CEBU, Philippines – The University of Cebu-ERCO-BRO Nationals will begin its bid for a berth to the 2014 PFF-Smart National Club Championships as the Cebu qualifying event kicks off at 2 p.m. today at the Cebu City Sports Center.
The full schedule of the three-day tournament is not yet available as of this writing but Rodney Orale of UC-ERCO-BRO said they are likely to take on first Real Marbel FC of South Cotabato.
Despite the interruption of their training due to the postponement of the event, Cebu’s bets are ready to give their best shot. After Marbel, the Cebuano booters will play against Davao’s University of Mindanao-Tagum FC in group D.
Aside from group D, fans will also witness the group E battle here. Group E has Laos FC representing Leyte FA, Magis FC of Cagayan de Oro and ABC All-Star of Naga City in Luzon.
The group stage follows a round robin format, with the top finishes advancing into the national groupings later this month.
The national groupings will involve five groups plus three United Football League teams - Global FC, Kaya and Loyola Meralco Sparks. They will be split into two brackets, with the top two qualifiers slugging it out in the crossover semis. The winners will then fight for the championship and the P200,000 bounty that goes with it on November 9 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila. (FREEMAN)