CFA booters make it to U14 selection

Eight members of the Cebu Football Association (CFA) Boys Under 14 team were chosen to be part of the selection that will be the basis for the training pool of the Philippine Under 14 team.

They are Don Bosco Technology Center’s Moiselle Alforque, Kenry Balobo, Vincent Lovitos, and Angelo Christian Ouano, Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu’s Kintaro Miyagi and Jose Marie Kwan, University of Southern Philippine Foundation’s Lawrence Colina and Abellana National School’s Major Dean Ebarle.

The eight are part of the 29 players whom Boys U14 head coach Oliver “BingBing” Colina scouted from last weekend’s Philippine Football Federation (PFF) Boys U14/Girls U13 Visayas Regional Festival of Football in San Carlos City.

The rest who made it to the selection were Negros Oriental Football Association’s JHenry Hamdan, Anton Yared, Christian Lapas, Ian Daniel Eumague, Roman Yosof Catif and Phel Harritz Emmanuel Libatog; Negros Occidental Football Association’s Mason Vergara, Shanden Vergara, Kristoper Caraballe, Paolo Rebadomia, Neil Tenebroso, Eduard Versario, Gabriel Mendoza, Ashly Pamilar and Vanlloyd Baguioro, Iloilo Football Association’s Jed Delariarte, Jed Adrian Guillergan, Ralph Reyna, Red Vincent Brilliantes, Sherwin Merindad and Leyte Football Association’s Paul Eymard Lopez.

Alforque, Lovitos, Miyagi, Colina, Ebarle, Hamdan, Yared, Eumague and Mason Vergara were former members of the Philippine U13 national youth team better known as Little Azkals.

This year, they have been manning the Philippine U14 team. But Colina said being members of the Philippine U13 will not mean that they will get an automatic entry to the Philippine U14 official lineup.

“I’m bringing the selection back to zero. They will have to prove their worth to give chance to others who may be more deserving to be part of the team. This way, they will also continue to play at their best level and they will not be complacent,” Colina said.

Colina and his staff will continue their scouting in other PFF regional football festivals in Iligan from March 2 to 4 and Laguna from March 9 to 12.

Once selection is done, the players will then undergo evaluation and trimmed down to 30 for the training pool.

The 22 who will form the official lineup for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-14 Festival of Football in Malaysia this June will be taken from the 30.