Kaya FC-Iloilo Fall Short of Comeback in Visayas Clasico You win some, you learn some—and there’s plenty to learn from the opener against Cebu FC.

Round 3 of the Visayas derby, affectionately dubbed the Visayas Clasico, marked the resumption of the 2022-23 PFL Season. In a thrilling fixture where both teams went down to ten men before halftime, the visiting Dynamic Herb Cebu FC escaped with all three points in a 2-3 victory over hosts Kaya FC-Iloilo.

Exhilarating from beginning to end, the crowd of over a thousand spectators spurred on a comeback that just didn’t fully materialize. Unfortunately, Kaya left much on the table in this match—and even the smallest of errors could prove fatal against an opponent of Cebu’s quality.

“Our preparation was really good, but maybe the players were nervous,” stated Coach Yu Hoshide in his post-match interview.
“What we did in the preseason, we were not able to show here today. Our conceded goals were from our own mistakes, so we have to go and fix all those mistakes.”

Hoshide expressed his gratitude to everyone who came and watched the game live at the Iloilo Sports Complex, noting that the atmosphere in the stadium lived up to the Clasico hype.

“All the supporters and fans who came here, the stands were crowded and that made it an exciting game,” said Coach. “The players were also really excited and they never stopped fighting, but the result just didn’t go our way.”

With two games in hand, Cebu have positioned themselves well in the standings and have joined the PFL title race in earnest. Nevertheless, the league leaders Iloilo remain in pole position with time to learn from and overcome this latest setback.

“The name “Kaya” carries a lot of meaning. We will never give up, so we always have a chance. Of course, we need to start by bouncing back again,” Hoshide stated.

Up next, Kaya FC-Iloilo will travel to Imus, Cavite for a meeting with Mendiola FC 1991; at 4:00 PM on February 26.

 

Player Spotlight:

Daizo Double
The Philippines Football League’s top scorer widened the gap atop the leaderboard in spectacular fashion. Horikoshi added another stellar set piece to his resume, his free kick flying just over the wall before dipping directly into the bottom left corner and out of Ace Villanueva’s reach.

His goal in open play was just as impressive: cutting into the Cebu box to lose one defender and faking a shot to lose another. Daizo’s crafty strike had found its way under the keeper’s dive and into the back of the net in the blink of an eye.

Scoring contributions aside, Daizo was a terror up the left flank for all 90 minutes—creating chances with his ability to stretch the defense to the sideline and the threat he posed dribbling inside. By coming through in those key moments, he helped keep Kaya within striking distance up until the final whistle.

Dylan’s Debut
Coming in at halftime, Nobiraki played a crucial role in stabilizing the midfield after both teams went down to ten men. His physicality in the central areas was vital when Iloilo was out of possession, and his passing range came in handy for alleviating Cebu’s pressing.

That range was put on full display in his 61st minute. Receiving the ball behind the center circle, Dylan turned and pinged the ball to Daizo deep in the final third—setting up what would become an assist in his first outing in a Kaya uniform.

Melliza Motor
Before being subbed off in the 69th minute, Jhan Jhan ran around like a man possessed and made his presence felt all over the pitch. He put up a tremendous work rate in this match, making decisive runs as well as tracking back at full sprint.

This included a potential goal-saving sequence early in the match: following a corner, Melliza sprinted from one end of the field to the other to clear away a dangerous JB Borlongan possession.