Isports ATBP.

Union Internacional Manila (UIM) and Pachanga marched into the quarterfinals of the 2013 United Football League (UFL) Cup after posting contrasting wins over separate opponents in the Round of 16 knockout stages on Tuesday night at the Emperador Stadium in McKinley Hill in Taguig City. UIM relied on Iranian reinforcement Shayan Jafari Dastjerdi’s hat-trick in a 4-1 mauling of all Korean guest team General Trias International while Pachanga Diliman needed a penalty shootout to eke out a 4-3 win over Forza. After a scoreless first half, Dastjerdi opened up UIM’s scoring in the second half with a blistering shot just outside the box in the 55th minute and doubled the score three minutes later. He capped his blistering performance with a long-range free-kick. General Trias’ Myung Soo Song prevented the shutout even after UIM midfielder Muhamed Hassan completed the scoring in three minutes of stoppage time. In the second game, Pachanga Diliman eliminated eighth seed Forza i

Expect a quick ending as Manny Pacquiao plans to take the same approach as what he did against Ricky Hatton when he faces Brandon Rios for the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) International welterweight title on November 23 at the Venetian Resort in Macau, China. The former WBO welterweight title holder is hoping to bounce back from consecutive setbacks to undefeated American Timothy Bradley Jr. (31-0, 12 knockouts) and Mexican rival Juan Manuel Marquez (55-7-1, with 40 KOs). Pacquiao (54-5-2, with 38 KOs) was riding on a 15-match winning streak including that second-round KO win over Hatton on May 2, 2009. Rios is aiming to rebound from a unanimous decision loss to Mile Alvarado (34-2, with 23 KOs) in March this year. “My game plan for Rios will be similar to the one I had for Ricky Hatton. That fight didn't go long enough for me to unveil everything. Maybe this time I'll be able to show more of that plan—maybe,” said Pacquiao in an interview by World Boxing Ne

The joint Philippine Olympic Committee (POC)-Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Southeast Asian (Sea) Games Task Force has approved the inclusion of the women’s basketball and golf teams, and three wushu athletes in the country’s delegation to the biennial games in Myanmar. The additional 18 players –12 from Discovery Perlas Pilipinas, and three each in women’s golf and wushu—bring the entire Philippine athletes to 202 to the Sea Games, slated from December 1 to 22 in the cities of Naypyidaw, Yangon, and Mandalay. Chef de Mission Jeff Tamayo said PSC Chairman Ricardo Garcia approved the inclusion of the additional 18 athletes after their meeting on Monday. The Task Force initially reserved 12 slots for Perlas Pilipinas but consecutive losses by the women’s cage team in the International Basketball Federation (Fiba) Asia Championship for Women in Bangkok, Thailand endangered their inclusion in the Sea Games delegation. The Level I promotion is within Perlas Pilipinas’s

The series of natural calamities that hit the Visayas forced Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Ricardo Garcia and Bacolod City Mayor Monico Puentebella to postpone the staging of the 2013 Batang Pinoy national finals. Bacolod City was set to host the national finals from November 19 to 23 but Garcia and Puentebella agreed to move the weeklong tournament for athletes 15 years old and below from January 28 to February 1, 2014. “We decided to postpone Batang Pinoy by late January or early February because of the situation not just in the host Bacolod City but also of their nearby provinces. Hindi puwede na ituloy natin ito na ang situwasyon ay lubhang naghihirap pa ang mga kababayan natin,” Garcia said. The PSC initially planned to move the games in December but Garcia turned it down. “It is too close. Marami pa tayong kababayan na hinahanap at posibleng hinuhukay pa at that time.” A 7.2 magnitude earthquake rocked Bohol, Cebu and several other Central Visayas p

