The fourth annual Fruta Conquerors-organised Namilco Football Festival gets underway tonight at the Tucville Playfield with two matches.
In tonight’s feature game, Pele and Santos two clubs named after the legendary King Pele will resume their rivalry on fittingly Edson Arantes do Nascimento’s 70th birthday.
From 6pm, East Coast powerhouse Victoria Kings will face Monedderlust of Berbice before the mouth watering clash between the two giant clubs of local football.
The battle between pele and Santos will pit two of the country’s top coaches Gordon ‘Ultimate Warrior’ Braithwaite coach of Pele team and Denzil ‘Hunky Brains’ Thompson Coach of santos, against each other. That match will get underway at8pm.
Thompson, himself a former coach Pele club, said yesterday he was happy with his team (Santos) because they have been training as they should and are in good touch.
“Since our participation in the Mayor’s Cup we took a two-week break and since then we have been training and I think we are in good form and will be able to give a good account,” Thompson said.
He added “my coaching philosophy is high endurance along with strong technical ability allows a high level of performance.”
Thompson stated that they are going to be taking it one game at a time because it is a knockout tournament and they will not be planning ahead.
They will be facing a young energetic Pele team that has some spark and has proven to be a team to reckon with.
Pele’s team includes the likes of Dirk Archer, Travis Grant and Marvin Joseph and will be hoping to give a better run after having had not such a good Mayor’s Cup.
Meanwhile, Victoria Kings coach Curt Codagon, thinks his team stands a chance as any other team in being crowned 2010 Namilco champions.
“We are currently engaged in the National Super League and have won three of our last four games and drew the other one so I think with that momentum we will able to put up a good fight,” Codagon stated.
He said that every team will be treated as a threat but his team was ready and in terms of defense and offense, was quite organized.
Monedderlust, who performed excellently in the Cheddi and Janet Jagan Memorial Knockout Competition making it all the way to the semis face a tough challenge early on but are sure to be back themselves.
