Cebu FC ready for battle in Copa Alcantara 2022

CEBU, Philippines —  A revitalized Cebu Football Club will open its 2022 season in the ongoing Copa Paulino Alcantara in Carmona, Cavite.

Primed and ready for battle, the club will be leaving tomorrow and will face acid test right in their first game on Monday, April 25, against the Stallion Laguna FC.

Cebu FC general manager Ugur Tasci formally introduced the team’s new players and coaches last Wednesday night at their home pitch, the Dynamic Herb Borromeo Sports Complex at the South Road Properties.

As part of their newly-sealed partnership with Hatayspor, a top-tier Turkish professional football club, Cebu FC will have a new head coach in Mehmet Kakil and assistant coach in Levent Öztürk.

Tasci said the partnership includes an exchange of sustainable programs between the two clubs not only to further develop Cebu FC but also to bring Filipino players to play in Turkey.

Completing the coaching staff are goalkeeping coach Ref Delany Cuaresma, physiotherapist Mark Kevin Uy, kit man Jimmy Liman Jr., and masseur Jesus Caroca.

As for their foreign reinforcements, Cebu FC will parade three Turkish booters in Mert Altinöz, Arda Çinkir, and Nazim Özcan.

The other new players of the club are John Ryll Eldian, John Cyril Sinoy and Filipino-Nigerian Chima Uzoka.

Also seeing action with the team for the first time time are Julian Pio Miranda and Ren Okuda.

Returning for Cebu FC are Joaquin Carlos Cañas, Jeremiah Borlongan, Roberto Corsame Jr., Charles Ralph Allan Dabao III, Nicolas Ferrer Jr., Daniel Bernan Gadia, Lorenzo Giuseppe Genco, Ruffy Llorente, John Roy Melgo III, Kintaro Miyagi, Steven Patalinghug, John Renz Saldivar, Baris Tasci, Evren Tasci,  Nathanael Ace Villanueva and John Francis Zambrano.

Evren Tasci, one of the founding team players, said despite their short time training together, they are positive about having a better finish in the Copa Alcantara 2022.

For his part, coach Kakil firmly believes that the Cebu-based team, given the right training and support, will surely be at par with the rest, not only nationally but even on the international stage.