Photo by Tristan Rafael Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
German Bundesliga veteran and national team star Stephan Schrock makes his highly anticipated United Football League debut when Ceres La Salle clashes with Loyola Meralco Sparks tonight in the UFL Cup at Rizal Memorial Stadium.
But while Ceres will have a full complement of its stars for the 8:30 p.m. duel, the Sparks will miss injured stars Phil Younghusband (knee), Simon Greatwich (ankle) and Joaco Canas (ankle).
Still, Sparks coach Simon McMenemy is relishing the chance of parading his squad against a team that won the league in runaway fashion last year.
“Ceres raised the bar last season to a point where we need to make efforts to catch up and see how we can bridge that gap,” said McMenemy.
Schrock takes his act to the UFL after just two years from playing in the German top flight with Eintracht Frankfurt. Ceres also signed national player Kevin Ingreso.
“When you’re adding quality like that, it makes the task [of beating Ceres] even harder,” said McMenemy.
Defending Cup champion Kaya tangles with Stallion in a Group A clash at 6:15 p.m. after Green Archers and Nomads open their campaigns in the 4 p.m. kickoff.
Meanwhile, Forza grabbed the head start in Group A by posting a 1-0 victory over Agila yesterday. Defender Gerald Orcullo scored in the 85th minute.