KOKOY'S SOCCER BLOG: Coach Ernie Nierras, the Philippines’ Pragmatic Football Visionary

By Kokoy Severino

The sun setting over Biñan Football Stadium during the second half of Stallion Laguna FC vs Bali United FC in an historic AFC Cup match. (Photo by Kokoy)

In a world in which truth and reality can become increasingly muddied by a mere tap of one’s finger, it’s good to have guys like Coach Ernie Nierras around.

Sitting in front of a roomful of football journalists after Stallion Laguna’s hard-fought opening loss to Indonesian club Bali United in the AFC Cup on Wednesday, Coach Ernie makes no bones about what this match meant to the country, and where he wants not only his club to go, but the whole nation in our footballhood journey. And he has a clear vision of every step needing to be taken along the way.

I’ve had the privilege of watching Stallion Laguna develop through the last decade or so into one of the Philippine club system’s elite organizations. While other clubs have regularly replaced head coaches over the seasons, there has been only one name associated with the helm of Biñan, Laguna’s representative on the national stage, providing stable and dedicated leadership with a long-term visionary comprehensive developmental approach that encompasses the entire nation. Indeed, Coach Ernie is not gratified by just winning championships, but his mission is to win with players produced through the Philippine development system.

“When we won the championship back-to-back [in 2012-2013], I said this is not how we want to do it. We want to really focus on developing local players.”

Stallion has not always been based in the small provincial city just south of the capital. Its auspicious roots are actually traced back to the traditional hotbed of Philippine football Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo, a part of the club’s history not lost on Coach Ernie.

So the story goes, around the turn of the century, back in what now feels like the dinosaur days compared to where the Philippine football renaissance is now, a community of footballers conceived of their team’s name while drinking a bunch of Red Horse Stallion Beers. They decided to name themselves Stallion, not only as a beer-induced idea, but also as a tribute to the legendary Tamasak, a magnificent white stallion so strong and beautiful that he was coveted by the Spanish colonial governor of the province in the early 1820’s. After much negotiation, the owner of Tamasak agreed to trade the horse to the governor in exchange for the town’s autonomy. And that is how the city of Barotac Nuevo came to be, and how Tamasak achieved local hero status. Today, a statue of Tamasak graces the municipal government grounds of the country’s football capital.

Over the past two decades, Stallion the football team evolved from a gathering of friends who drank beer after 7-a-side matches to what is now a consistent top three contender in the country’s pro ball system. The team established itself closer to the National Capital Region where the top flight is staged, but settled in a nearby provincial city. For the latter half of those two decades, Coach Ernie Nierras has molded the club’s identity with a never-say-die attitude and a beautiful open attacking playing style, channeling the spirit of a majestic, graceful, powerful Tamasak.

Even in the face of a mounting goal deficit late in the Bali United game, Coach Ernie implored his guys to stick to what they do best, to keep attacking, keep creating opportunities, stick to the identity he has instilled in the Stallion Laguna organization.

“I told the guys, we can do two things – sit back and hopefully they won’t score again, or we play the way we always know how to play, to attack.”

It is that same fortitude and sense of perseverance that has kept Coach Ernie determined to forge on towards fulfilling his football vision for the country, a vision inspired and informed by numerous stints coaching various Philippine national teams, from youth to senior, men and women. That vision includes all of the provincial football associations setting aside whatever animosity exists between them, and uniting under one common goal to develop the country's enormous domestic football talent potential.

For many, this may be a far-fetched dream. Not far-fetched at all for Coach Nierras, who has demonstrated his capacity to bring together various stakeholders in harnessing the power of community to build an enduring institution. The local government of Biñan, for example, has thrown their full support behind Stallion Laguna FC. Biñan Football Stadium, the club’s home field located within the city government compound, is the only venue outside the nation’s capital consistently hosting club matches, this year including for the first time in history the AFC Cup, the second tier of pan-Asian competition. The city of Biñan is now even looking at redesigning the lighting apparatus to generate enough lumens to host future continental cup matches at night when more spectators can fill the stands, an encouraging sign that Coach Ernie, Stallion Laguna FC, and the entire city are expecting such competitions to be a regular occurrence.

Coach Ernie knows very well the historical significance of this first AFC Cup match at Biñan Football Stadium, admitting this is only the first step, projecting a better operation both on and off the pitch in future.

“It’s like taking final exams. We have to know if we studied enough, if we prepared enough.”

