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| The PMNFT's AMEC home matches will be played on PBA days with interesting storylines. PFF (file photo) |
SAN JUAN, MM--The Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila will be one busy sports hub in the coming days as the Philippine Men's National Football Team and the PBA will be using the said area simultaneously.
The Rizal Memorial Stadium will host the PMNFT's home matches in the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup on Dec. 12 and 18.
Interestingly enough, the PBA will hold games on the aforementioned dates at the adjacent Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Wednesday's games will kickstart three consecutive doubleheaders at the said indoor arena, including the Thursday twinbill that will coincide with the PMNFT's AMEC match against Myanmar.
After a Sunday night trip to the Ynares Center in Antipolo, the Ninoy Aquino Stadium will once again host three straight doubleheaders capped by the Dec. 18 playdate that will coincide with the PMNFT's next homestand against Vietnam.
The PMNFT-Vietnam match is expected to draw a huge crowd from the Vietnamese community in the Philippines, but interestingly enough, a Ginebra game, which could also draw a good bunch of audience, is also scheduled on Dec. 18 against Terrafirma.
There could also be some interest in the scheduled Thursday games as Balti Baltazar, the number one pick of this year's PBA Draft, could finally make his league debut when Converge battles NorthPort.
The six-foot-seven power forward had to honor what was left of his MPBL contract with the Pampanga Giant Lanterns, forcing him to miss the entire PBA Governors' Cup and the first three games of the Commissioner's Cup for the FiberXers.
With Pampanga sweeping Quezon in the MPBL national finals by Saturday, Baltazar is now eligible to play in the PBA on Thursday.
The speculations were further fueled when Baltazar joined Converge's practice on Tuesday at the Gatorade Hoops Center in Mandaluyong.
With all the storylines in play, there is a chance that the Ninoy Aquino Stadium will welcome good-sized crowds too on Dec. 12 and 18.
However, Philippine Football Federation national team director Freddy Gonzalez expressed optimism that the Rizal Memorial Stadium will be filled with Filipino football fans considering that they might not experience some football again until January.
"It's the last football that the fans are gonna experience for the year. It is close to Christmas, so it's always a risk with how many people will be in the country, but I feel like the fans are gonna come out and support, and they're gonna be with the team. It's gonna be two really good games, and so it's gonna be good for everybody. I hope they do all go out to support because it's important that we need to make Rizal Memorial like a fortress in these two games," Gonzalez said.
Vietnam gained a headstart to its AMEC campaign with a 4-1 Monday night road win at Laos, while Myanmar pushed Indonesia, whose core is made up of its under-23 team, to the limit only that an own goal from Zin Nyi Nyi Aung gave the Indons the 1-0 win in Yangon.
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