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Sunil Chhetri in action with Dimas Delgado and Udanta Singh during a training session ahead of BFC's Inter-Zonal semifinal against 4.25 SC.

The emergence and continued excellence of Bengaluru FC (BFC) has been one of the brightest stories in Indian football across the last half a decade or so. Since their formation in 2013, BFC have won the I-League twice, become the first Indian club to reach the AFC Cup final and have distinguished themselves as the most professionally run club in the country.

Wednesday will mark a new beginning as BFC take to the field at the Kanteerava Stadium as an Indian Super League (ISL) club for the first time, though the canvas will be familiar; an AFC Cup knockout game against North Korea's April 25.

Some of the names donning the blue of Bengaluru are new ones, yet a lot of familiar faces will look to help the club improve on their runner-up finish from 2016.

BFC were always a step ahead of ISL

BFC's professionalism stood out right from its inception. Their first coach Ashley Westwood brought in intensity in their training sessions, using his previous experience in the Manchester United youth system. As an outsider in Indian football, his first team included few Indian stars aside from Sunil Chhetri.

A team from Bengaluru was slated to play the first ISL season in 2014, but there was a late change in the roster and the franchise went to Chennai instead. BFC refused to release their players for the first season of the ISL, but they had already made an impression in Indian football by then. They were using GPS metrics to track players and monitoring the pH levels in their urine to ensure they were properly hydrated before any ISL team. Chhetri, as well-travelled an Indian footballer as any, would speak glowingly of the high levels of professionalism within the club and its management.

They had a disappointing league campaign under new coach Albert Roca in 2017, failing to finish in the top three for the first time. However, they continued their 100 percent record of making the AFC Cup knockouts, and added a second Federation Cup for good measure, which meant they would continue to be a part of AFC competition the following year.

The squad gets an ISL makeover

When BFC made up their mind to join the expanded ISL for 2017-18, keeping together the squad was always going to be a challenge. While players like Amrinder Singh, Eugeneson Lygdoh, Sandesh Jhingan, CK Vineeth are no longer with them, the club moved smartly to retain Chhetri, Udanta Singh, Nishu Kumar and Malsawmzuala.

In the ISL draft, they failed to retain Lyngdoh, arguably their most consistent Indian performer alongside Chhetri since the 2014-15 season. However, they did reclaimed Lenny Rodrigues, Alwyn George and Harmanjot Khabra, which might give them a sense of continuity going into the new season.

"It was difficult for the first week. We all cried...and then we got back on to the ground," said Chhetri of the days immediately after the ISL draft in July. "It does feel like a new squad, just like the first year. In the last three years, almost 80 percent of the team was the same. So it does feel different. But all the players that have come in have come in with good mentality."

What team could they put together?

"We ideally would have wanted more games where we would have played 90 minutes. That period we were working on our fitness, but none of us could play 90 minutes. Tomorrow is the most important game," said Chhetri, highlighting the lack of match practice for a team that has had less than a month together.

Roca used the 3-4-3 formation to good effect during the AFC Cup and Federation Cup campaigns. With Gurpreet Singh Sandhu in goal, it might give him the confidence to give more freedom to his full-backs to bomb up and down the wings.

That could mean potential starts to Nishu and Khabra, with the triad of Juanan Gonzalez, Zohmingliana 'Zotea' Ralte and Rahul Bheke forming the back three.

The midfield could feature Australian Erik Paartalu and Dimas Delgado looking to take control of the pace of the game, leaving Antonio Dovale and Udanta to support Chhetri in attack.

"The aim is to win...1-0 if possible, or 2-1. I just want my team to not give them many occasions to score," Roca said.

Despite the changes, it would take a brave person to stack the odds against BFC in their latest avatar -- it has been their hallmark in the last four years to keep springing surprises.

More here:
Bengaluru FC 2.0 promises exciting things as ISL team resumes AFC campaign - ESPN FC (blog)

Sunil Chhetri in action with Dimas Delgado and Udanta Singh during a training session ahead of BFC's Inter-Zonal semifinal against 4.25 SC.

The emergence and continued excellence of Bengaluru FC (BFC) has been one of the brightest stories in Indian football across the last half a decade or so. Since their formation in 2013, BFC have won the I-League twice, become the first Indian club to reach the AFC Cup final and have distinguished themselves as the most professionally run club in the country.

Wednesday will mark a new beginning as BFC take to the field at the Kanteerava Stadium as an Indian Super League (ISL) club for the first time, though the canvas will be familiar; an AFC Cup knockout game against North Korea's April 25.

Some of the names donning the blue of Bengaluru are new ones, yet a lot of familiar faces will look to help the club improve on their runner-up finish from 2016.

