Loyola Meralco Sparks F.C.

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Loyola Meralco Sparks
Club Emblem of Loyola Meralco Sparks FC.png
Full name Loyola Meralco Sparks Football Club
Nickname(s) The Sparks
Founded 2006; 18 years ago (2006), as Loyola Agila Football Club
Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan
Head coach Simon McMenemy
League United Football League
2015 UFL Division 1, 3rd
Website Club home page
Current season

Active affiliates of Loyola Meralco Sparks
Football pictogram.svg Basketball pictogram.svg Volleyball (indoor) pictogram.svg
Football Basketball Volleyball

Loyola Meralco Sparks Football Club is a Filipino professional football club based in Loyola Heights, Quezon City that plays in the United Football League, the highest level of Philippine club football. Founded as Loyola Agila Football Club in 2006, the club changed its name to Loyola Meralco Sparks in 2011 after the acquisition of the Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) and the MVP Sports Foundation, both of which are owned by Filipino millionaire Manuel V. Pangilinan.

Loyola Meralco Sparks had their first major success in 2013, when they won the United Football League Cup. Since then, they have won the PFF National Men's Club Championship once. The club's main rival is Kaya.

History

Loyola Agila Football Club (2006–2011)

The team was founded by former Ateneo de Manila University and high school varsity football players and employees in 2006 who share a common passion for the sport.

Loyola was one of the teams that joined the first season of the UFL which they finished 4th place.[1] The team was then sponsored by ATR Kim-Eng by the 2011 season, which they finished 5th place under their team captain Patrick Ozaeta.[2]

Loyola Meralco Sparks Football Club (2011–present)

Straight from the 2011 National Club Championships, the brothers Phil and James Younghusband led the new signed players of the Sparks in early September 2011, along with brothers Darren, Matthew and Mark Hartmann. The team was eventually taken over by Meralco and the MVP Sports Foundation which is owned by Manuel V. Pangilinan.[3]

The Loyola Sparks had a successful campaign in the 2011 UFL Cup, but eventually lost to the Philippine Air Force 2–0 in the finals.[4] The Sparks started their 2012 United Football League campaign on a high note, topping all clubs at the end of the first round of competition. However, the club ended its league run in third place after a 1-all draw against eventual league champions Global FC.[5]

After securing first place in the first round, the club was invited to play in the 2012 Singapore Cup.[6] In the preliminary round on 18 May 2012, they played Geylang United FC, where they won 2–1 in added extra time, advancing them to the two-legged quarter-finals.[7] They faced Burmese club Kanbawza in early July wherein they defeated them 5–3 on aggregate after a 3–1 win and a 2–2 draw in both legs.[8] They faced Tampines Rovers FC in a two-legged semi-finals and lost 5–0 on aggregate. They lost the third-place match 4–0 to Gombak United.

The club also participated in the 2012 UFL Cup between September 15 to December 17, 2012. The club topped Group C, with Pachanga coming in a close second, to advance to the semi-finals of the cup. However, the team was eventually defeated by Global ending their run.[9]

2013 season

The club qualified for the 2013 PFF National Men's Club Championship alongside other UFL clubs.[10] The club played against Flame United FC in the knock-out stage.[11] However, they were eliminated by fellow Division 1 UFL side Kaya in the quarterfinals.[12] They've played with Harimau Muda B in the 2013 Singapore Cup opening match which ended in favor of the club. However, they only reach the quarterfinal round when they bowed out to Tanjong Pagar United in a 5–4 aggregate.

After the elimination at the Singapore Cup, the team marked their fifth appearance at the 2013 UFL Cup. They started their campaign at the group stages by beating Dolphins United in double digits.[13] They also faced Navy with a huge 9–0 victory.[14]

Last 30 October 2013, Loyola set a record with the most goals scored in the United Football League, they faced Blue Guards at the Emperador Stadium. Meralco defeated them by a margin of 33 points. It is regarded as the most lopsided win in the history of the United Football League (UFL) since it began a semi-professional league in 2009.[15][16] Because of that Phil Younghusband currently leads the top scorer of the cup at 18 goals and the team advances to the knockout stages of the tournament.

Crest

The club's crest is a variation of the Ateneo de Manila University seal, from which the club traces its roots. However, the seal's origin is the Shield of Oñaz-Loyola, a symbol of St. Ignatius family's Oñaz lineage.

The crest's colors are gold, maroon, and blue – representing nobility, strength, and loyalty respectively. The left side of the crest consists of seven maroon bars going diagonally from the upper left to the lower right on a gold field. The right side of the crest features a pair of rampant gray wolves flanking each side of a cooking pot. The "Loyola" name was a contraction of the words Lobo y Olla which literally meant "wolf and pot" in Spanish. The wolves are a symbol of nobility, and represents the players and fans of the club.