Deposed Filipino champion Ale Cali quickly apologized to his fans after losing the Pacific X-treme Combat (PXC) flyweight belt to challenger Louis Smolka in PXC 41 on Saturday night at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City. The 22-year-old Davao-born fighter surrendered his 125-pound title to Smolka by referee stoppage contest (RSC) with one minute and 30 seconds gone in the second round. Cali dropped to a 5-2 won-loss record snapping his five-match winning streak after losing his debut mixed martial arts debut against Salvador Larozza in 2009. Smolka remained undefeated after five bouts. “Sorry sa mga fans at sa mga kababayan ko. Babalik tayo, babawi at babangon ulit,” said Cali, who added that his arms hurt after experiencing several take downs by Smolka. Smolka used his four-inch height advantage to the hilt to keep a safe distance away from Cali, who is known for his punching power after winning four fights by way of technical knockout (TKO). “It’s an unbelieva

The top clubs of the United Football League (UFL) that clinched spots  in the UFL Cup’s Round of 16 are united in saying that anything can  happen in the win-or-go-home stage. The UFL Cup’s Round of 16 stage starts on Tuesday with either Forza  FC or Union Internacional Manila FC (UIM) facing Pachanga at 5 p.m. at  the Emperador Stadium in McKinley Hill in Taguig City. Head Coach Ernie Nierras of defending champion Stallion Football  Club, Global FC’s Mark Malcampo, Kaya FC mentor David Perkovic and  Loyola Meralco Sparks goalkeeper Ref Cuaresma all expressed that  it will be a wide-open race for the 2013 UFL Cup. “Every team is preparing and you need to bring you’re A-game. We’re  hoping that none of our players get suspensions or ridiculous cards.  There should be no room for error, one mistake and you’re going home,”  said Nierras. “It will be anybody’s ball game since these are the top  clubs in the UFL.” Nierras guided Stallion to the UFL Cup by beating Global, 2-1, then 

College of Saint Benilde-La Salle Greenhills earned the right of facing five-peat seeking San Beda after escaping with a 76-72 win over San Sebastian in the stepladder semifinals of the 89th National Collegiate Athletic Association juniors’ basketball tournament on Saturday at The San Juan Arena. Game One of the juniors’ finals between the Red Cubs and the Greenies is on Monday at 12:30 p.m. at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. San Beda, aiming for a 20th overall crown, completed an 18-game sweep to clinch the first finals berth and the thrice-to-beat advantage that goes with it. The Alabang-based squad only needs to win twice to clinch the title while the Greenies need to beat them three straight. The Red Lions defeated the Greenies convincingly in the elimination round (88-59 and 86-71) with an average winning margin of 22 points. Regular season Most Valuable Player Rashleigh Rivero scattered 21 points to lead three other Greenies who scored in double digits. Al

Blackwater Head Coach Leo Isaac sees no problem in the Elite’s Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Developmental League campaign after four of his players decided to try their luck in the PBA Annual Rookie Draft. Big man Justin Chua and shifty guard Robby Celiz, both instrumental in Blackwater's title run in the recent Foundation Cup, along with Joseph Marata and Isaac Holstein were among those drafted during the proceeding on November 3 at the Robinson’s Place in Manila. Chua was picked 10th by San Mig but was later traded to Global Port in exchange for Holstein, the Batang Pier's original choice in the first round. Celiz was tabbed by Talk 'N Text in the second round while Marata was chosen fifth by Petron in the third round. Isaac said the four informed the coaching staff and the management of their intention to turn professional after helping the Elite sweep four-time PBA D-League champions NLEX Road Warriors in the best-of-three finals of the season-ending

Rubilen Amit reclaimed her throne as the queen of billiards, completing a come-from-behind 10-7 decision over Kelly Fisher of Great Britain in an epic race-to-10 finale in the Yalin 2013 Women's World 10-Ball Championship on Monday night at the Resort’s World Manila in Pasay City. Amit beat the 2011 titlist Fisher in a dramatic title match to become the first two-time women's world champion after winning the inaugural event in 2009. Her latest conquest on home soil earned her $21,000. "[Big] pressure playing in front of your home crowd, pero big help din. I feel blessed with all the people cheering around me, kayo ang nagpanalo sa akin,” said the two-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Amit. Amit was up 9-7 and was one rack away from the championship but encountered some anxious moments and nearly gave the world number four Fisher the chance to make a comeback. Amit had a dry break in the 17th rack and both pool artists exchanged safeties with the Fil