BFC were always a step ahead of ISL

BFC's professionalism stood out right from its inception. Their first coach Ashley Westwood brought in intensity in their training sessions, using his previous experience in the Manchester United youth system. As an outsider in Indian football, his first team included few Indian stars aside from Sunil Chhetri.

A team from Bengaluru was slated to play the first ISL season in 2014, but there was a late change in the roster and the franchise went to Chennai instead. BFC refused to release their players for the first season of the ISL, but they had already made an impression in Indian football by then. They were using GPS metrics to track players and monitoring the pH levels in their urine to ensure they were properly hydrated before any ISL team. Chhetri, as well-travelled an Indian footballer as any, would speak glowingly of the high levels of professionalism within the club and its management.

They had a disappointing league campaign under new coach Albert Roca in 2017, failing to finish in the top three for the first time. However, they continued their 100 percent record of making the AFC Cup knockouts, and added a second Federation Cup for good measure, which meant they would continue to be a part of AFC competition the following year.

The squad gets an ISL makeover

When BFC made up their mind to join the expanded ISL for 2017-18, keeping together the squad was always going to be a challenge. While players like Amrinder Singh, Eugeneson Lygdoh, Sandesh Jhingan, CK Vineeth are no longer with them, the club moved smartly to retain Chhetri, Udanta Singh, Nishu Kumar and Malsawmzuala.

In the ISL draft, they failed to retain Lyngdoh, arguably their most consistent Indian performer alongside Chhetri since the 2014-15 season. However, they did reclaimed Lenny Rodrigues, Alwyn George and Harmanjot Khabra, which might give them a sense of continuity going into the new season.

"It was difficult for the first week. We all cried...and then we got back on to the ground," said Chhetri of the days immediately after the ISL draft in July. "It does feel like a new squad, just like the first year. In the last three years, almost 80 percent of the team was the same. So it does feel different. But all the players that have come in have come in with good mentality."

What team could they put together?

"We ideally would have wanted more games where we would have played 90 minutes. That period we were working on our fitness, but none of us could play 90 minutes. Tomorrow is the most important game," said Chhetri, highlighting the lack of match practice for a team that has had less than a month together.

Roca used the 3-4-3 formation to good effect during the AFC Cup and Federation Cup campaigns. With Gurpreet Singh Sandhu in goal, it might give him the confidence to give more freedom to his full-backs to bomb up and down the wings.

That could mean potential starts to Nishu and Khabra, with the triad of Juanan Gonzalez, Zohmingliana 'Zotea' Ralte and Rahul Bheke forming the back three.

The midfield could feature Australian Erik Paartalu and Dimas Delgado looking to take control of the pace of the game, leaving Antonio Dovale and Udanta to support Chhetri in attack.

"The aim is to win...1-0 if possible, or 2-1. I just want my team to not give them many occasions to score," Roca said.

Despite the changes, it would take a brave person to stack the odds against BFC in their latest avatar -- it has been their hallmark in the last four years to keep springing surprises.

See the rest here:
Sen: Bengaluru FC 2.0 promises exciting things - ESPN FC (blog)

Photo: Colleen McCloskey

Eagle Women Chosen For WRWC Semis

Eagles head coach Pete Steinberg has made no changes toher selected players following the USA's 47-26lossto England last Thursday. While the Eagles closed theirPool B slate with a defeat, theygarnered a crucial bonus point in that matchto secure a semifinal spot as the best second-place poolteam.

Undefeated in the tournament,New Zealand enters the semifinals following three dominant wins inPoolA, including a 48-5 triumphover Canada.

For the USA, its strong defense was testedand beatenagainstEngland, and the Eagleswill have to be better in the knockout game-- a matchup in which the Americans are most certainly the underdogs.

However, by reaching the semis, the USA team has made this the most successful Women's Rugby World Cup for the Eaglessince 1998. Now they have their sights set on a berth in the final. England will play France in the other semifinal in Belfast.

Reserves 16. Samantha Pankey 17. Hope Rogers 18. Nick James 19. Abby Gustaitis 20. Kristine Sommer 21. Kayla Canett-Oca 22. Tess Feury 23. Jess Wooden

Read more here:
Eagle Women Chosen For WRWC Semis - FloRugby

PVL

By ABS-CBN Sports on Aug 22, 2017 02:21 PM

Amid the frenzied celebration on the court that followed the Purest Water Defenders capture of the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference championship against the Pocari Sweat Lady Warriors recently, the top honcho of BaliPure announced that his Mabalacat, Pampanga-based company is keeping the present team for the next season and the seasons after that.

