted by captains James and Phil Younghusband.
“With both teams tied at 1-1, the competition between the brothers is the most intense it has ever been. Both teams have been actively campaigning on social media just to rally their fans to vote which team will have the first draft pick,†said Clear brand manager Drew Copuyoc.
The online fan engagement, meanwhile, would still continue until May 25. The team with the highest points by May 26 will get the privilege of selecting the Manchester United legend they want on their team.
With the teams set, the battle for Clear Supremacy promises to be another blast.
Tickets to Clear Dream Match 3 are being sold in all SM ticket outlets.
Following last year’s formula, fans were given the chance to determine the first draft pick. Since March 10, fans have tirelessly supported their favorite team through digital participation. A reward also awaits the “most digitally active fan†who will get the chance to fly to Old Trafford to watch a Manchester United game live.
This year’s Clear Dream Match draft consisted of four rounds. Garnering more than 2 million points online, Team Phil was awarded the first draft pick after which James and Phil took turns in selecting their top five.
The second round was the amateur selection, where Team James and Team Phil, together with their co-captains, selected their picks from the top 6 amateurs.
In the third round, the brothers drew lots to complete their roster. Then in the last round, the brothers had wild card picks. The wildcard pick could be any player either within the voting pool, or outside the voting pool. But to stir things up, Team James was given an extra wild card pick for winning last year’s Clear Dream Match.