Loyola F.C.

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Loyola
Loyola F.C. Crest 2021.png
Full nameLoyola Football Club
Nickname(s)The Greywolves
Short nameLFC
Founded2006; 15 years ago (2006)
GroundTBA
ChairmanRandy Roxas
Head coachRoxy Dorlas
LeagueNone (left the Philippines Football League in 2017)
20173rd of 8
WebsiteClub website

Loyola Football Club is a Filipino association football club based in Metro Manila. The club has won one UFL Cup and one PFF National Men's Club Championship.

Founded as Loyola Agila Football Club in 2006, the club changed its name to Loyola Meralco Sparks in 2011 after it was acquired by Meralco and the MVP Sports Foundation, both owned by multimillionaire Manny V. Pangilinan. The club was a founding member of the United Football League (UFL)—the de facto top-level league of Philippine football back then. They played in the UFL throughout its existence from 2010 to 2016. In 2017, the club changed its name to FC Meralco Manila upon joining the Philippines Football League (PFL), the official top flight of Philippine football. Rizal Memorial Stadium then became the club's home ground. In the 2017 PFL, the club finished at the top of the league table but ended up in third place after the playoffs. In January 2018, the club ceased its participation in the PFL due to the lack of investors. The club was then renamed Loyola Football Club, though only their youth teams and academy remain operational.

History[]

Loyola Agila FC (2006–2011)[]

The club was founded in 2006 as Loyola Agila Football Club by former student footballers of Ateneo de Manila University.[1] The team is named after St. Ignatius of Loyola, the university's patron saint, while Agila is Tagalog for "eagle" (the university's sports teams are called the Ateneo Blue Eagles).[2][3]

Loyola was one of the teams that joined the first season of the UFL which they finished in fourth place.[4] The team was then sponsored by ATR Kim-Eng by the 2011 season, which they finished 5th place under their team captain Patrick Ozaeta.[5]

Loyola Meralco Sparks FC (2011–2016)[]

2011 season[]

Straight from the 2011 National Club Championships, the brothers Phil and James Younghusband led the new signed players of the Sparks in early September 2011, along with brothers Darren, Matthew and Mark Hartmann. The team was eventually taken over by Meralco and the MVP Sports Foundation which is owned by Manuel V. Pangilinan.[6]

The Loyola Sparks had a successful campaign in the 2011 UFL Cup, but eventually lost to the Philippine Air Force 2–0 in the finals.[7]

2012 season[]

The Sparks started their 2012 United Football League campaign on a high note, topping all clubs at the end of the first round of competition. However, the club ended its league run in third place after a 1-all draw against eventual league champions Global FC.[8]

After securing first place in the first round, the club was invited to play in the 2012 Singapore Cup.[9] In the preliminary round on 18 May 2012, they played Geylang United FC, where they won 2–1 in added extra time, advancing them to the two-legged quarter-finals.[10] They faced Burmese club Kanbawza in early July wherein they defeated them 5–3 on aggregate after a 3–1 win and a 2–2 draw in both legs.[11] They faced Tampines Rovers FC in a two-legged semi-finals and lost 5–0 on aggregate. They lost the third-place match 4–0 to Gombak United.

The club also participated in the 2012 UFL Cup between September 15 to December 17, 2012. The club topped Group C, with Pachanga coming in a close second, to advance to the semi-finals of the cup. However, the team was eventually defeated by Global ending their run.[12]

2013 season[]

Members and officials of the Loyola Meralco Sparks squad that competed at the 2013 Singapore Cup.

The club qualified for the 2013 PFF National Men's Club Championship alongside other UFL clubs.[13] The club played against Flame United FC in the knock-out stage.[14] However, they were eliminated by fellow Division 1 UFL side Kaya in the quarterfinals.[15] They've played with Harimau Muda B in the 2013 Singapore Cup opening match which ended in favor of the club. However, they only reach the quarterfinal round when they bowed out to Tanjong Pagar United in a 5–4 aggregate.

After the elimination at the Singapore Cup, the team marked their fifth appearance at the 2013 UFL Cup. They started their campaign at the group stages by beating Dolphins United in double digits.[16] They also faced Navy with a huge 9–0 victory.[17]

Last 30 October 2013, Loyola set a record with the most goals scored in the United Football League, they faced Blue Guards at the Emperador Stadium. Meralco defeated them by a margin of 33 points. It is regarded as the most lopsided win in the history of the United Football League (UFL) since it began a semi-professional league in 2009.[18][19] Because of that Phil Younghusband currently leads the top scorer of the cup at 18 goals and the team advances to the knockout stages of the tournament.

2014 season[]

The sparks ended their 2014 season as runners-up in the 2014 United Football League, finishing 13 points behind eventual champions Global and 3 points ahead Kaya.

FC Meralco Manila (2017–2018)[]

Main article: 2017 FC Meralco Manila season
Meralco Manila players celebrating after scoring against Davao Aguilas. September 23, 2017.

