Ref Sheds Light on Special Bond with Zach Banzon

When Ref Cuaresma was signed before the start of the Philippines Football League season, his vast experience playing at the highest level in the country made him seem an obvious fixture in the starting lineup. Instead, he played behind 20-year-old Zach Banzon for majority of the first round.

The young sensation, who studied under Australian goalkeeper Matt Acton last season, started for the first six games of the PFL campaign. He collected two clean sheets in that spell and played against all the big clubs in the league. Although he did not cut his teeth in the UAAP or NCAA, Banzon has shown he has the talent and resolve to excel at the country’s highest level. And with the potential of a long career ahead of him, there’s plenty of excitement around the young man, and rightly so.

“People were asking me why I wasn’t starting. People were speculating if I wasn’t fit,” said Cuaresma.

The more time he spent on the bench, more doubts swirled of whether the 34-year-old would still get his chance. But the uncertainty never affected Ref, and his relationship with his counterpart.

“Me and Zach, we are good friends. We hit it off quickly. Our shoulders are light around each other,” he said. “Zach was the first choice when the league started and I was good with that because, I know he had been working hard. He was really performing well in training. I can’t say anything [negative] about his attitude toward every training session, and every system we were playing. Every game, win or lose, I was the first one to step on the pitch to congratulate him or lift his spirits.”

After sitting on the bench for Kaya Makati’s first six matches, Ref Cuaresma has now put together a string of starts for his new club. His debut was in Bacolod, where he, despite a 3-1 defeat, showcased his impressive shot stopping ability. The veteran has started every match since, manning the goal in a five-game unbeaten run, which includes a streak of four consecutive wins.

“Now that I’m starting, I want to show that I’m in the right position, that I’m ready to play. It’s been a good run, and I want to continue with total discipline outside the pitch. And I recently had my first clean sheet, so I’m going to continue building from there.”

While the competition between goalkeepers remains intense, Cuaresma isn’t holding back when it comes to sharing his experience.

“I try to mentor him based on my years as a player and he’s been responding well. I think he’s much better than [the level you expect from] his age,” he said.