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| Brothers Manny and Mike Ott sign with UCFC |
MANILA--United City continues on keeping the core of its AFC Cup lineup season by affirming the commitment of Manny and Mike Ott.
On Friday, United City co-founder Eric Gottschalk announced that the siblings has rejoined the club formerly known as Ceres Negros after inking the deal the night before.
Mike Ott, which has been with the team since 2018, is essentially staying put.
Manny Ott, on the other hand, actually left the club when the COVID-19 pandemic took a hit in the PFL's supposed start, but with this development, Manny, who played for Ceres Negros in the AFC Cup earlier this year, is making his way back.
"Both, Manny and Mike bring a tremendous amount of experience on the club and international level to the team and this will be instrumental in our pursuit to defend the PFL title and to progress from the AFC Cup Group stages in September in Vietnam," Gottschalk stated.
Gottschalk hinted that four more players will come to United City ahead of the return of domestic football play by September.
Grommen moves to Aussie side
While retaining United City's full roster has been the top priority of Gottschalk since taking over the franchise from Leo Rey Yanson, getting the team back in full force may not happen for now as Josh Grommen confirmed that he is joining Australian club Brisbane City.
The second division side announced earlier Friday that Grommen, who once played in its youth program, will make a return this time in the first team.
However, Grommen revealed that he was close to staying put with United City if not for the travel restrictions put up due to the pandemic.
"Being back home in Brisbane, I was unable to accept the contract which was presented to me by the new owners of the club due to the lack of available flights and the fact that it is nearly impossible to leave Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic," the Fil-Aussie defender said in a Facebook post.
Grommen still got to play for United City, then still using the Ceres Negros name, in the AFC Cup earlier this year, scoring a controversial goal in the club's 4-0 walloping of Svay Rieng before the pandemic put world sports on hold.
With him still keen on playing football despite the pandemic, he made the decision to return to Brisbane City.
"For now, I am ready to give 100 percent to Brisbane City FC and hope to achieve some silverware with a club that has big potential with the guidance of Matt Smith (the club's playing coach), who has played a big part in getting myself to the team," Grommen further stated.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno_
Gottschalk hinted that four more players will come to United City ahead of the return of domestic football play by September.
Grommen moves to Aussie side
While retaining United City's full roster has been the top priority of Gottschalk since taking over the franchise from Leo Rey Yanson, getting the team back in full force may not happen for now as Josh Grommen confirmed that he is joining Australian club Brisbane City.
The second division side announced earlier Friday that Grommen, who once played in its youth program, will make a return this time in the first team.
However, Grommen revealed that he was close to staying put with United City if not for the travel restrictions put up due to the pandemic.
"Being back home in Brisbane, I was unable to accept the contract which was presented to me by the new owners of the club due to the lack of available flights and the fact that it is nearly impossible to leave Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic," the Fil-Aussie defender said in a Facebook post.
Grommen still got to play for United City, then still using the Ceres Negros name, in the AFC Cup earlier this year, scoring a controversial goal in the club's 4-0 walloping of Svay Rieng before the pandemic put world sports on hold.
With him still keen on playing football despite the pandemic, he made the decision to return to Brisbane City.
"For now, I am ready to give 100 percent to Brisbane City FC and hope to achieve some silverware with a club that has big potential with the guidance of Matt Smith (the club's playing coach), who has played a big part in getting myself to the team," Grommen further stated.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno_
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