THE UST Golden Booters will bank on new additions in the UAAP Season 85 men’s football tournament to replenish their backline diminished by a spate of departures during the offseason.
UST head coach Marjo Allado said that after the team placed fourth in Season 85, a number of the team’s backline defenders left the team due to various reasons, including going back to the province and focusing on academics.
“Malaking kawalan yung backline…buti na lang nahanapan namin ng solution this season,” he told the Varsitarian.
Replenishing the Golden Booters’ backline are rookies John Mark Garcia, Churchill John Jubac, Jarred Troy Regis, John Paul Selarde, and Francis Jay Vercide, together with Herane de Sagun, who underwent residency last year.
“Maganda ‘yung na-scout na pumasok ngayon kasi based sa mga nagdaang tournaments, they’re performing well naman,” he said.
UST last played in the 19th season of Ang Liga, where it failed to reach the semifinals.
Despite having a rookie-laden team, Golden Booters captain Miguel Abada, who is taking his postgraduate studies, said he believes the young guns are ready to compete in the UAAP.
“Even though this team is mostly young and new to the UAAP, I have already seen so much potential from them,” he said. “It’s like I don’t even have to lead them as much since the camaraderie in our team is incomparable.”
Other key returnees that would pace the Golden Booters are Richard Songalia, Carlo Fernandez, Kyler Ken Escobar and Tarshish Garciano.
Allado said the team has been doubling its efforts working on its defense, which he pointed out as the reason for the Golden Booters’ semifinal loss to Ateneo in Season 85.
“‘Yung lesson dito na na-take namin from last season is yung defense namin,” he said. “There are opponents na they have tall players like Ateneo. So kailangan namin i-prepare ‘yan, especially if you’re playing against them kasi they are really good in set pieces.”
“We learned from last season na ‘yung UAAP is not ‘yung easy matches lang. So all the matches dito, you have to take it seriously. And then ‘yung players kailangan maintindihan kung ano talaga yung strategies to the game, hindi ‘yung laro lang,” he added.
Allado said the squad needs to develop better team cohesion and individual confidence as the Golden Booters seek to end a 17-year title drought.
“It’s more on team cohesion pa and then kailangan dito kasi ‘yung confidence ng players, especially sa first game, kailangang manalo para magbuild-up yung confidence,” he said.
The last time UST won a championship in the men’s division was in Season 69 in 2007.
The Golden Booters will kick off their Season 86 campaign against the UP Fighting Maroons on Feb. 18, Sunday, 7 p.m. at the UP Diliman Football Pitch. With reports from Ernest Martin G. Tuazon
