Loyola F.C.

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

Loyola
Full nameLoyola Football Club
Nickname(s)The Greywolves
Short nameLFC
Founded2006 (2006), as Loyola Agila Football Club
Dissolved2018 (2018)
OwnerRandy Roxas
ChairmanRoxy Dorlas
LeagueUnited Football League (2010–2016)
Philippines Football League (2017)
Philam 7's Football League (2020–)
20173rd of 8

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)
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]

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.

Players

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

Honors

Domestic

League

Cup

Records
Season Division Teams League Position PFF NMCC 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 — — — —
2016 1 12 3rd — Fifth
(Plate Champion)		 — — — —
2017 1 8 1st (Regular Season) — — — — — —
3rd (Final Series)
2018 1 6 DNP — — — — — —
Updated as of 8 January 2018

Head coaches
Jose Ariston Caslib, the last head coach of FC Meralco Manila.
Name Period
Kim Chul-soo 2011–2013
Vincent Santos 2013–2014
Simon McMenemy 2014–2016
Jose Ariston Caslib 2016–2018

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