Archers surrender two late goals, draw third match

Green Archers United cannot seem to get over the hump as the club leaked two goals in the final five minutes of regulation for a 2-2 scoreline against Philippine Army-General Trias International on January 23 at the Emperador Stadium in Taguig. This is the Archers' third draw in as many matches they have played at the 2014 United Football League.

Leading two goals to nil after Jovanie Simpron scored in the third minute and Robert Lopez Mendy in the 65th minute, Green Archers let Army bounce back into the match as John Cain notched a goal in the 86th minute, followed by a rebound off a scramble by Kang Dae Han from a corner kick in the 89th minute.

"It’s a sad day for us. We should have won this handily. I think we let our guard down slightly in the last ten minutes," manager Monchu Garcia said.

GAU executed crisp short passes that led to several chances in the first half, foremost being Simpron’s strike, which came from a through ball that the Far Eastern alum took advantage of with a one-on-one situation against Army keeper Ed Sacapano. The lead could have been padded further as shots on goal by Chieffy Caligdong, Park Jun Soo, and Arnie Pasinabo were either off target or went straight to Sacapano. Army-GTI relied on counterattacks in the first 45 minutes of the fixture, but was unable to make a dent in the scoreboard.

In the second half, the pace became more deliberate with several stoppages because of physical play. The Archers were the more dominant side in the first 20 minutes as they pressed from way back and tested Sacapano with one attempt after another.

From a nifty short corner kick by substitute Tating Pasilan at the right wing, Chieffy Caligdong deftly dribbled beside the baseline, attracting the attention of the defenders. His short groundball cross went to an unmarked Lopez Mendy at the middle of the six-yard box, who then tapped it in for a two-goal advantage.

With the Archers tasting their largest cushion so far in the season, they fell back a bit to concentrate on defense. However, this gave the striped shirts the impetus to attack. Cain’s left boot from the right flank trimmed the gap to within one.

A few ticks later, a corner kick sent into Green Archers’ box was headed by Jeon Shin Seok towards goal but was deflected out. In the ensuing scramble, Kang flicked the ball with his left foot.

Deyto, who was behind the goal line, protected the ball with his body. When he proceeded to continue play, Army players stopped and pointed towards his direction. During the slight confusion, referee Ariel Montana whistled for a goal as Green Archers players surrounded the linesman to protest the call and state their case.

"It’s not a goal, I swear, man. The linesman just called that. He was miles away and people were blocking his view, so how can he possibly call that," Deyto said after the match.

GAU is still at the bottom half of the table with three points. Army-GTI is just a single point above, so far amassing a win, a defeat, and a draw to start the season.

Green Archers United draws yet again

After fighting tooth and nail against the defending United Football League champions on opening day, Green Archers United found themselves in the worst of starts and almost gave Pasargad and debuting coach Nii Aryee Ayi their first win of the season. Good thing the Archers held on as a Dodong Villareal goal in the 70th minute to notch a 1-1 draw on January 16 at the Emperador Stadium, McKinley Hill, Taguig.

Coach Rodolfo Alicante was displeased with his squad's start as Simon Pierre Bayemeg scored in the 21st minute to hand his team the lead. With Pasargad playing at a deliberate pace, GAU picked up the tempo in the second half and started pressuring from way back.

Green Archers' resilience paid off as Villareal slotted one in front of the mouth of the goal, the assist courtesy of Chieffy Caligdong off a corner kick. They had several more chances to break the tie, but the ball does not just want to go beyond the goal line. Russel Anthony Pierson was a stonewall of a keeper, frustrating GAU's forays from inside the box as well as Jessie Martindale's booming attempts from beyond.

"Yung first half namin yung pinaka-worst na start. Yung mga players namin medyo off, maraming bad pass kaya naka-goal ang Pasargad," Alicante assessed. "But in the second half, nag-adjust ako. Nag-start ako sa loob muna, pinaikot ko muna yung mga players."

Alicante made changes in front to give his attacking line more teeth with Jovanie Simpron coming in for Tating Pasilan barely five minutes into the second half and Villareal and earlier substitute Park Jun Soo switching positions. This proved to be fruitful as the passes became more accurate, and coupled with fleet footspeed, was able to net a goal but not enough to take the full three points.

Jr. NBA Philippines introduces Jr. WNBA program

Members of the 2013 Jr. NBA Philippines All-Star Team pose with Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers. Photo courtesy of: Jr. NBA Philippines

Jr. NBA Philippines is back for its seventh year to introduce kids to sports and help them develop their skills in basketball. Presented by Alaska, the program introduces Jr. WNBA for the benefit of young girls who want to learn to ball.

The program kicks off with a coaches’ clinic on January 18 at the British School in Bonifacio Global City with a school clinic to be held the following day starting at 10am. Jr. NBA then goes to Cebu with a school clinic on January 25 and a coaches’ clinic on January 26 at the Sacred Heart School – Ateneo de Cebu. There will be more clinics lined up for the rest of the year, which include stops in Puerto Princesa, Dagupan City, Surigao, and Iloilo City.

Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA is free and open to players from 10-14 years old. Aside from basketball clinics, other activities include camps, NBA Cares outreach activities, and more. The program also espouses the S.T.A.R. values of sportsmanship, teamwork, positive attitude, and respect on players, coaches, and parents.

For the second straight year, NBA Asia Senior Director of Basketball Operations Sefu Bernard will serve as camp director. He will be assisted by coaches of the Alaska Power Camp, headed by Jojo Lastimosa. Last year, former NBA player Muggsy Bogues appeared during the national training camp to impart knowledge and provide inspiration to the participants.

For coaches, the clinic will impart to them new techniques, approaches, and methodologies. Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA is also searching for its Coach of the Year, which will be awarded to the coach who best helped grow the sport of basketball and promote the S.T.A.R. values.

Jr. NBA was introduced to the country in 2007 with clinics held in 16 schools around Metro Manila. In the following years, the program expanded to cover more locations. In 2013, it was conducted in more than 500 schools and communities, reaching more than 60,000 students, parents and coaches.

The program is composed of four stages, namely, the touring clinics, the regional selection camps, the national training camp, and the NBA Experience. The ten best participants from the national training camp will be selected to be part of the Jr. NBA Philippine All-Star Team, who will then travel to the USA for a chance to play against other youth players and get to go through an NBA Experience.

Some of the alumni of the Jr. NBA program include Kiefer Ravena of the Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles, Mark Tallo of the Southwestern University Cobras, and Kib Montalbo of the De La Salle Green Archers.