The Philippine Azkals are now the top Southeast Asian (Sea) football team based on the latest world rankings released by the International Federation of Association Football (Fifa). The Azkals climbed four spots higher to 137th place with 213 points to jump past traditional Sea Games powerhouse Thailand, which dropped four places to 143rd. Myanmar is the third-best team in the region at third (149) followed by Vietnam (151), Singapore (155), Malaysia (160), Indonesia (162), Laos (167), Brunei Darussalam (193), Timor Leste (193) and Cambodia (198). The Philippines also placed 20th in Asia with 213 points behind powerhouses Japan, Iran, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Australia, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Oman, China, and Saudi Arabia. The Philippines’ 3-1 win over Pakistan to successfully defend the 2013 Philippine Peace Cup was also instrumental in the country’s rise in the world rankings.

Using a home-and-away format is among the changes that the United Football League (UFL) is planning to implement soon. This was revealed by UFL Media Officer Jing Jamlang as the league's move to bring the games closer to the fans. "We would love to bring the games to the Visayas and Mindanao since football is really big in those areas," said Jamlang. "We have to consider all areas concerned. It is a huge logistic challenge on the part of each team." Organizers have been discussing ways to reinvent the league to maintain the interest in the sport and at the same time attract new fans. The UFL, if the plan pushes through, will truly become a nationwide league with teams from the Visayas and Mindanao hosting their counterparts from Luzon and the National Capital Region. The Emperador Stadium in Taguig City is the current home of the league where Bacolod-based Ceres-La Salle, the reigning Smart National Club Championships title holder

Rene Desuyo and Janette Agura ruled the 42-kilometer event of the 2nd Run United Philippines Marathon held Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia grounds in Pasay City . Desuyo clocked two hours, 34 minutes, and 12.77 seconds for a 10-minute win over runner-up Elkin John Quinto (2:44:34.41). Mario Maglinao (2:49:00.75) finished third. Agura, De La Salle University-Lipa’s athletics coach, needed one final push to beat Jocelyn Elijera on the women’s side. The 35-year-old crossed the finish line at 3:35:41.82 against Elijera’s 3:36:18.82. Gella Mayang placed third with a time of 3:53:56.07. Close to 3,000 runners joined the full marathon, which started in Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City . More than 9,000 were spread out in the 21K and 10K races. It was a Kenyan sweep in the foreigner's division with last year’s third-place Jackson Chirchir (2:27:54.01) besting compatriots Douglas Mwitti (2:34:33.76) and Philip Ronoh (2:48:37.75). Another Kenyan ruled the women’s class a

The Gymnastics Association of the Philippines (GAP) tapped the youthful but veteran international coach Munehiro Kugimiya, whose credentials include being the assistant mentor and trainer of Japan’s gold-medal winning squad in the Team All-Around event of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. He was the assistant coach of Japanese mentor Kano Minoru where he helped train Japan’s men’s gymnastics team that scored 173.821 points to beat the United States (172.933) and Romania (172.384) to rule the Team All-Around event. The 29-year-old Kugimiya, fresh from a similar coaching stint in Sri Lanka, is also a former member of Japan’s men’s gymnastics team and will team up with Romanian mentor Luminta Eftimius in training the national training pool made up mostly of six-year-old kids. Kugimiya is personally handpicked by Japan-based organization Zippy Action Sports and Culture Foundation, which will shoulder the salary and expenses of his stay in the Philippines. He will train the boys’