Panlileo was ecstatic and breathless as he made the announcement to this writer, bursting into laughter next as he watched Risa Sato gather the scattered confettis in her hands to release it again in the air.

This, our first title since joining the commercial league last year, is further motivation for us to keep maintaining a team in the PVL, said the mild-mannered top honcho of the Mabalacat, Pampanga-based water supplier and bottler of purified water. We have always said and I am saying it again that our company will always field a team in any tournament organized by Sports Vision. We are in this for the long term.

An equally jubilant Gil Cortez, BaliPure team consultant, was telling sportswriters elsewhere on the court that he felt vindicated in his previous claim that it was the foreign guest players of the Pocari Sweat Lady Warriors who had beaten them in the finals of the opening competition of the new PVL this year, the Reinforced Conference.

He had asserted then that his team carried the strongest local lineup. That heart-stopping Wednesday night, the Water Defenders, powered by the never-say-die Grethcel Soltones, proved his boast right.

Sobrang super

Talagang buwis-buhay ang nilaro ko sir, said Soltones. Talagang ibinigay ko sa Game 3 ang lahat ng best ko. Ganoon din ang mga teammates ko.

Sobrang super happy po was all Sato could say when asked how she felt about BaliPures first championship.

Gel Cayuna, an eleventh-hour recruit from Far Eastern University, was having that top-of-the-world feeling. Nagpapasalamat po ako at nakasali ako sa pinaka-solid na team sa PVL. Masayang-masayang-masaya po ako.

Towards the end of the court celebration, libero Lizlee Ann Pantone opted to stay away from the raucous group, watching the spontaneous proceedings on the mounted TV screen teary-eyed. Masaya lang po kaya medyo naiiyak ako.

Up in the gallery Jerry Malabanan and his three younger daughters were watching the ever modest Jerrili, his firstborn, let her hair down in elation over winning her first championship in the Philippines since coming home for good from California in 2013 to be able to play collegiate volleyball here with the FEU Lady Tamaraws in the UAAP.

We lived for this moment when Jerrili would win her first title with any local team, said the senior Malabanan, who brought in a group of 44 at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City to watch the deciding match. The family is very proud of her.

No sooner had Grethcel hammered in the final point that broke the backs of the Lady Warriors than Jerrilis mom phoned her dad from Placentia, California, to let the family know that she watched the whole knockout game with their relatives via The Filipino Channel starting at six in the morning.

I wish I were there to share with you that moment we have been waiting for, Malabanan quoted her wife Liberty as telling him.

Mrs. Malabanan is the only one in the family who stayed behind in the US to continue her office work for a maritime company.

Continued here:
First title is further motivation for us to keep present team in the PVL -- BaliPure boss - ABS-CBN Sports

The 25-year-old custodian will play in the AFC Cup knockouts later this month for Bengaluru FC

Federation Cup champions Bengaluru FC are to face DPR Korean side 4.25 SC on April 23rd in the first of the two legs of the AFC Cup knockout rounds.

On Wednesday, they released a 25-member squad list which had been registered for the AFC Cup.

Juventus 12/1 to win Champions League

However, with the club having signed goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu on August 16th, the question on everyones mind is whether the player would be allowed to ply his trade in the said competition.

Gurpreet's return to India - a wise move?

The answer is in the affirmative and this is thanks to the shrewd planning on behalf of the club.

The last date to register players for the AFC Cup tie was August 6th. Not known to many Gurpreets name was included in the 26-player list submitted.

The catch was that the JSW-owned club had to submit the contractual documents including the International Transfer Certificate (ITC) at least seven days before the first leg of the AFC Cup knockout game, ie, by midnight on August 16th.This is was what the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) had demanded from Bengaluru FC.

Exclusive Q&A with the architect of BFC's Gurpreet coup

Following the breakdown of the potential move to Portuguese club Boavista FC, Bengaluru FC moved swiftly in the market to directly deal with Stabaek FC. The Norwegian club had problems of their own as they had to sign Gurpreets replacement, John Alvarage from Sweden before the end of the transfer window with the deadline being August 16th.

On Wednesday, Bengaluru FC officials had alerted the concerned authorities at the AFC, All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the Norwegian FA to act swiftly in order to ensure that they get the ITC and that his contractual obligations are processed just in time. In fact, the ITC was submitted at 11:30 pm IST, just 30 minutes prior to the expiry of the deadline.

Article continues below

The Blues have been plotting the move for Gurpreet for the last six weeks or so and have finally managed to rope him in. He will participate in the first training session with the rest of the team on Friday.

Visit link:
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu: How is he eligible to play in AFC Cup - Goal.com