Chinese Taipei Football Association (CTFA) secretary-general Fang Ching-jen yesterday touted the success of the Taiwan Business Bank Taiwan Futsal League after Chiayi Tienching on Sunday displayed their all-conquering form and collected the championship trophy with a 5-2 win over YTFC at the Pingtung County Stadium.
Since January, when the season began, Chiayi Tienching scored a perfect 10 wins off 10 games to collect 30 points.
Taichung Traveler were second, finishing on 22 points with seven wins, two losses and one draw, while CTFA U20 were third on 17 points with five wins, three losses and two draws.
Photo courtesy of CTFA
In the season’s final round on Sunday, Taichung Traveler prevailed 6-4 over CTFA U20, while Fangyi Precision of Kaohsiung pummeled Inter Taoyuan 11-4, with all of the matches in Pingtung County.
Soccer pundits were not surprised at Chiayi Tienching’s success, as the team is based on players from Chiayi County’s Wufeng University, which has a long history of soccer programs and as a powerhouse in central Taiwan.
The team previously competed as Wufeng University, but this year changed their name to Chiayi Tienching, after receiving sponsorship from Tien Ching Energy.
Fang yesterday said the league has been a big success, as it has boosted public interest, cultivated young talent and developed players for international competitions.
“We are looking to expand from six to eight teams next season, but also need to carefully assess the new clubs, as they should improve the league and enhance overall competitiveness,” he said.
“This season we saw Chiayi Tienching win all of their games, but it would be better for the league to have strong sides that are able to compete on par with them... All six teams this year are based in a city or county, which will be the requirement for new clubs,” Fang said.
In Taiwan Football Premier League action on Sunday, Tatung FC’s Honduran midfielder Elias Argueta scored twice during his team’s 3-0 rout of Land Home-NTUS at the Taipei Stadium.
In the 19th minute, Argueta followed up on a rebound, hitting a low drive into the net. Just past the half-hour mark he streaked past the NTUS defenders, picking up a loose ball to coolly score again.
Three minutes after intermission, after good work by attacking midfielders Hsu Fan-shao and Chang Hao-wei, the ball was passed across the field to forward Chen Po-hao, who had replaced Argueta. Chen slotted the ball home at close range to ensure victory for Tatung.
“Elias did well with his two goals today,” Tatung manager Chiang Mu-tsai said.
“We will work hard on the final touch, which we didn’t do so well at the start of the season,” he added.
In other games, CPC FC defender Weng Wei-ping thumped the ball home during a scramble after a corner-kick shortly after the intermission, taking his team to a 1-0 win over Flight Skywalkers in Kaohsiung.
In New Taipei City, Huang Yuan FC fought to draw 1-1 against Taipower.
Two people died on Thursday after fans and police clashed outside the Estadio Monumental in Santiago ahead of a game in South America’s Copa Libertadores, Chilean authorities said. The fatalities happened shortly before the match between Chile’s Colo-Colo and Brazilian club Fortaleza, when police blocked about 100 fans when they attempted to enter the stadium. There were conflicting accounts of how the fatalities occurred, with local media reporting that one of the dead was a 13-year-old boy. The other victim was an 18-year-old woman, according to a relative at the hospital where she was treated. The fans died after being caught underneath a
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen has become the first female player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after the Golden State Valkyries selected her in the third and final round of the league’s draft on Monday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship earlier this month. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament’s most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen (陳凱玲) has become the first player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after being selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the third and final round of the league's draft yesterday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship on April 6. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament's most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as a
Japan yesterday secured a second consecutive Billie Jean King Cup finals appearance with a 2-1 win over 2023 champions Canada, thanks to Ena Shibahara and Shuko Aoyama’s 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 win over Kayla Cross and Rebecca Marino in the qualifying doubles decider. Shibahara and Aoyama powered through the opening set 6-3, breaking twice for a quick 3-0 lead. Cross and Marino hit back in the second, edging it 7-5 to level the match, before the Japanese pair regained control in the third. Canada’s 18-year-old Victoria Mboko edged Shibahara 6-4, 6-7 (8/10), 7-5 in a marathon opening clash. Mboko fired eight aces to
RSS