By JONAS TERRADO
Global-Cebu launches the Philippine campaign in the AFC Cup today when it takes on Vietnamese side FLC Thanh Hoa in their Group G match at the My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi.
The Philippines Football League runner-up enters the 5:30 p.m. contest looking like a brand new club as it eyes to bounce back following a heartbreaking two-legged defeat to Singapore’s Home United in last year’s ASEAN Zonal semifinals.
Cebu-based businessman Alvin Carranza has purchased the club from longtime owner Dan Palami after its PFL Final loss to Ceres-Negros but lost star striker Misagh Bahadoran and reliable defender Amani Aguinaldo during the transfer window.
Global did add former Meralco-Manila midfielders Curt Dizon and Daniel Gadia and Jordan Jarvis to reinforce the side powered by Paul Mulders, Paolo Salenga, Patrick Deyto and foreigners Rufo Sanchez and Darryl Roberts.
They’ll face a Thanh Hoa side that finished second in last season’s Vietnam’s top-tier league and was eliminated in the second stage of this year’s AFC Champions League qualifiers by Hong Kong’s Eastern Sports Club.
Meanwhile, Ceres starts its AFC Cup campaign on Tuesday when it hosts Cambodian side Boeungket Angkor in Group F at the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City.
The Busmen were forced to play in the AFC Cup after falling a win shy of reaching the Champions League following a 2-0 defeat to Chinese Super League side Tianjin Quanjian last week.