By RAMON BONILLA
CHENGDU, China — The Philippine men’s floorball team gets its first taste of action in the 2025 World Games with a tough matchup against Latvia on Thursday, Aug. 7, at the Xindu Xiangcheng Sports Centre.
Ranked No. 12 in the world and up against the Latvians who are fourth on the list, the Filipinos brace for war with a victory serving as a good measure of pride for the entire delegation in this 11-day meet.
“The team is excited, but we have to be careful and stay focused on the task at hand,” Philippine Floorball Association President Marco Ortiz said.
Ortiz said that while head coach Noel Mendoza is beaming with confidence as they march toward their first assignment, the team should be cautious facing up against the European powerhouse especially after they dropped a 4-3 loss versus Switzerland Wednesday morning.
“Execution of the game plan will be very crucial to get a win against Latvia,” Ortiz said.
Melvin Mendoza is expected to lead the Nationals as the main point of offense. Defenders Ludwig Porral and Lucas Enaje also play a key role as they are armed with a wealth of international experience from the Southeast Asian Games to three World Championship appearances.
Competing in Group A, next for the Philippine team is Sweden on Saturday, Aug. 9, and Switzerland on the following day.
Group B has Canada, host China, Czech Republic, and Finland.
The top 2 squads from the two brackets will advance to the semifinals.
Also part of the team are Reymon Ponce, Simon and Noah Larano, John de la Pena, Lucas Perez, Richard Ponce, Patrik Lemoran, Kim Rosello, Mattiece Myllyoerkio, Simon Magistrado, and Victor Regalado.
