MANILA, Philippines — F2 Logistics is set to bring back its imports when the Philippine Superliga (PSL) Grand Prix unfurls next month.
Venezuelan Maria Jose Perez and American Kennedy Bryan are set to make a return shortly after powering the Cargo Movers to their first Grand Prix title late last year.
Perez and Bryan are two of the best tandem ever to play in the prestigious club league.
Although it was Perez who went on to clinch the Most Valuable Player title, it was Bryan’s impressive performance that propelled them to become the first PSL club to crawl back from a 0-1 deficit in a best-of-three title series.
Team manager Hollie Reyes said it’s just a matter of time before these two imports could formally strike a deal with the Cargo Movers.
“We’re already in the final stage of negotiation and we expect them to sign the contract any time soon,” said Reyes.
“We’re just ironing out some minor details. But we don’t expect any problem since Maria and Kennedy already signified their intention to return shortly after we won the title last year.”
Reyes also hinted that there’s a possibility that they will hire a third import following the departure of star defender Dawn Macandili to the UAAP.
“We’re seriously thinking about it,” she said. “But it all depends on who’s available on the market. We’ll see. If we can’t get a good import as libero, we might as well convert a local player to serve as libero.”
Aside from Macandili, the Cargo Movers will also lose Kianna Dy, Majoy Baron, CJ Saga and Desiree Cheng, who are still tied up with De La Salle University.
Reyes, who is also a former Lady Spiker, admitted that they are having a hard time filling the void created by their absence.
“As we know coach Ramil (de Jesus), he is looking for players who can not just play, but also fit into his system,” she said.
“He wants the local players whom we will recruit to stay with until the All-Filipino (Conference) and the rest of the season. So we have to be very careful with our selection.”
We’re still a work in progress. But rest assured that we will come up with a strong team that is capable of making another run at the crown.”