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BY ADRIAN STEWART CO
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Friday, March 17, 2017
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DESPITE transferring to its new home in Laguna, the Stallion-Laguna Football Club will retain its Ilonggo players as it prepares for the upcoming Philippine Football League.
The team decided to keep the core of the squad to highlight its “Barotac Nuevo roots,” head coach Ernest Nierras told a news conference on Thursday.
“We’re always grateful to have represented Iloilo City,” said Nierras. “That is why we decided to retain the name Stallion and the core of the team to highlight the team’s Barotac roots.”
Set to return for the Stallion are Ilonggos Reuben Doctora Jr. and Bervic Italia, as well as veterans Fitch Arboleda, Joshua Beloya, Nathaniel Alquiros, Matthew Nierras, Terence Linatoc, Yannick Tuason, Sammuel Bonney, and Christian Nana.
To strengthen its bid, the Stallion also added locals Darwin Regala and Yuki Ishihara and foreign players Yamagata Yusuke, Ishikawa Ryota, Ozawa Takumi, Nobuki Mori, Ozawa Junichi, Hiroki Harada, and Tamiya Ryo.
“The Stallion-Laguna FC’s pillars remain the same, which are to bring football to the masses, to give fans a better way of life, to create heroes and idols, and to create partnerships,” Nierras said.
“Even with our partnership with the Laguna Football Association and the changes the team had [undergone], the fans, especially the Ilonggos, will still see the Stallion brand of football,” he added.
The Stallion is one of the 10 teams that will participate in the PFL along with Global Football Club, Ceres-Negros Football Club, Kaya Football Club, Loyola Meralco Sparks Football Club, Green Archers United Globe, and JP Voltes Football Club.
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After almost two weeks since the conclusion of the PBA Philippine Cup, the league is back in action today with the Commissioner’s Cup where each teams are allowed to tap reinforcements as tall as 6-foot-10.
Among the reinforcements to be paraded by the PBA teams, six were returning imports, with three now playing for new teams, and five were newcomers, with three of them former NBA players.
Returning for another tour of duty with their teams are Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings’ Justin Brownlee, Mahindra Floodbuster’s James White and Phoenix Fuel Masters’ Eugene Phelps.
Former Best Imports Wayne Chism and Denzel Bowles are now with NLEX Road Warriors and TNT Katropa, respectively, while Shawn Taggart is now with defending champion Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.
Among the new imports are Alex Stephenson of Meralco Bolts, Charles Rhodes of San Miguel Beermen, and former NBA players Tony Mitchell of Star Hotshots, Greg Smith of Blackwater Elite and Sean Williams of GlobalPort Batang Pier.
Alaska Aces suddenly left with no import as of Thursday morning. Its original prospect, Octavius Ellis, decided to go back to the United States on Wednesday to attend to some personal matters.
Among the locals, five players will be suiting up for new teams with RJ Jazul and Joseph Eriobu joining the Fuel Masters, Simon Enciso with the Aces, Prince Caperal with the Floodbuster, and Michael DiGregorio with the Elite.
The Road Warriors, meanwhile, enlisted Juan Miguel Tiongson from the PBA D-League squad AMA Online Education Titans, while the Katropa has added rookie Tim Habelito./PN
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