The final score did not matter; what mattered most was continuing the fight until the very end. Under Coach Ernie’s long-term vision, that fight is not over with the final whistle on the pitch. He relishes the challenge of coaching as the underdog, to formulate the right strategic and tactical decisions in overcoming the odds. But what moves him even more is the blessing of coaching his own kids – his daughters Samantha and Sabrina on the youth and senior national teams, and now his son Matthew, club Vice Captain, in a big international tournament, marking an even deeper level of commitment to his vision.

To a pragmatic coach espousing a long-term vision he is determined to achieve for family, club, and country, the AFC Cup holds profound meaning.

“This is more significant than just a game. We’re talking about the development of Philippine football…”

As the sun began to set over the city of Biñan and the second half of Wednesday’s international clash, we knew Stallion Laguna FC and the spirit of Tamasak will rise again as sure as the dawn, and the Philippine football renaissance will forge forever forward against whatever odds are out there.

Guys like Coach Ernie Nierras know the way.

Kokoy and Coach Nierras after the press conference...

Stallion Laguna FC results and fixtures in AFC Cup Group G

(all kickoff times local at venue):

September 20 – Stallion Laguna FC 2, Bali United 5 @ Biñan Football Stadium, Biñan, Laguna

October 4 – vs Central Coast Mariners @ Industree Group Stadium, Gosford, Queensland, Australia 7:00 pm

October 26 – vs Terengganu FC @ Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia 8:00 pm

November 8 – vs Terengganu FC @ Biñan Football Stadium, Biñan, Laguna 4:00 pm

November 29 – vs Bali United @ Captain 1 Wayan Dipta Stadium, Bali, Indonesia 8:00 pm

December 13 – vs Central Coast Mariners @ Biñan Football Stadium, Biñan, Laguna 4:00 pm

Other Philippine clubs in Asian continental competition:

Dynamic Herb Cebu FC results and fixtures in AFC Cup Group F:

September 21 – Cebu FC 0, Phnom Penh Crown 3 @ Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila

October 5 – vs Macarthur @ Campbelltown Sports Stadium, Sydney, Australia 7:00 pm

October 26 – vs Shan United @ Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila 8:00 pm

November 9 – vs Shan United @ Thuwunna Stadium, Yangon, Myanmar 6:30 pm

November 30 – vs Phnom Penh Crown @ Smart RSN Stadium, Phnom Penh, Cambodia 7:00 pm

December 14 – vs Macarthur @ Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila 8:00 pm

Kaya-Iloilo FC results and fixtures in AFC Champions League Group G:

September 19 – Kaya Iloilo FC 1, Shandong Taishan 3 @ Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila

October 3 – vs Incheon United @ Incheon Football Stadium, Incheon, South Korea 7:00 pm

October 25 – vs Yokohama FM @ Yokohama International Stadium, Yokohama, Japan 7:00 pm

November 7 – vs Yokohama FM @ Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila 8:00 pm

November 28 – vs Shandong Taishan @ Jinan Olympic Stadium, Jinan, China 8:00 pm

December 13 – vs Incheon United @ Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila 4:00 pm

Kokoy Severino is a career educator and Secretary of the Football For Peace Movement in the Philippines. He has coached junior high school soccer in the public school system of the Greater Houston area for over 20 years. He holds a National Youth Diploma and a Goalkeeping Coaching Certification from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and United Soccer Coaches, two coaching certifications from the United States Soccer Federation, and a Master's in Educational Leadership from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. His research focuses on the relationship between interscholastic competitive soccer and the academic success of at-risk economically disadvantaged students. Kokoy returns regularly to his native country of the Philippines and works with fellow soccer coaches to conduct training sessions for underserved youths in impoverished neighborhoods. He is also a member of Initiatives and Hearts for Indigenous People, a collective of soccer coaches in the Philippines who use the beautiful game to mentor youths out of poverty, particularly focusing on marginalized indigenous communities.

Kokoy is a lifelong traveler and has been documenting soccer matches through photographs in his native country of the Philippines, his adopted home state of Texas, as well as in Singapore, Vietnam, and Washington State, plus more parts of the world to come.

Check out The Adventures of Kokoy - A Travel Guide.

Read and view Coach Kokoy's blog about implementing the beautiful game as an academic and social-emotional intervention at an inner-city junior high school for new immigrants to the United States - Coach Kokoy's Las Americas Soccer Blog.