Philippine Amateur Baseball Association (Paba) President Hector  Navasero died on Tuesday afternoon at the Makati Medical Center where  he was confined for three weeks. He was 78. Navasero was the longest-serving president of a national sports  association where he led Paba for 27 years. He replaced Dominador  Pangilinan, the father of businessman/sports patron Manny V.  Pangilinan. Navasero was an active member of the Baseball Federation of Asia and  the American Baseball Foundation. He promoted baseball at the  grassroots level throughout the country by inviting numerous  international coaches for seminars and training clinics. He was also part of a group that pushed for baseball’s inclusion when  the Philippines hosted the Southeast Asian Games in 2005 with the  country clinching the gold after an 11-0 thrashing of Thailand. The former Laguna provincial board member also guided the Philippine  team to the Asian baseball Division II title by beating Pakistan in  2012. The Philip

University of Santo Tomas Head Coach Pido Jarencio likes the Growling Tigers' chances in their knockout match against top seed National University Bulldogs on Saturday. "Nothing to lose ang mentality namin. Ang pressure ay nasa kanila (NU) at wala sa amin. Ang importante lang, ready kami," said Jarencio. "Parang 2006 ang situation namin ngayon, Parang halos ganito scenario." The Growling Tigers sent their semis series against the Bulldogs into a knock-out encounter after a 71-62 win last Sunday. UST placed third in 2006 where they overhauled 2No. 2 University of the East's twice-to-beat edge to barge into the best-of-three finals against Ateneo. The Growling Tigers defeated the Blue Eagles in three games, 2-1, to rule Season 69. Jarencio said prolific guard Jeric Teng's return in the second round helped UST's campaign. "Timing nung bumalik si Jeric at paangat din ang team." Eric Altamirano, Jarencio's opponent on the other

Far Eastern University (FEU) barging into the Final Four this season is already an achievement after the Tamaraws were not among the favorites to make it past the elimination round in the 76th University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament. "We were overlooked at the start of the season. Though we’re not proving anybody wrong we took it as a challenge. This year we represented the school better compared to 2012,” said FEU Head Coach Nash Racela. The Tamaraws, who placed fifth last year with a 9-5 record, made it to the semifinals this season where they finished tied with the National University Bulldogs and De La Salle University Green Archers with 10-4 slates. The Bulldogs bagged the top ranking based on a higher quotient leaving the Tams and the Green Archers to dispute the number two spot that enjoys the twice-to-beat edge. La Salle defeated FEU, 74-69, to nail the semis bonus and booked a return trip to the finals after a 71-68 wi

University of Santo Tomas Head Coach Pido Jarencio believes his Growling Tigers just played the usual Filipino brand of basketball despite his wards being accused of getting too physical during their Final Four game against the National University Bulldogs on Sunday. The Growling Tigers downed the top-seeded Bulldogs, 71-62, to force a rubber match for a finals berth in the 76th University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament. NU guard Bobby Ray Parks Jr., son of the late seven-time Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Best Import awardee Bobby Sr., complained that the Tigers’ physical play was too much as he and Emmanuel Mbe were at the receiving end of several dirty tactics. Jarencio, however, did not answer Parks’ accusations directly and instead said that the young cager from NU should know how the Filipinos play since his father had a long stint in the PBA. "Dapat alam mo kung paano ang laro dito sa pinas. Sa simpleng softdri

San Sebastian College posted a 3.5-05 demolition of the University of Perpetual Help for its final round assignment to complete its back-to-back title bid in the seniors' division in the 89th NCAA chess tournament. World Chess Federation (Fide) Master Mari Joseph Turqueza, Adrian Perez, and Alexis Emil Montalbo each scored the wins over Remzxor de Guzman, Joannes Paula Arreglo, and Pauline Barba from boards one to three while Arvie Jongko settled for a draw with Aristotle Monera to give the Golden Stags their 12th overall title. San Sebastian finished with 58 points while season host College of Saint Benilde placed second (50) and Emilio Aguinaldo College came in third (43.5) Turqueza was named MVP and also took the top board gold medal behind 13 wins, one draw, and one loss. Perez and Maribao took the boards two and three gold. Letran matched San Sebastian's feat in the juniors' division as the Squires also completed their bid of winning a second straight title a

