By: Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Iloilo United Royals arrived in Iloilo City for their very first home game to be held in the University of San Agustin Gym on September 19, 2019.
The players, coaching staff, and management including team owner JJ Javelosa graced the Iloilo City government flag ceremony for a formal welcome to the city, followed by a courtesy call to Mayor Jerry P. Treñas.
The team will start its preparation to defend their home court against the Pasay Voyagers, the hottest team in the MPBL right now with a blazing six-game winning streak and a 9-5 record in the opposite division.
The United Royals is currently fresh from a dominating win against the Valenzuela SPV TOP Marketplace and will be reinvigorated by the return of head coach Eric Gonzales.
September 19 will feature a double-header, with the first game between the Valenzuela SPV TOP Marketplace and Mindoro Tamaraws followed by Iloilo vs Pasay.
Senator Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao is also expected to arrive in Iloilo to support one of his numerous out-of-town games as founder of the league.
After playing ‘on the road’ in their first 13 games, the Iloilo team will get to enjoy home court advantage this time and will look to feed off of the Ilonggo crowd’s energy.
