Mika Palileo - Features
Mika Palileo
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The Men in the Arena
Philippine National Team captain and veteran defender Rob Gier summed up the match versus Turkmenistan quite succinctly during the post-match press conference. “It was a tough game, it was totally, totally different from the Cambodia game,” he says, adding that the match versus Cambodia placed the limelight on the Philippines’ attackers.“(The Turkmenistan game) was all about the defenders. It just go...
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Wet, Wild, and Everything in Between
“I didn’t know this game was on my bucket list until it happened,” my friend Ron enthuses, as we were cheering on a group of ball boys and girls scooping excess water from the sides of the pitch at the Rizal Memorial Stadium. Indeed, who would have thought that the Philippines-Cambodia match was one for the books? Hubris aside, an easy victory was expected, but the style and manner by which the Azkals had ...
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Of Cinderella Stories and Broadening Horizons
When you defeat three of the biggest names in Philippine football, the metaphors come flowing easily—the Cinderella story, the fairy tale run, the giant-slayers, and the list goes on. All these are the accolades bequeathed upon Ceres FC. The Bacolod-based squad defeated the likes of Stallion, Global, and Kaya to book a spot in the finals of the PFF Smart National Club Championships versus Pasargad (which also ha...
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Choosing What to Look At: Post-Suzuki Cup Ramblings and Reflections
There are losses that prompt one to write and write until the pain disappears or becomes bearable. Then there are losses that just leave you stunned and muted, unable to articulate anything—and this is what I had been reduced to after the Philippines bowed out of the AFF Suzuki Cup after Singapore. As overly dramatic as that sounds, it does indicate the level of emotional investments and high expectations I have for t...
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Of Draws and Disappointments: Post-Match Notes from Leg 1 of Philippines v. Singapore
Hushed tones, then queues to the nearest exits. This was the general scenario in the grandstand as the final whistle blew in the first leg of the semifinal match between the Philippines and Singapore. Finally, the home game we’ve been waiting for since the team was deprived of such two years ago versus Indonesia—and the thousands of spectators that flocked to the Rizal Memorial Stadium certainly expected nothing...
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Earning Our Stripes: Post-Group Stage Observations and Reflections
We’re finally getting that home match that we were deprived of two years ago in the AFF Suzuki Cup, and cinching this has proven to be what the Azkals have been working for throughout the year. In a lot of ways, getting past the group stage is indicative that Philippine football has stamped its legitimacy in the Southeast Asian football scene—and this did not come without the battle scars, the clawing and scratc...
| 1. Stallion FC | 42 pts |
| 2. Global FC | 40 pts |
| 3. Loyola Meralco Sparks | 34 pts |
| 4. Kaya Cignal | 25 pts |
| 5. Pachanga F.C. | 25 pts |
| 6. Green Archers United | 18 pts |
| 7. Pasargad | 15 pts |
| 8. Nomads Auction Manila FC | 13 pts |