China Wins JWT Manila Foosball Tournament!

Sports history is replete with dramatic moments wherein the underdog arose to beat the odds and score an unexpected victory. The Pacquiao VS Dela Hoya bout provides a more recent example.

On 12.08.08, JWT Manila was witness to another classic when the underdog team of Malibu Fly Honeyz swept the Foosball Finals against the previously undefeated Joe D' Maggie duo.

Looking back at the road they took to the finals reveals a classic underdog story for the books. The Malibu Fly Honeyz were initially defeated by team Power Trip (JV The Mouth Villones and Jos The Boss Ortega) in the elimination round forcing them to fight along with the rest of the field for the lone wildcard slot. The Honeyz eventually stepped up and took the coveted slot against a competitive field of fellow losers.

Breaking into the Magic 8 round, the Honeyz first disposed of Team Matinik Na Burnik which starred Earthquake Custodio and DJ Sneaky Rojas.

They next took on the heavyweight team of Di Mo Kaya Ipasok Yung Bola Niyo Sa Butas Namin who had earlier disposed of team Power Trip in a controversial game. Team Malibu overcame the Ice cold nerves of Ice Ice Candido and Rage Villanueva to forge a dream finals match with Compatriot Chinaman Emperor Joe Dy and The Mother of All Foosers, Mommy Maggie.

The night began with an exciting battle for bronze between Team Butas and Chies Carls.

The match saw the crowd cheering for the aftergame feast instead of the actual game. Spaghetti and Pancit were the featured fare.

The supersonic shots of Carl "The Devil" Urgino combined with the supersonic screams of Corky Fajardo were enough to take the win in three sets as they overpowered the curses of the Ice Rage team, which failed to draw enough inspiration from the moral support of latecomer DJ Sneaky Rojas.



In the much anticipated China VS China match, an entire Nation stopped to watch the monumental battle of dragons. Completely forgetting that the other team members were in fact, not Chinese. PRC flags surrouned the Bird's Nest Foosball table as the two teams met for the first time in the tournament. It was expected to be a heated contest fiercer than the fiercest Tigers, with the prize more coveted than the Spratly Islands.

The air was thick with excitement, almost as thick as Knorr Real Chinese Soup. Just Add One Egg. NBA Star Yao Ming even said "Never in the history of China has such a glorious, most fortunate event ever taken place."

The first match was a Wanton noodle display of Shaolin Soccer. Using a mix of Crane and Eagle style shots, Jet Li este Marc Fong and Eugene surprised team Joe D' Maggie. Dy unleashed a few Kung Fu bully shots early on but the Honeyz matched their prowess. The Emperor's Great Wall of China defense was easily sidestepped by the Way of the Fong as team Honeyz took the lead. Madayag was also forced to call a timeout to Secret her Victoria. After the break, Team Joe D' Maggie (whom Jos had picked to make it all the way to the Finals) fought back and tied the match. The lead changed hands faster than Chinese Jackstones until a Fongtabulous Shot ended the round, 10-9.


The second game saw the Honeyz control the fight again, quickly racing to a big lead. At one point, Fong and Eugene seemed destined to coast to an easy win after they erected a dominating 9-5 lead. But Joe D' Maggie responded by stepping up their defense, and Mommy Maggie scored on four straight shots to tie the game. Needing only one more shot to steal the game, momentum was on the side of team D'Maggie as they appeared determined to force a sudden-death third game.

However, the Fortune Cookie just didn't go their way as Marc unleashed a Fongtastic shot that richocheted off the side and sneaked in behind the goalie's reach for the win. That is truly the way of the Fong.


It was the Cinderella story (or should that be Mulan story?) to end all Cinderella stories as they literally rose from elimination to take the whole tournament.

Proving once again that it ain't over till it's over, the Honeyz provided us with an inspiring story that will live on for generations. The villagers in the outlying provinces outside Shezhuan and Gunagzhou will be talking about the legend of The Fong Fenomenon and Mean Eugene for century eggs to come.

Congratulations to The Malibu Fly Honeyz Marc Fong and Eugene Sucayan for the win.



And now, as the fiercely fought competition comes to a close, we honor some of the game's best and brightest stars.

Post Tournament Awards

Most Valuable Player: Mean Eugene "The Scoring Machine" Sucayan

Most Chinese Player: Marc "The Jet" Fong (a suplising upset!)

Most Offensive Player: Gelo "The Amazing Racist" Lico

Most Angry Player: Rachel "Rage" Villanueva

Most Supportive of the Enemy Player: Kat "I-cheered-for-Jos-when-he-scored-against-us" Moldes

Most Biased Commentator: Javey Villones

Most Unlucky Lucky Charm: Sneaky Rojas

Most Likely to Destroy the Foosball Table: Frank & Amay

All-Deafening Team: Prichie "Screaming Corky" Fajardo and Kathy "Krungky"De Leon

Most O.C.: Maan Bautista

Most Pregnant Player: Golda Roldan

Best in Catering: Tesscafe

Best Reason for a timeout: Maggie "Underwire" Madayag

Best Slang: "She's a Snipah"

Most Siga Angas: Dalla "Lechon Everyday" Sucgang

Best ID Pose: Leona "Sweetness" Bedonia

Best Assets: Denise "DD" Lim

Best Dressed: Marivic "Marvs" Taguba and Mark "Not Anthony Haber" Dehesa

Most Awkward Post Match Hug: RJ and Miss Charo