Global  Football Club Head Coach Brian Reid believes they will be ready  to compete in two tournaments, local and overseas, despite having  problems with consistency. “We’re ready but [there are] few problems at the moment that we need  to address, we got one more week. We need to get organized with our  schedule and get ready,” said Reid, who will guide 2010 United  Football League (UFL) champions Global to the 2013 Singapore Cup semifinal  round from October 1 to 4 at the Jalan Besar Stadium. Global FC is one of two Philippine clubs invited to compete the other  being the Loyola Meralco Sparks. Cambodia’s Boeung Ket Rubber Field,  Lao Police Club of Laos, Malaysia’s Harimau Muda B, Brunei's Duli  Pengiran Muda Mahkota (DPMM) FC of Brunei, and Japan’s Albirex Niigata  were the other foreign teams that competed against nine other  Singapore-based clubs. Global advanced into the semifinal round after a 5-4 aggregate win over  Brunei’s DPMM side. They will meet 1998 Singapore

(This one is long overdue, but better late than never) More than a month ago, on August 12, NBA superstar Kobe Bryant braved Labuyo's onslaught and arrived, again, in Manila to be with his passionate Filipino fans. "The passion in the game of basketball is the thing that drives me the most to come back here [in Manila]," said the five-time NBA champion Bryant during his one-day stop in the Philippines. "I want to be remembered as a person  who maximizes his potential and is always hungry for excellence. I have the  curiosity about how to improve and get better in the game of basketball Bryant, a frequent Manila visitor, has vowed to come back stronger from his injury as he chases a sixth NBA title, which is his top priority rather than breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's scoring record. The two-time NBA Finals MVP said experiencing setbacks made him stronger. "If you continue to have setbacks, you must continue to try to figure out how to get t

Photo courtesy of KC Cruz San Sebastian rookie Jaymar Perez is one reason for the Golden Stags' sudden rise from the lower half of the standings to number four in the 89th National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) seniors’ basketball tournament. Perez's masterful performance in San Sebastian's fourth straight win, a 58-53 decision over Lyceum of the Philippines University, made him the top choice for the ACCEL/3XVI NCAA Press Corps Player of the Week supported by Gatorade. The 19-year-old exploded for 28 points, 11 rebounds, and had three steals for the undermanned Stags after John Ortouste sat out because of flu, Bradwyn Guinto was still recovering from typhoid fever, and Leo de Vera serving a one-game suspension. San Sebastian's win improved its record to 8-5 for a two-game lead over a surprising Emilio Aguinaldo College (6-7) side. Perez, actually, struggled midway in the season and was not at his usual self in the Stags' three-game sli

San Sebastian College  held  Emilio Aguinaldo College  to a single field goal for five minutes on their way to a 90-69 win in the 89th NCAA seniors' basketball tournament on Thursday at The Arena in San Juan City. The Golden Stags dropped a 14-4 bomb to pull away that turned a tight 62-58 contest into a rout. "We're never considered a threat this season. My players just responded and gave us the win," said Stags Head Coach Topex Robinson. The win snapped the Recto-based dribblers' three-game slide to tie idle Jose Rizal University at fourth to fifth spots with similar 5-5 cards. "We just re-evaluated our ourselves. We did not worry about the other teams. What works for us is playing not just on offense but also on defense," added Robinson. Guards Jovit Dela Cruz and Jamil Ortuouse, who spent most of his playing years in the Stags' Team B, led that scoring onslaught combining for 11 of San Sebastian's 14 points. Ortuouste and Dela Cruz finished wi