Souped-up teams for UFL Cup

The United Football League field just got stronger.

With a bevy of foreign-based players beefing up first division squads, the UFL Cup main draw kicking off next month promises to be one of the most competitive yet for the fledgling league.

Air Force faces an uphill climb to defend its title with league champion Global, Kaya, Loyola Meralco and Penson Stallion acquiring new players to power their respective campaigns.

Global lost Filipino-Spanish striker Angel Guirado, who moved to a club in India’s top-flight league, but kept the core of the team that won the title last year, before adding national player Denis Wolf and promising youngsters Demitrius Omphroy and Matthew Uy.

Lexton Moy returns for another tour of duty for Kaya, which acquired Southeast Asian Games veteran OJ Porteria, Antonio Ugarte and Sean Iliff, who impressed during the recent Kia Cup.

The Sparks, who lost in the UFL Cup finals to Air Force before finishing third in the league after a late collapse, are hoping to end a string of heartbreaks with a team built around brothers Phil and James Younghusband.