Underdog Busmen fight to stay alive in Thailand

Ceres Negros FC photo

BANGKOK—Ceres-Negros skipper Stephan Schrock is relishing the role of underdog for his side as the Busmen seek an upset against Thai powerhouse Port FC on Tuesday night in the AFC Champions League preliminary stage at PAT Stadium here.

The Busmen have plenty of experience in the continental competition, but they face an uphill climb against the Thai club that boasts of one of the most talented—and expensive—squads in Southeast Asia.

“We have nothing to lose and there’s not much expectation from us, which we don’t get a lot during the course of the season,” Schrock said at the prematch press conference on Monday. “But this is still a chance for us to showcase the best of Philippine club football in front of a country that has a strong following of the sport.”

Ceres hurdled its first round foe, Shan United of Myanmar, with a dramatic 3-2 win last Tuesday at Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila.

A cauldron-like atmosphere awaits the Busmen at the 7,000-seater PAT Stadium, which is already sold out for the match that kicks off at 7 p.m. (8 p.m. in Manila).

Port has a wealth of attacking talent that includes Spanish midfielder Sergio Suarez and the Thai League’s top foreign player last season in Brazilian striker Heberty, who reportedly earns 2 million baht a month (P3.3 million).

Ceres coach Risto Vidakovic acknowledged that his team has to improve defensively for a chance at an upset.

“We just want to see how far we are now and just want to see how we need to improve on some tactical things,” the Serbian mentor said. INQ