Kaya FC Gunning for Five in a Row to Start Season PFL 2022 — Stallion Laguna FC Match Preview and Quotes from Coach Yu Hoshide

Kaya FC-Iloilo brought the month of August to a close on a heater, having gone undefeated in the first four matches of the 2022 Philippines Football League season. Iloilo find themselves at the top of the standings, five full points clear of second place.

Maharlika FC brought a different approach to the table in last Saturday’s match, opting for a sustained and aggressive press higher up the pitch than the other teams Kaya have faced so far. The second half in particular saw an increase in back-and-forth action, but the boys showed their class in the final third.

Jarvey Gayoso pulled three goals out of his hat, his first such performance for the yellow and black. The forward scored on a left-footed poacher’s finish in the 13th minute, followed by a righty strike from the edge of the box in the 79th, and a header in the 81st—completing the rare Perfect Hat-Trick.

Carlyle Mitchell, in his first start in the league, got his name on the score sheet as well, perfectly timing Jhanjhan Melliza’s trick corner to bury the ball at the far post.

Unfortunately, Iloilo’s perfect afternoon would be foiled in added time, as former Kaya player OJ Clarino pulled a goal back to make it a 4-1 final score. Though a clean sheet had eluded the team for the second week in a row, Head Coach Yu Hoshide had nothing but praise for his team amid the winning streak.

“We were not able to get a clean sheet against Maharlika, but it’s no problem because we got the most important thing: three points,” he stated. “Especially since we changed three defenders in the 2nd half, it was a difficult situation for the defenders and goalkeeper—which I really understand and appreciate.”

Stallion Laguna have always been a tricky matchup, and they’re playing true to form so far this season. In their latest fixture against DH Cebu FC, they nearly stormed back from being three goals down at the half. The match finished with a stunning 4-3 scoreline—eerily similar to their near-comeback versus Kaya earlier this year in the Copa Paulino Alcantara.

Mitchell opened the scoring in that game from another set piece from Melliza, who also joined fellow former Laguna player Shirmar Felongco on the scoresheet in the first half.
However, the pink shirts clawed their way back into the game with counter attacking goals from Abou Sy and Matthew Nierras. Tensions rose as the match came down to wire, resulting in ejections for both sides in the closing minutes. In the end, Kaya escaped without having to split points—coming away with a very narrow 3-2 victory.

“Stallion is a team that never gives up until the final whistle, and they’re doing really well this season so I’m sure it’ll be a really tough game again for us,” noted Coach Yu. “Stallion always gives us a really hard time, but we already learned what we have to do from the Copa and in past years. Hopefully, we will play the way we showed in the 1st half of our Copa match.”

Should Iloilo win on Saturday night, they’ll have kicked off the 2022 season with five consecutive victories—extending what has already been the club’s best start in the PFL. Alas, Kaya will not be at full strength due to several players getting sick during the week. Nevertheless, the boys are pumped to get out there and achieve this milestone.

“All of us are really excited to play against Stallion, and we’ve been preparing for five wins in a row on both the physical and mental side of the game.” Hoshide stated. “Sadly, some of our players won’t be able to play in the game; so we have to stay tight as a team and as a family.”

“We’ll really have a new challenge this weekend, and we’ll try our absolute best to win. To Kaya FC-Iloilo fans and supporters, please come and give us extra power! Una Kaya!”

Kaya vs Stallion has received primetime billing this Saturday, with kickoff at 7:00 PM at the Rizal Memorial Stadium. Grandstand tickets are P150 but Students, Seniors, PWDs, Kaya Weekly Subscribers, and Kaya Academy Players get in for only P100! Watch it LIVE in person, or online via the PFL’s Facebook and YouTube pages!