BAGUIO CITY – Under the sun’s scorching heat, Menard Football Club (MFC) triumphed over the Melvin Jones Baguio City field last Sunday. The Baguio City Football Club (BC FC) hosted a Sunflower Cup 2025 for football and futsal on March 15 and 16, 2025. Over 800 players nationwide from different age categories participated in the event.
Under team captain Marco Jonathan Henderson, MFC bagged first place with no losses. “It was great leading the team, and it was a big responsibility both on and off the field, but it was great. I learned a lot, too, from my teammates.” Mr. Henderson remarked.
The team comprises players from Manila, Olongapo, Baguio, Myanmar, and other countries nationwide for the Men’s Open category. BC FC awarded three MFC players: Lam Muan for Best Goalkeeper from Myanmar, Rustel Buenafe for Best Striker, and Jermi Darapan for Most Valuable Player (MVP).
“It was amazing getting the MVP award, I’d say it was just a bonus. But everyone contributed. It’s just that during that time, may nagawa lang akong good scores, good dribble here and there. But everyone was, I’d say everyone was the MVP. Everyone contributed. I couldn’t perform my best in the semifinals, but man, the team pulled through. Like, they scored 2-0. And I didn’t contribute any of this, but I did contribute effort. So, the same thing happened with them during the finals. Everyone contributed. Eliminations: everyone contributed. Some would get the final goal or the winning goal, but at the end of the day, everyone still does their part, and I think that’s the beauty of it. So, MVP is just a bonus.” Said MVP Jermi Darapan, a missionary who did missions in Bali, Indonesia.
Despite meeting on the pitch for the first time, Jermi stated, “Overall, the experience was amazing. It’s a good reminder that even when you meet total strangers out there, you can still connect easily. Football is really a universal language. We had players from Myanmar and the province, but we were still able to connect and enjoy the beautiful game together, without boundaries.”
Then, he added an inspirational statement connecting to his faith: “I’d say this is one of the most important ones also. I forgot to say it first, but we’re total strangers, right? Some of us never met. We had different religions, cultures, and languages, but at the end of the day, we could connect. We were able to, you know, set our differences apart and meet. Even starting the game, we would pray as one. We would pray to one God, and just that trust, faith, and belief that God would help us and give us strength, and through that, the whole team just really connected with that. Imagine it. Like, imagine, right? Praying and then saying, ah, that’s not your God. But, you know, football can do so much, even through religion. You might not know the words your teammate is saying, but still, you have this faith. And I’d say it’s, for some, an eye-opening experience. For others, there is a God. There is someone out there giving us strength, giving us this and, you know, through that, enduring and overcoming adversities who will help us throughout and would get, you know, bless us with a championship.”
The team captain and MVP led the team into prayer before every game, regardless of their different beliefs. MFC was surely guided by a higher power, resulting in all wins and no losses, leading to first place while being total strangers on the pitch to a dream team. By Meann Henderson
