corinthiano

April 2038 Philippines Football League Philippines Football League Cup - Qualifying Round It was a surprisingly good month again. It started rough as Kaya beat us heavily in the PFL Cup and when ADT scored a winner in added time after we pulled back from a 3-1 deficit I thought we would be in for a rough month. We did however start grinding results from there and even beat Mendiola comfortably in our last game. This means we hold on to 13th place in the league and look good to qualify for the Semi-Final of the PFL Cup. Next Fixtures Two more games to go with potentially two more if things go well in the PFL Cup.

Great idea! I think that the leagues with Non-EU rules will give you the most flexibility and within that Croatia looks to be the most flexible, but if you want to avoid the leagues you mentioned maybe Greece might be a good option, maybe one of the Thessaloniki clubs so you avoid the big guys in Athens?

March 2038 Philippines Football League Philippines Football League Cup - Qualifying Round We somehow squeeze two wins in the league to move up a place into 13th, before staging a great comeback against Air Force in the League Cup. Aguilas then brough us down to earth by absolutely whipping us, but 3 wins out of 4 has to be considered a great month. Transfers In The only player that had wage demands low enough for us to be able to sign, but at least David is an improvement at BBM. Next Fixtures It is a busy April and honestly getting a couple of wins would be a great result.

February 2038 I may have bitten off more than I can chew. The team is very poor and the financial restrictions mean I have not been able to sign anyone yet. I am amazed we even managed to get a point at Don Bosco Garelli. We still have a month of the transfer window left so let's see how that goes but I don't t expect an amazing turn of form in the last 6 games of the league. Transfers Out I let go of an unhappy back-up goalkeeper to Maharlika Manila and released a youngster that was never going to make it. Next Fixtures The games don't get a lot easier in the league and we also have the PFL Cup to distract us this month. In the PFL Cup the PFL teams are split into two groups with teams playing against each other once and the top 4 making it to the Quarter Finals. The board wants us to do well in it but I don't think they are being realistic.

Thank you! Great to have local following and agree it will be tough to break the dominance. I am not even sure Loyola is going to be the club to do it with as the financial situation is terrible but let's see if we can turn it around, may be sticking here for a long time Thanks! If I have energy left I'll try to win the Champions League when I get to Thailand, which is the last country and is "home" to Niran.

Loyola Football Club Loyola Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Taguig in the metropolitan region of Manila. It was founded in 2006 as Loyola Agila Football club by former students of the Ateneo de Manila University and is named after the patron of the university St. Ignatius of Loyola. They played regional tournaments before entering the United Football League in 2010, finishing in 5th in their debut season. From 2011 to 2016 the club was known as Loyola Meralco Sparks due to the takeover from Meralco, which is the power distributor in the Philippines. This was the most successful spell of the club as they won two UFL League Cups, and runners-up in the UFL in 2014. The iconic Phil Younghusband, ex-Chelsea trainee, played for them during this time. When the Philippines Football League was announced the team had originally expressed interest in joining but subsequently Meralco stopped funding the club and they struggled to find other investors to keep the team, so reverted to youth football only. They rejoined the PFL in 2023, which coincided with the in-game start. They have not been as succesful with a 5th place finish in the 32/33 season their best result, they have languished close to the bottom of the table in recent years, finishing 14th out of 15 in 2 out of the last 3 seasons. They are currently in 14th again and this led to their manager being sacked. They play their games in the McKinley Hill Stadium, which they share with fellow PFL side Mendiola. It is a small stadium owned by real estate company Megaworld Corporation. Best XI At first glance we look strongest at centre back and goal, with right back a weakness. The transfer window is open for another month and a half so we can look to improve depending on finances. Top Rated Players Signed on loan two days before I joined, best player at the club, thank you very much. Jeremiah looks OK on paper but I am not sure if having a 16 year old youth product as your second best player is a good thing. Defence is definitely where we are at best, another young player here. Finances On the face of it, it doesn't look too bad, until you realize there is $1.2M in debt with a $12k monthly repayment. This is going to be tricky...at least we have some sort of buffer left in the wage budget and with non-contract players it means we can get some of them in. Initial Standing and Fixtures Playing 3rd and 4th place in your first two games is not ideal, but lets see what we can do.

