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| Phil Younghusband at one of the tune-up matches of Davao Aguilas FC in Malaysia recently (Photo by Mickey Sanchez) |
On Saturday, the Davao del Norte Sports Complex will be hosting the long-awaited debut of the Younghusband brothers with Davao Aguilas FC, as they host Global Cebu FC at 4pm. They are the crown jewels of Gary Phillips' retooling efforts, with both scoring in the Asian Cup Qualifier against Yemen earlier this week at the Pana-ad Park and Stadium in Bacolod.
While most teams had a long international break, the Aguilas have had a longer sabbatical from league play, as a result of having a bulk of players being called up for national team duty at the Southeast Asian Games. They last played back in July 29, losing 3-2 to league-leading FC Meralco Manila.
The lone Mindanao-based team in the PFL is still seeking their first win of the season, with losses in four of their last five matches. They used their break by having a camp in Malaysia, going up against various Malay clubs as they await their return to league play. This also kicks off a brutal stretch of matches for Davao, with five matches in a span of two weeks, with a home-and-home against Global Cebu, then a back-to-back against Ceres-Negros FC, and the much-anticipated first meeting of the Younghusbands against their former team on September 23.
On the other hand, Global Cebu FC is also in a slump of their own, without a league win in the last month, with the latest being a 2-1 loss to Stallion Laguna FC in Binan.
Meanwhile, there is a club football doubleheader at separate venues on Sunday.
At 4pm, Stallion Laguna FC seeks to extend their winning run to three straight matches by hosting league cellar-dwellers Ilocos United FC at the Binan Football Stadium, while JPV Marikina FC hosts Kaya FC at 7pm at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.
The latter two teams are involved in the latest league ruling, as they awarded Kaya a 3-0 forfeiture win over JPV in their May 27 fixture. As a result, Kaya now is in solo second place with 32 points in 19 matches.
Both teams are seeking a much-needed win, with JPV only having one since June 25, while Kaya has not yet secured a win since their five-match streak.
Meanwhile, FC Meralco Manila and Ceres-Negros FC will resume football activities later in the week, with the latter hosting an AFC Cup Inter-zonal semifinal against FC Istiklol on September 12 before traveling to Davao to face the Aguilas on the 16th, the same day FC Meralco Manila travels to Cebu to face Global.
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