9/25/2013

Assessing the 2013 UFL Cup groups

Ruben Doctora and Rufo Sanchez in the 2012 UFL Cup championships.
It remains to be seen whether Rufo Sanchez will be teaming up with Ruben "Balut" Doctora in the 2013 UFL Cup. Photo: Kristela Anna Cruz


Finally, the local football season is about to start, and the wait has been excruciating. Sure, the UFL Preseason Cup is currently going on to fill that gap, but it is not the same as the real thing.

On October 12, the UFL Cup will kick off with 27 teams in six groups competing this year. Reigning Cup and League champion Stallion FC, which went through a facelift during the offseason, is one of the most anticipated teams along with Global and Kaya. Some of the non-league teams worth watching include national club champion Ceres FC from Negros and the debuting Manila Jeepney.

This year's Cup will have Groups A, C, and E with five teams, while Groups B, D, and F will have four squads each. The top three teams from the former three groups will advance to the knockout rounds along with the top two clubs and the best third place team in the latter three groups.

Here are the groups broken down with some analysis on how I feel they will pan out in the Cup.

Group A

At first glance, this is Green Archers United's group to dominate. What remains to be seen is whether affiliate club Forza FC can make it to the next round or they will be frustrated yet again. Also worth noting is that this is the third straight Cup where the two clubs are group together (four if you count the Preseason Cup).

Joining these two clubs are Division Two squad Cimarron, the enigmatic Cebu Queen City FC, and the intriguing Manila Jeepney, who will be coached by Kale Alvarez. The verdict is still out on Manila Jeepney, but I will not be surprised if they are able to reach the round-of-16.

Group B

The club that stands out in this group is Loyola Meralco Sparks, and I do not think they will encounter any difficulty of reaching the next round. It is now up to the three remaining clubs on who will join the Sparks.

After a number of their players transferred to Socceroo, it remains to be seen if General Trias International is the same club that made heads turn last season. Meanwhile, the recently relegated Philippine Air Force is currently on a state of flux, while Division Two club Agila FC aims to foil plans of the other clubs of their plans.

Group C

No other group screams "group of death" than this one. You have the aforementioned Global and Ceres, a middle of the pack Division One club in PSG FC, a former Division Club side that wants to redeem itself in Navy FC, and a new club that wants to get itself recognized in Manila Tala.

By virtue of their past performances, it is safe to say that Global and the Negros Occidental-based club will go far in the tournament. I am tempted to say PSG will take the third slot in their group, but I do not want to discount the two non-Division One clubs.

Group D

After Loyola, Stallion had it lucky in the draw. The champions are expected to breeze past Philippine Army, Dolphins United, and what seems to be another Ateneo-based club in Blue Guards.

Although Army stays in Division One after wining against Union International in the playoff, Dolphins is expected to put up some challenge for the second playoff spot. Blue Guards, for now, is a big, big question mark.

Group E

It is not the group of death, but competition here is expected to be tight. First, there is newly promoted club Socceroo, and then there is the previous season's promoted club Pachanga Diliman. These two clubs who will most likely advance to the knockout rounds. Laos FC, Mendiola, and unknown entity Bright Star will slug it out for the last knockout seed with my money on the Global affiliate club.

Group F

Kaya will most likely go on to the knockout stages with relative ease, especially now that they have stocked up on talent during the break. Out to join them are two Division Two clubs Union and Manila All Japan and Cup returnee Manila Hurricanes, which was known as Manhur from two seasons back.

Among the three, Union appears to be strongest club as they nearly got promoted to the first division only to fall to Army in the playoffs. Nevertheless, I will be delighted if Manila Hurricanes pull off a surprise.

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There you have it. A brief preview of what to expect in the coming UFL Cup. Do you agree with my assessment? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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