Destination 8 - Philippines The Philippines is an archipelago in Southeast Asia, consisting of over 7,000 islands. As of 2023, it has a population of approximately 113 million people, making it one of the most populous countries in the world. The official languages are Filipino (based on Tagalog) and English, reflecting its colonial history and diverse cultural heritage. The Philippines has a rich and complex history influenced by various cultures. Indigenous peoples inhabited the islands for thousands of years before the arrival of Spanish explorers in the 16th century, leading to over 300 years of Spanish colonial rule. This period introduced Christianity and significantly influenced Filipino culture. In 1898, the Philippines declared independence from Spain, but soon fell under American control after the Spanish-American War. The country gained full independence in 1946. Since then, it has experienced various political changes, including periods of martial law and democratic transitions. The Philippine economy is classified as a newly industrialized economy, driven by sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and services. Remittances from overseas Filipino workers play a vital role in the economy, contributing significantly to national income. The country has also seen growth in the BPO (business process outsourcing) industry, making it a global leader in this sector. However, challenges like income inequality and unemployment persist. Tourism is a major contributor to the Philippine economy, known for its stunning beaches, vibrant festivals, and rich cultural heritage. Popular destinations include Boracay, Palawan, and Cebu, which attract millions of visitors annually. The country promotes ecotourism and adventure tourism, highlighting its diverse ecosystems, including coral reefs and mountainous regions. Football in the Philippines Football has had its ups and downs in the Philippines. The sport was introduced by the British during the Spanish colonial ruling in the 19th century. In the early 20th century, football became more organized, with the establishment of the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) in 1907. The country participated in the Far Eastern Championship Games, an early regional competition, helping to further popularize the sport with a title win in 1913. After that however momentum declined and despite some efforts to revive the sport in the 50s and 70s it was not until the 2000s that it started being more organized and regained popularity. The establishment of a domestic league and investment in infrastructure led the country to qualify for a first Asian Cup in 2019, where they lost all 3 games. Whilst the national team has not been able to follow up from that achievement, in-game the Philippines have not only become regular qualifiers, they reached the knockout stages every tournament so far, even getting to the Quarter Finals in 2031. Those performances have unfortunately not translated into a World Cup qualification yet. A domestic top flight only started in 2008 with the creation of the short lived Filipino Premier League, which was then replaced by the United Football League in 2009. Both of these were leagues with teams primarily in the Manila metropolitan area and in 2016 the Philippines Football League was created with the aim of taking football to different areas of the country. It is a closed league with 15 teams that play each other twice and there is also a cup competition for the same teams. There have only been two winners since the new PFL was established, with Kaya and United City dominating proceedings, however Air Force and Stallion who currently play in the PFL have won the United Football League before so I will count them as ineligible for the challenge. With only 4 of the 15 teams ineligible we do have a good range of choice, although I would like to avoid the couple of clubs that don't have a badge. Despite Kaya and United's dominance the rest of the teams seem to be fairly even, so will apply for any vacancy as they arise. Finances seems to be bad at most clubs which is a bit of a worry and probably a reason why the league has dropped so much down the rankings since the save began.

2037 Season Review We finally got a good season in and had a great start that gave us enough breathing space to go a month without a win and still have a comfortable lead. It helped that no other team was really consistently good. We exited early in the FAM Cup but I did not really care for it anymore. Squad by Appearances We had a pretty consistent line up baring injuries or international call-ups, with both strikers and our AP starting every game. The only place we rotated frequently was at centre back as we could never quite find the ideal partner for the Jordanian Mahmoud Mahmoud. Top Performers Became that striker we really needed, winning us plenty of points on his own. With an amazing record of a goal per game he won Top Scorer as well as Player and Young Player of the Year, what a year he had! Another mainstay up front, the Laotian had another consistent season and was tremendous in the build up play and had a much better goal scoring season than last. Came in halfway through the season and offered so much more going forward with 8 goal contributions in 13 games. Finances Made a bit of money this season, the club will be left in a great place with money in the bank and a lot of improvements which put their facilities amongst the best in the country now. Progress The longest time by far that Niran has spent at the club, as the Maldives proved to be the biggest challenge so far. Not a bad place to spend four seasons and despite almost throwing my laptop out of the window a few times due to how inconsistent we were in the first 3 seasons, it was a really enjoyable stay. It was nice to be able to improve the club and set them up for continuous success. Next we well go to another set of islands, although those are much bigger as we head to the Philippines!

September/October 2037 I guess I should have never doubted the team as we win the last 3 matches easily to claim the title! Also, spare a thought for New Radiant who won the league thtree years ago and will now have to fight for survival in the relegation group.

