Football
Loyola guns for UFL lead vs Pasargad; Kaya battles Army
AKTV/Jojo Lirio Jr.
The Loyola Meralco Sparks seeks the top spot as it tangles with struggling Pasargad in United Football League action this Saturday at the University of Makati field.
Held to a 3-3 draw by a spirited Air Force Phoenix side in their last outing, the Sparks hope to do better against a team that has won only one game so far this season.
Kickoff is at 2 p.m. with the Sparks missing skipper James Younghusband, who will serve a one-match ban for his dismissal in the match against Air Force.
Still, the Sparks boast of ample firepower with two of the league’s leading scorers in their side in Phil Younghusband and Mark Hartmann, who combined for the three goals against Air Force.
Phil is the league’s leading scorer with 12 goals. He has scored in all but two of the Sparks’ eight matches.
Kaya, meanwhile, starts life without long-time coach Juan Cutillas against Philippine Army Fritz and Macziol in the 4 p.m. clash.
Cutillas, who steered the side to a fourth-place finish in the Cup, resigned from his post just two days after Kaya absorbed a heavy 1-5 loss to Global.
Despite the loss, Kaya actually remained at third spot with 18 points and a game in hand.
Management appointed former player Kale Alvarez to coach the side for the meantime with injured skipper Aly Borromeo assisting him.
Army, running sixth with nine points, will be looking to get back at Kaya, which dealt the Armed Forces team a 2-0 defeat in the first round.
A win by the Sparks, who have 19 points, in their final match of the first round will allow them to leapfrog past Global on top.
One of three newly-promoted teams from the second division, Pasargad has found life tough at the top-flight.
With just five points to show from eight games, Pasargad is barely ahead of bottom team Navy, which has four points.
The team briefly showed some signs of life in its first game after the transfer window, stunning Army, 3-2. But the squad came crashing back to earth as it lost to Navy, 2-1.
Pasargad is coming off a 2-0 defeat to Air Force Wednesday night in a match wherein it squandered golden chances, particularly in the second half.
The Pasargad-Loyola match will be aired live by AKTV on IBC-13 at 2 p.m. while the Kaya-Army tussle will be shown at 9:30 p.m. primetime.
