| Bacolod City, Philippines | Wednesday, January 25, 2006 |
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for battle, coach says
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Three days before plunging into action, the coach of the Negros Occidental Football Association XI said his squad is ready for battle in the Visayas qualifying tournament of the Philippine Football Federation National Men's Senior Championship that unfolds Jan. 27 at the Silliman University pitch in Dumaguete City. "I can not promise that we will win, but we are definitely prepared to battle," NOFA coach Fredie Lazarito told the DAILY STAR yesterday. The Negros football squad, bannered by the University of St. La Salle booters, will take on Cebu FA and Oriental Negros FA for the right to represent Visayas in the national finals in Iloilo next month. Lazarito, who also serves as the mentor of the USLS football team, said he would not conclude anything about the outcome of the event because he has not seen their opponents yet. "The chances will always be 50-50 once you have not seen the plays of the opposing squads," he added. Iloilo FA, which earned a slot in the national tilt with NOFA last year after emerging as the top two teams in the Visayas leg, will have an automatic slot in the national finals being the host, he said. La Salle defeated arch-rivals West Negros College, 2-0, in the finals of the men's open division of the NOFA Provincial Football Championships in Bago City in September last year to obtain the right to represent Negros in the regional tournament. Arnie Pasinabo, who played for the Philippine men's football squad during the 23rd Southeast Asian Games, and goalkeeper Archie Bayquin, the Most Valuable Player of the NOFA provincial event, are expected to power the Negros' bid for a national finals stint. Former La Salle standouts Dexter Versario, who was a member of the RP men's football team training pool, and Jason Costanilla has also been inserted into the line-up to strengthen the squad, Lazarito said. NOFA placed second last year after bowing to the Philippine Navy via a penalty shootout in Cagayan de Oro City. The Visayas winner will compete against the champions of North-South Luzon, Southeast Luzon, Western Mindanao, Northeast Mindanao and South-Central Mindanao and host Iloilo in the national championships slated Feb. 20 to 26. A total of 25 squads will see action in six regional qualifying tournaments. *CIT |
