So, what is I Can Serve Football Invitational? It is a charity football tournament featuring the Philippine Azkals and top United Football League clubs; Global Smartmatic Futbol Club and Kaya Signal Futbol Club. Scheduled on September 19 to 24 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium, the tourney is a single round format with Azkals like Aly Borromeo, Anton del Rosario, Jason Sabio, and Nate Burkey of Kaya Signal FC and Misagh Bahadoran, Paolo Pascual, and Angel Guirado of Global Smartmatic FC playing for their respective clubs when they face the national football team players like Phil and James Younghusbands, Mark and Matthew Hartmanns, Chieffy Caligdong, Ian Araneta, et al. Proceeds of the tournament go to the ICanServe Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes early breast cancer detection through community-based screening and high-impact information campaigns.
As much as I wanted to watch all the three games but my sked wouldn't allow me. It was just only yesterday that I was able to see the last I Can Serve invitational game between Kaya FC and the Philippine Azkals, together with my friends: Jean, Mel and Kate (extended friend hihihih! Nice to meet you, Kate!).
Being the ever sluggish that I was, I came almost late but not quite. I came just in the nick of time! Thank goodness! :) My friends and I got a free tix each as Kaholeros (yep, we've that perk! But just for this invitational games hehehe!) but we didn't use it because the seat we were designated to seat was in the white bleachers and the sun was scorching hot yesterday that we thought of just buying an upper grandstand tix para di masyadong mainit. Arteh? Hahaha!
The game started so slow with both teams couldn't find a chance to strike a goal until "Mark Hartmann opened the scoring parade of the national squad in the second half via free kick in the 55th minute. The 19-year old Fil-British striker sailed his attempt above Kaya Cignal’s wall defense to score the stunning goal.
Fil-Spanish Angel Guirado, who just arrived from a brief vacation in Spain two days prior to the match, made the second goal with a crossover fake off his defender at the 67-minute mark of the match. Three minutes later, Chieffy Caligdong followed up a saved shot by Kaya Cignal’s goalie Saba Sadeghi to hike Azkals’ lead, 3-nil.
Phil Younghusband, who aggressively attacked Kaya Cignal’s defense all throughout the match, finally gained ground with two goals – a great feed from his brother James in the 82nd minute and the final goal four minutes later.
Fil-German goalie Roland Muller also made a good account of himself in his debut with the team, saving four attempts of Kaya Cignal." (from here)
I super enjoyed watching this game! It was so much fun! Thanks to all the people who came up with this idea and made it possible. The real winners in this tourney were the fans who watched and all the women fighting against breast cancer. :)
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