06 August 2007, Manila, Philippines. Based on statistics, RIFA Philippines came out 5th in the Group B Championships of the Norway Cup. Below is a table of the final 8 teams according to rankings (i.e., 1st is champion, 2nd place, etc.). Technically, there are two 3rd place winners based on the rules as the teams eliminated in the semis are both officially given trophies for 3rd place. I based the 3rd/4th ranking on aggregate scoring.

FINAL RANKINGS OF THE TOP 8 TEAMS IN GROUP B DIVISION:

Rank       Team

1           Vestre Gran
2           Gurskøy COOP
3           Riska
4           Skotfoss COOP
5           RIFA Philippines
6           Åsmarka
7           Florø
8           Lom 2

02 August 2007, Manila, Philippines. With a heart-breaking 1-2 loss to Gurskøy COOP in the dying seconds of the 2nd half extension, RIFA Philippines Girls U-13 Team formally ended its European football campaign.

The overachievers are finally coming home. No cups in hand, no medals on their chests, and yet an undeniably excellent performance by the team.

With just six months for the girls to prepare and train for the trip, nobody, not the players, parents or Coach and Mrs. F, ever imagined that the team would accomplish this much. We were telling the kids to just relax and enjoy the games as what everyone was looking forward to was for them to experience playing in the best football tournaments in the world. In fact, before the team left, there was already a lot of discussion on what places to visit and see, as everyone expected (albeit in private) that the team would not go past the eliminations or the first round of knockout matches and wind up as early tourists instead. Alas, everyone was proved wrong and we were mightily happy being proven so!

In the Dana Cup, the team formally finished 3rd overall in group B with a total of 31 teams playing in the division. Although unverified, this would likely be the best finish of a Philippine team in the girls G13 division. A report in the Dana Cup Website news couldn’t have summed it better when the team won its first game - “a Southeast Asian country where football is not a popular girl’s sport has beaten a European team where football is the no. 1 sport…” The team eventually reached the semifinals against all odds and expectations.

Along the way, the team earned the admiration of spectators, other players, and officials alike. Not a few organizers have extended invitations to the team to play in their tournaments next year.

The Norway Cup posed even more difficult challenges than the Dana Cup. For starters, it is simply the biggest football tournament in the world bar none, with around 1,600 teams this year compared to the 850 teams in Dana Cup. RIFA Philippines joined the G14 division with 76 other teams. This is the youngest age division this year for the 7 a-side format but is still 1 year higher than the oldest girl in the team. Much to our surprise, however, the 1 year age advantage of their opponents did not mean much to the girls as they beat teams and reached the round of 8 in the Group B championships. This is really impressive when you consider the number of teams and the fact that some of our girls are just 12 years old.

As they progressed in their games, they gained friends and admirers, and a number of our kababayans showed how helpful and generous Filipinos can be by cheering for the girls, treating them to lunch and dinner, and showing them scenic places in between games.

So how on earth did the girls do it? Prayers included, I believe that the team together with Coach and Mrs. F showed that Filipinos can succeed, by being focused, determined, and well-trained. The team showed that if you put your heart and soul into something that you love, then you’ll reap the bountiful rewards. If everyone shares a common goal to shine and bring honor for country, then they can face and beat the best teams in the world.

Together with our co-parents, we salute each and every player: Aira, Angela, Camille, Inez, Inna, Marsha, Miela, Nikki, Pat, Riana, Sophia, and Sunmi, and of course, Coach F and Emma, for definitely a job excellently done. We also thank Margie and Mallotte for being the team’s moms and for taking care of our children.

You did all of us proud, you did your country proud! Mabuhay Team RIFA Philippines!

Now, for the plans next year….

Ted Sazon asks:

“Is the team in a better standing now here in the Norway Cup than their Dana Cup final standing? Or is the team at least at par now with the Dana Cup final standing?”

Here’s how we can best appreciate where RIFA Philippines is at present.