After the announcement of the formation of the Philippines Football League, which was set to replace the United Football League as the country's top-tier football league, Loyola, along with 7 other UFL clubs, expressed their desire to enter the newly-founded league. On the PFL's launching on April 21, 2017, it was confirmed that the team changed their name to FC Meralco Manila and assigned Manila as their home city. The team designated the Rizal Memorial Stadium as their home venue.

On January 8, 2018, the club announced that they have ceased their participation in the league. The management stated that they attempted to find investors to keep the club's league participation possible but were unable to do so.[20]

Loyola FC (2018–)[]

In mid-January 2018, the club now called "Loyola Football Club" announced that their youth academy would continue operations. Their youth teams will continue their participation in the Youth Football League[21] and they have entered a youth squad at the 7s Football League.[22]

Return to Philippines Football League[]

In February 2021, it was reported that the club is applying for a return to the Philippines Football League.[23][24]

Crest[]

The club's crest is a variation of the Ateneo de Manila University seal, from which the club traces its roots. However, the seal's origin is the Shield of Oñaz-Loyola, a symbol of St. Ignatius family's Oñaz lineage.

The crest's colors are gold, maroon, and blue – representing nobility, strength, and loyalty respectively. The left side of the crest consists of seven maroon bars going diagonally from the upper left to the lower right on a gold field. The right side of the crest features a pair of rampant gray wolves flanking each side of a cooking pot. The "Loyola" name was a contraction of the words Lobo y Olla which literally meant "wolf and pot" in Spanish. The wolves are a symbol of nobility, and represents the players and fans of the club.

On 2017, the gray wolves was replaced by a sea-lion which is a representation of Manila.

Loyola crest history

  • As Loyola Agila (2006–2011)

  • As Loyola Meralco Sparks (2011–2017)

  • As Meralco Manila (2017–2018)

  • As Loyola (2018–)

Club rivalries[]

Loyola had club rivalries with a number of teams in the United Football League/Philippines Football League.

Rivalry with Kaya[]

Since 2011, Loyola held a rivalry with National Capital Region neighbors Kaya, with Loyola being based in Quezon City and Kaya being based in Makati. The rivalry began in the 2011 UFL Cup semi-finals clash between the two teams, in which Kaya went up to lead the game by 3–0 only to lose by 4–5 after an enthralling comeback from the Sparks. Since then, the UFL has had some of its highest attendance numbers whenever there are match-ups between the two teams, making the rivalry the most famous derby in Philippine club football.[25]

This rivalry continued into the first season of the newly founded Philippine Football League. However, after the first season of the PFL concluded, Meralco (Loyola) then decided to pull out of the league and Kaya moving to Iloilo City, effectively ending the rivalry between the two clubs.

Rivalry with Philippine Air Force[]

The rivalry with Philippine Air Force started when Air Force defeated the national team player-laden Loyola 2–0 during the 2011 UFL Cup Finals, Edmundo Mercado Jr., adjudged the best goalkeeper of the tournament, defiantly and somewhat controversially proclaimed his side as "true Filipinos".

The rivalry continued for years until Air Force rapidly declined and withdrew its participation in the UFL in 2015, this rivalry has mostly died out.

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors[]

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt partner
2010–11 unknown ATR-Kim Eng Securities
2011–13 Japan Mizuno Meralco1
Maybank, ATR-Kim Eng, Cebu Pacific, Jollibee2
2013–2015 Philippines LGR Sportswear
2015–2017 United States Under Armour
2017 Japan Mizuno Meralco1
Jollibee, Delimondo 2
  • 1Major shirt sponsor (names located at the front of the shirt).
  • 2Secondary sponsor (names mostly located at the back of the shirt).

Players[]

Further information: Category:F.C. Meralco Manila players

Head coaches[]

Jose Ariston Caslib, the last head coach of Loyola, when the club was still playing in the domestic league.
Name Period
South Korea Kim Chul-soo 2011–2013
Philippines Vincent Santos 2013–2014
Scotland Simon McMenemy 2014–2016
Philippines Jose Ariston Caslib 2016–2018

Honors[]

Domestic[]

League[]

Cup[]

Invitational tournament[]

  • Stallions FC Invitational Cup
    • Runners-up: 2017

Records[]

Season Division Teams UFL/PFL PFF NMCC/CPA UFL Cup FA Cup League Cup Singapore Cup Menpora Cup
2009 — — — — Quarter-final — — — —
2010 1 8 4th — Ninth
(Plate Champion) 		— — — —
2011 1 7 5th — Runner-up — — — —
2012 1 10 3rd — Third — — Fourth —
2013 1 10 3rd Quarter-final Champion — — Quarter-final Group stage
2014 1 10 2nd — — Fourth Third Quarter-final —
2015 1 10 3rd Champion Third — — Did not participate —
2016 1 12 3rd — Fifth
(Plate Champion) 		— — Did not participate —
2017 1 8 1st (Regular Season) — — — — Did not participate —
3rd (Final Series)
2018 Did not participate — — — Did not participate —
2019 Did not participate — — — Did not participate —
2020 Did not participate — — — Cancelled —
2021 — — Cancelled — — — — Cancelled Did not participate
2022 TBD — — — TBD TBD
Updated as of 10 November 2021

