FRESH from a victorious though bruising campaign in the U18 2013 Kanga Cup in Canberra, pinoz Enzo Cheng is setting his sights to play again for the Philippines in September.
By TITUS FILIO
Enzo, who turns 18 this month of August, played for the Philippines’ Carranz Football Club that won gold in the Kanga Cup last month.
He was sidelined in the final match because of an injury and but is now recovering. And his spirits remain high.
“I tore one of my muscles in my quadriceps in the semifinal but recovery is going according to plan. I should be back in the field in two weeks,” Enzo told Ang Kalatas newspaper in an interview.
“I thought the Kanga Cup was a good experience for the team, allowing us an opportunity to face foreign play styles. We were relatively comfortable and well-adjusted in most games except the games against Canberra Capital Football NTC,” he says.
The Filipinos won a tight 1-0 game against the Capital in the finals. The Carranz FC that campaigned in Canberra included 18 players from the Philippines U19 football pool which now has more than 30 players
Born in Mandaluyong City on August 28, 1995, Enzo was 10 when his family settled in NSW, Australia. His parents Jeff and Aileen are both from Quezon City.
It was in Australia that he discovered soccer football.
“I started playing when I was 12,” Enzo said. ”A year later I began training with Jim Fraser at the International Goalkeeper’s Academy.”
He first played for the young Philippine youth team, also called Teen Azkals, in April 2013 in a friendly against the Green Archers.
He counts Brazilian defender David Luiz, Spanish Pepe Reina and the great Argentinian footballer Lionel Messi as his favourites.
The Philippine team is expected to see action in September at the AFF U19 youth championship in Surabaya, Indonesia, and Enzo hopes to be on board.
Currently a Year-12 student at St Andrew’s in Sydney, the goalkeeper hopes to have a career in physiotherapy and sports medicine. Aside from soccer, he’s also interested in rugby and motor sports.
But for now, he’ll be busy playing the role as the ”last line of defence” in the Philippines’ quest for more glory in youth football. He loves being the goalkeeper.
“It was the position I was best at when I first played. I got stuck with the goalkeeper’s position ever since,” Enzo said.
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PICTURES: Enzo Cheng prepares to stop a shot at goal during training. Inset: Enzo Cheng.
Photo by: TRISTAN FILIO