August 2037 I bloody jinxed it - such a frustrating month as we let Buru and Valencia back in the game after having two goal leads, those really should have been wins. The rest I am not as upset about as we did well to come back twice against Victory and prevent them closing the gap on us. Luckily for us the other teams are also dropping points so we still have a decent lead. We also went out with a whimper in the FAM Cup, but I am not as upset as the board is here after having won it twice already. Transfers Out Our once starting left back was now third choice and now left out of the squad to accommodate a foreign slot to Álvarez. No one wanted to sign him and he asked for mutual termination, which made sense and off he goes. Next Fixtures We need two wins out of our last three games to absolutely guarantee the title, but it could be less if other teams drop points and I hope they do because in the form we are in I am not confident of getting 6 points, especially when we have two away games and Super United have had our number this year.

July 2037 We are absolutely on fire right now and are looking unstoppable we won all games comfortably other than bottom side Eagles at home, funnily enough. Still Ahmed Ahmed saved us that day and in general has been in amazing goalscoring form. We also put in a 17 year odl youth product at the back, Hussain Amir, who has helped shore the defence alongside Mahmoud Mahmoud who overcame his debut red card to put in a lot of really solid performances. Don't want to jinx it, but things are looking good right now. Next Fixtures A busy August should seal our fate as we will only have two league games after that.

We are in good form so the board accepted improvements to the Junior Coaching and Youth Recruitment, which are at Good and Above Average respectively.

2036/37 Asian Review AFC Champions League Elite A rare all-Korean final with a first title for Daegu. BG Pathum Utd continue to put good performances out there and reach the Semi-Final, with Bangkok Utd and Buriram Utd also making the Knockout Stages. AFC Champions League Two East Asia is on fire this season as Japan's Kawasaki-F win their first title. We have decent representation from our nations with Thai side Port in the Semi-Final and Singapore's Arema in the Quarters, with Selangor, Johor DT and Ha Noi FC all also making the knockout stages. AFC Challenge Cup Shabab Ordon from Jordan win their first title in a season that our nations did not do as well as usual, with only Visakha and AS Académica making the knockouts. South/Southeast Asian League Rankings A few movements as Singapore overtakes Myanmar, Timor-Lest continue to rise and go above Bangladesh and Philippines drop below both Laos and the Maldives. League Champions No new champions but some interesting battles to be the record winner, especially in Bangladesh and Malaysia where Abahani KC (D)/Bashundhara Kings and Selangor/Johor DT respectively keep alternating titles. In Indonesia there is a new record holder in Persebaya after previously three teams shared that honour. Former League Champions AS Académica: Another double for them but in Asia they did not manage to retain the Challenge Cup, exiting at the Quarter Final. Lun Bawang: Much better in the league as they finish 8th, but they are out in the Group Stage of the FA Cup again. Tensung: Poor in the Premier League as they only finish 8th. Up Country Lions: Retained the title to earn their 6th trophy. Did also get to the Group Stage of the Challenge League. Armed Police: Comfortably retained the title to earn their 6th win. Ezra FC: A bit of a drop as they finish 3rd in the league and are knocked out in the Quarter Final of the FF Cup.

June 2037 This has to be considered a good month as despite us not being able to break down Maziya SRC we put in two very good performances against Valencia and Victory to put us top of the table. Both Ahmed and Siphonexay are in great form right now and hopefully this continues. Transfers In Two additions to the squad and we are done for the season. Ibrahim is a very good midfielder and will most likely feature in the first XI, just haven't been able to bech anyone right now due to good performances. An Intermediary offered us René who was out in the wild playing in the Thai third tier. He is an attacking right back which is what we like and hopefully adds quality to the back line. Next Fixtures A bit of a break due to the SAFF Cup, where we have 4 players called up for the Maldives, before a busy second half of July.

May 2037 What a rollercoaster of a month. Our debut seemed to be going well until our star central defence signing Mahmoud Mahmoud decided to get sent off on his debut, from then Buru SC claimed back a draw in a game that really should be a win. A great performance against Maziya SRC followed and then aganst New Radiant another red card seemed to be the downfall of us again until Ahmed Ahmed pulled a goal out of the bag to seal it in the last minute for us. That gave us in the confidence to get a result against Super United but our defence did not show up during the game. We equalized three times after they took the lead and even had a goal chalked off when it was 3-3 but in the end they edged a thriller. We at least followed that up with a win against Eagles and the league is wide open at this stage. Next Fixtures A quieter month, but with games against the top 3 sides it will be a tough one.