AFTER EMERGING AS champions of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Season 101 senior men’s football tournament, the San Beda University (SBU) Red Booters have shifted their focus to sustaining their championship form as the team enters the Tuloy Invitational Cup 2026, a preseason tournament running from July 5 to August 29.
The San Beda Red Booters kicked off the preseason football tournament featuring the country’s top collegiate and club teams, fielding a squad of returning veterans and promising new faces. It marked the team’s first match since claiming the NCAA Season 101 crown.
After five weeks of play, the Red Booters posted a 1-1-1 record in Group A, a competitive bracket comprising the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraw Booters, De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Blazers, University of the East (UE) Red Warriors, and Tuloy Football Club (TFC).
In the first week of the competition, the Red Booters faced off the UE Red Warriors, where the Red Booters dominated the entirety of the match. SBU scored 3-0 at fulltime.
Despite the impressive result, team captain Vin Landines told the Tuloy Invitational Cup that the squad still has work to do, particularly in maintaining intensity and building match fitness.
Ladines was quick to clarify that for San Beda, the campaign is more than just piling up wins. “Sa ngayon, lahat nag-aadjust pa,” Ladines said, noting that building chemistry remains the squad’s biggest priority early in the preseason.
The tide turned in week two, as TFC dictated the pace and handed the Mendiola-based squad a 2–0 defeat. In an interview by Tuloy Invitational Cup with Kirby Tabelin, the team’s striker and midfielder, he noted that the opponent simply played with more hunger, expressing that the team fell short. “Nagkulang talaga kami,” he said.
The defeat did little to dampen the Red Booters’ spirits, as Tabelin said the squad would treat the setback as a learning experience and work harder to fix the errors they observed among themselves, in preparation for the matches ahead.
The Red Booters returned to action in week five, battling the Benilde Blazers to a 2-2 draw in their third match of the campaign.
In the post-match interview, Tabelin said the team got off to a strong start but reflected on the lapses that surfaced as the match wore on. “Hindi na mahawakan ‘yung bola nang maayos,” he admitted, allowing the momentum to swing in Benilde’s favor.
Across the tournament’s first five weeks, the Red Booters opened with a convincing victory, absorbed a setback against TFC, and bounced back with a hard-fought draw against Benilde, posting a 1-1-1 record as they continued to fine-tune their form ahead of NCAA Season 102.
As the preseason enters its final stretch, the Red Booters will continue using each match to strengthen their squad and address the shortcomings exposed early in the tournament. With NCAA Season 102 on sight, all eyes will be on whether the reigning champions can rediscover their best form and mount a successful bid to retain the crown.