Schrock-Phil duel up as Ceres faces Sparks in UFL

MANILA, Philippines - Azkals stalwarts Stephan Schrock and Phil Younghusband will feature in a marquee showdown in the opening weekend of the UFL Cup.

Schrock has joined Ceres La Salle FC on loan from SpVgg Greuther Fürth and will cross paths with Younghusband and the Loyola Meralco Sparks immediately on his initial outing for the Bacolod side on Feb. 7. Ceres and the Sparks belong to Group B of the competition in the company of former champion Global, Green Archers United, Nomads and Pasargad.

The UFL Cup will actually fire off on Feb. 6 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium with a triple-bill with Forza taking on Agila (Group A), Pasargad meeting Global, and JP Voltes facing Laos. The next day promises to be even more action-packed with Nomads battling Archers and defending titlist Kaya going up against Stallion before Ceres and Loyola Meralco hit the Rizal pitch.

The 29-year-old Schrock, who skippered the Azkals when Younghusband served his suspension in the World Cup Qualifiers game against Yemen, was the latest high-profile addition to Ceres.  He joined national mainstays like Martin Steuble, Patrick Reichelt, Juani Guirado and another new signing, Kevin Ingreso.

“His work ethic will push all players to their full potentials as he has vast experience. He is also an impact player who could change the result of a game, and very dynamic with pace and can also read the game well. But this is a team sport. All players will have to work hard and the cohesion of the team is very important to score a win,” said Ceres coach Ali Go.

Azkals skipper Younghusband, along with his brother James, Jason de Jong and Simon Greatwich, will banner the new-look Sparks, who have tabbed former Under-23 skipper Jinggoy Valmayor from Pachanga.

“Ever since the UFL started I really wanted to play with Phil (Younghusband) kasi, idol ko siya since I was young,” said Valmayor. “It’s a dream come true for me. I’ve always looked up to Phil as a striker. Now, I play alongside him, so hopefully this season we can do more as teammates.”