  • The original lmsfc crest.png

    The original club crest, the club then known as "Loyola Agila" 2006-2011

  • The current club crest after the change from "Loyola Agila" to "Loyola Meralco Sparks" 2011–present

Kit–manufacturers and shirt sponsors

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Period Kit manufacturer Shirt partner
2010–11 unknown ATR-Kim Eng Securities
2011–13 Mizuno Meralco1
Maybank, ATR-Kim Eng, Cebu Pacific, Jollibee2
2013–2015 LGR Athletic
2015– Under Armour
  • 1Major shirt sponsor (names located at the front of the shirt).
  • 2Secondary sponsor (names mostly located at the back of the shirt).

Current management

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Position Name Nationality
Manager: Armand Del Rosario Philippines Filipino
Head Coach: Simon McMenemy Scotland Scottish
Assistant Coach: Matt Ward England English
Goalkeeping Coach: Pedro Cecilio Philippines Filipino
Fitness and Conditioning Coach: Konstantinos Boukis Greece Greek
Training Staff: Louie Potenciano Philippines Filipino

Coaches

Name Period
South Korea Kim Chul-soo 2011–2013
Philippines Vince Santos 2013–2014
Scotland Simon McMenemy 2014–

Current squad

As of 8 May 2016[17]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
3 Spain DF Joaquín Cañas
4 Philippines DF Anton del Rosario
5 Philippines DF Eddie Mallari
6 Philippines MF Jason de Jong
7 Philippines MF James Younghusband (Captain)
8 Philippines MF Simon Greatwich
9 Philippines FW Gerardo Valmayor III
10 Philippines FW Phil Younghusband (Vice-captain)
11 Philippines MF Jorrel Aristorenas
12 Australia MF Tahj Minniecon
14 Japan MF Akira Miyayama
15 Brazil GK Guilherme Hasegawa
16 Philippines MF Anto Gonzales
No. Position Player
17 Philippines MF Arnel Amita
18 Philippines MF Julian Clarino
19 Philippines MF Curt Dizon
21 Philippines MF John Kanayama
23 Spain FW Alvaro Castiella
25 Philippines GK Nathanael Ace Villanueva
26 Philippines GK Tomas Trigo
27 Philippines MF Jake Morallo
28 Philippines GK Ricardo Padilla Jr.
37 Philippines MF Daniel Gadia
51 Philippines DF Kouichi Belgira
Mali DF Aboubacar Magassa

Foreigners

In the United Football League, there can be more than five non-Filipino nationals in a team as long as they are registered. Foreign players who have acquired permanent residency can be registered as locals.

  • Australia Samoa Tahj Minniecon
  • Brazil Japan Guilherme Hasegawa
  • Japan Akira Miyayama
  • Mali Aboubacar Magassa
  • Spain Álvaro Castiella
  • Spain Joaquin Cañas

Records

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Season Division Teams Position PFF NMCC UFL Cup UFL FA Charity Cup UFL FA League Cup RHB Singapore Cup
2009–10 1 8 Fourth — — — — —
2010–11 1 7 Fifth — Third — — —
2011–12 1 10 Third — Runners-up — — Fourth
2012–13 1 10 Third Quarter-finals Third — — Quarter-finals
2013–14 1 10 Runners-up — Winners Fourth — Quarter-finals
2014—15 1 10 Third Winners Third — Third —
Key
  • Prom = Promoted
  • TBD = To be determined

Note: Performances of the club indicated here was after the UFL created (as a semi-pro league) in 2009.

Performance in Singapore Cup

2012: Semi-finals
2013: Quarterfinal Round
Season Competition Round Nat. Club Home Away
2012 Singapore Cup Preliminary Round Singapore Geylang United 2–1
2012 Singapore Cup Quarter-finals Myanmar Kanbawza 3–1 2–2
2012 Singapore Cup Semi-finals Singapore Tampines Rovers 0–2 0–3
2012 Singapore Cup Third-place Playoff Singapore Gombak United 0–4
2013 Singapore Cup Preliminary round Malaysia Harimau Muda B 3–0
2013 Singapore Cup Quarterfinal Round Singapore Tanjong Pagar 1–2 3–3

Performance in Menpora Cup

  • Menpora Cup: 1 appearances
2013: Group-Stage
Season Competition Round Nat. Club Scorer
2013 Menpora Cup Group-Stage Indonesia Persepam Madura United 3–1
2013 Menpora Cup Group-Stage Indonesia Arema Indonesia 0–1
2013 Menpora Cup Group-Stage Indonesia Mitra Kukar 1–5

Honors

Domestic competitions

See also

References

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External links

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