The Norway Cup is definitely a much, much tougher competition than the Dana Cup basically for two reasons: First, there are 77 teams playing here compared to just 31 in the Dana Cup. Secondly, in the Norway Cup, we are bracketed in the G14 division versus G13 in the Dana Cup. What this means is that we are at a disadvantage in this tournament as our girls are only 12-13 year olds, with their opponents being a year older on average. (My hunch is ours is the youngest team in the division.) What is going for RIFA Philippines in the Norway Cup is their relatively outstanding finish in the Dana Cup. They now have the experience and composure that comes with being a winner.

As far as standings are concerned, RIFA Philippines is not quite there yet compared to what they accomplished in the Dana Cup where they reached the semifinals in Group B. But again, it is not really an apples-to-apples comparison given the reasons cited above. Nevertheless, one more win will make them semifinalists for the second time running.

The girls are first-timers in international competition, participating in a tournament where they are the youngest, yet performing superbly despite the odds. To complete the story, whether this is the first time a Philippine girls team has played in this division or not, it appears that this is the best-placed Philippine team ever in Norway Cup history.

After eking out a 2-1 win over Hjelset-Kleive in overtime, we will now face Gurskøy COOP. What is interesting is how Gurskøy COOP won its last assignment. Based on the Norway Cup Tournament Regulations, if a game remains drawn even after overtime play, the match winner is decided by … hold your breath … COIN TOSS! This is applicable to several age divisions including G14. Drawn games in the upper tier of the higher age brackets (i.e., classes A, B, E, Q, R and U) are determined by penalty shootout. So this means that our next opponent got real lucky. Not really the most ideal way to win (or lose) a game. This is the second time that Gurskøy COOP was held to a 0-0 draw. The first was in the elimination round with eventual group 15 2nd placer Søre Neset.

What is evident from the results in the 2nd round was that most teams played much tougher defense with the exception of group B cellar-dweller Gjelleråsen, which powerhouse Vestra Gran mercilessly defeated 8-0. This is is the second time that Vesta Gran scored 8-0, with the first one during eliminations.

Aside from Vesta Gran, there was no other team which scored more than 2 goals against its opponent and there were 3 games which ended in a draw even after extra time play and were ultimately decided by a coin toss. Moreover, the scores reflect that most of the teams are now more or less “equal” in strength.

The team’s match vs. Gurskøy COOP is scheduled later today, 02 August 2007, at 1:10 pm (7:10 pm, Manila time).

More to come…

On to the Group B finals!!!

01 August 2007, Manila, Philippines. Here’s an overview of the roadmap towards the championship in Group B. There are 19 teams playing in this group. As with the Dana Cup, play is based on cup format meaning it’s a knockout match for all teams. One loss and that team is out of the running. The top two teams which will reach the finals will be playing 5 games in all, including the championship match. For awards, Norway Cup is better than Dana Cup as teams which will place 1st to 4th will all receive trophies.

RIFA Philippines is favored to win its 1st round assignment against Storm BK, if we are to base it on performance stats with the superior aggregate for RIFA Philippines of +1 (+9,-8) vs. -6 for Storm BK (+3,-9). Our team just needs to tighten its defense while continuing to be a scoring machine.

If RIFA Philippines wins, it will go up against Hjelset-Kleive which drew a bye in the 1st round. That game will be played 6:10 pm also on August 1, 2007 (12:10 am, Aug 2 Manila). Of interest is the performance of Hjelset as it finished with 4 pts. (as compared to our team’s 3 pts.) with a 1-1-1 win-draw-loss slate. Hjelset is -2 on aggregate (+6,-8). With this performance, Hjelset tied for 3rd in goals scored (+6) vs. RIFA’s +9 (making our team no. 1 for groups with 4 participants). Hjelset is tied with RIFA in goals allowed (-8). What can be drawn here is that Hjelset also does relatively well offensively but, as with RIFA, is not quite as good in defense.

I will provide the stats and other information as soon as they’re available.