Ceres FC administrator: A great result can set the tone

By Mymy Alagaban

Ceres-Negros FC club administrator Nicolas Golez is hoping for a strong performance in their upcoming AFC Champions League qualifying playoffs, where they face 2019 Myanmar National League champions Shan United FC on Tuesday, January 14, at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila.
“It’s important for us to start the season strong,” he explained. “A great result to start the year can set the tone for us and lay the foundation for a really successful campaign.”
“We have experience playing against Shan United,” he added. “[They are] a dangerous team so we really have to prepare for them.”
The face-off is a rematch of the 2018 qualifying playoffs, where the two met in the first preliminary round. Ceres won 1-1 (4-3) on penalty kicks.
The Bacolod City-based club has since acquired Hikaru Minegishi, Joshua Grommen, Mark Hartmann, and Arnie Pasinabo, who are expected to help the club continue picking up trophies.
Also making up the Ceres FC lineup are AFC Cup top scorer Bienvenido Marañon, Southeast Asian Best XI awardee Stephan Schröck, alongside defender Súper and goalkeeper Roland Müller; and midseason signings James Younghusband, Robert Lopez Mendy, and Takashi Odawara.
The roster is also comprised of Mike Ott, OJ Porteria, Jeff Christiaens, Junior Muñoz, Dennis Villanueva, Sean Kane, Angelo Marasigan, Dylan De Bruycker, Tristan Robles, Ron Bayan, and Jun Badelic.
The Negrense club swept the domestic trophies last season winning their third consecutive Philippines Football League title and the 2019 Copa Paulino Alcántara./WDJ