BLEACHERS BREW EST. MAY 2006

Someone asked me how my blog and newspaper column came to be titled "Bleachers Brew". It's like this, it's an amalgam of sorts of two things: The bleachers area in the stadium/arena where I used to sit when I would watch baseball, football, and basketball games and Miles Davis' great jazz album Bitches Brew. That's how it got culled together. I originally planned on calling it "The View from the Big Chair" that is a nod to Tears For Fear's second album, Songs from the Big Chair. So there.

Friday, February 27, 2009

Random Thoughts on Game 1 of the UAAP Men's Football Finals

FEU lost Game 1 because of two things:
1) they went back to playing one-on-one. Short game was non-existent maybe save for a few plays. They were mostly virtuoso moves like Jovanie Simpron's goal. Glester Sobremisana, Raymond Buensuceso, and Kristian Macaspac were mostly non-factors. Frank Gustilo was okay but FEU has to remember that they are a team first. If they'd rather play one-on-one then they should have taken up track and field.
2) the defense. the back four was in this formation:
defender - defender
defender - defender
Sorry if they think they can replicate the same success they had when Jason Cordova was playing then they are mistaken.

UP's formation was like this:

Nacho Mendezona
Gary Villame - Jed Rances - Allen Serna - Nate Octavio
Francis Liza - Andrei Mercader - Steve Permanes
Keith Mordeno - JJ Manlunas - Andoni Santos

That's a 4-3-3 right there and that means it's a more attack-minded offense. UP played like a team. The last time they won was in 2001-02 with Anto Gonzales, Kale Alvarez, and Ariel Zerrudo. The last time they were in the finals was 2003-04 when the Maroons lost to Ateneo (Zerrudo's final year). They also went to the Finals before that but lost to UE.

Kale awarded the Player of the Match to Allan Serna for his energy on defense and offense.
The second goal by the way was on own goal by FEU. Steve Permanes sent a cross from a right corner kick then four FEU rose in the air and by mistake one of them headed it in. The referee gave the goal to Permanes and Kale and I actually thought it curved inside. But the instant replay showed that the ball was headed in by an FEU player. Sorry I didn't get the name but I will on Tuesday.

So right here now, they'd like to win it as a gift to UP on their Centennial Year.

Good job, Coach Frank. Salamat din!

FEU Coach Adolfo Alicante did not play for FEU but Letran. In the National Team his Coach was the great Orlando Plagata. Alicante has also coached various national team squads as well. Coach Dolfo is one of the nicest guys in the game. Much respect to the man!

Coach Merlie (Hans' assistant was a teammate of Ateneo's Coach Buda in PUP). So the community is small and people know each other. It's nice to see how everyone has moved on to teams outside their own colleges.

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