Invitational tournament record[]

Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
2012 Singapore Cup Preliminary Round Singapore Geylang United 2–1
Quarter-final Myanmar Kanbawza 3–1 2–2 5–3
Semi-final Singapore Tampines Rovers 0–3 2–0 0–5
Third-place Playoff Singapore Gombak United 0–3 Fourth
2013 Singapore Cup Preliminary Round Malaysia Harimau Muda B 3–0
Quarter-final Singapore Tanjong Pagar United 3–3 2–1 4–5
2013 Menpora Cup Group B Indonesia Persepam Madura United 1–3 4th
Indonesia Arema 1–0
Indonesia Mitra Kukar 5–1
2014 Singapore Cup Preliminary Round Laos SHB Vientiane 7–1
Quarter-final Singapore Home United 1–2 2–0 1–4

References[]

  1. ^ "FC Meralco Manila bids goodbye, ceases operations". ABS-CBN Sports. January 9, 2018. Archived from the original on April 26, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  2. ^ Olivares, Rick (November 8, 2012). "War is the theme for UFL Knockout Thursday". Archived from the original on April 26, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  3. ^ Panganiban, Jose Villa (1969). Concise English Tagalog Dictionary. Singapore: Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4629-1128-8.
  4. ^ Schöggl, Hans (June 16, 2011). "Philippines 2009/10". rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
  5. ^ Jamlang, Josue (March 12, 2010). "Air Force Rider trumps Loyola ATR, claims top spot". PhilStar.com. The Philippine Star. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
  6. ^ Bolante, Mikkel (September 7, 2011). "Younghusbands, Hartmanns join UFL's Loyola Meralco Sparks". InterAksyon.com. InterAKTV/TV5. Archived from the original on June 26, 2013. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
  7. ^ Tordecilla, Jaemark (December 10, 2011). "Air Force blanks Loyola to win UFL Cup". InterAksyon.com. InterAKTV/TV5. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
  8. ^ De Guzman, Icko (June 26, 2013). "Global FC win UFL crown via 1–1 draw vs Loyola Meralco". Rappler. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
  9. ^ Almo, Alder (April 30, 2012). "Loyola Meralco Sparks earn tough draw in Singapore Cup". PhilStar.com. The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
  10. ^ "Valiant Loyola win in Singapore Cup debut". ESPN Star Sports. May 18, 2012. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved May 19, 2012.
  11. ^ "Loyola survive scare to make cup semis". ESPN Star Sports. July 8, 2012. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
  12. ^ "Depleted Global boots out Loyola from UFL Cup". uflphilippines. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
  13. ^ Olivares, Rick. "Twenty-eight teams to vie for the 2012 UFL Cup". Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  14. ^ "PFF Smart National Club Championship – Round of 16". Filipino Football. December 7, 2012. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
  15. ^ Guerrero, Bob (January 20, 2013). "Ceres stuns Global, Kaya tops Loyola in SMART PFF Nationals". Yahoo! Sports Philippines. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
  16. ^ Decena, Karl (October 20, 2013). "UFL Cup: Loyola drowns Dolphins, 16–0; Green Archers demolish Blue Guards, 17–0". InterAKTV/TV5. Archived from the original on November 23, 2013. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
  17. ^ Decena, Karl (October 28, 2013). "UFL Cup: Phil Younghusband hits for six goals in Loyola's 9–0 rout of Navy". InterAKTV/TV5. Archived from the original on December 1, 2013. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
  18. ^ Manila Bulletin (November 1, 2013). "Phil scores 8 goals in Loyola's 33–0 win". Yahoo! Philippines. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
  19. ^ Guerrero, Bob (October 31, 2013). "Megablowout! Loyola batters Blue Guards 33–0 in UFL Cup". Yahoo! Philippines. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
  20. ^ Go, Beatrice (January 8, 2018). "PH football club Meralco Manila ceases operations". Rappler. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
  21. ^ Sevilla, Jeremiah (January 16, 2018). "Loyola FC to continue youth academy". Manila Times. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  22. ^ "Philam 7's Football League kicks off new season". ESPN5. February 4, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  23. ^ "2 teams to join PFL". Tribune PH. February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  24. ^ "Loyola, Laos look to make return with PFL". Tiebreaker Times. February 13, 2021. Archived from the original on February 15, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  25. ^ "UFL Cup quarters preview: Why a little bit of hatin' is good". Rappler.com. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
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