The Rise of Zach Banzon To celebrate the 25th birthday of the man wearing Kaya’s #1 shirt, we revisit his unconventional path to pro football.

As the curtains closed on his UAAP stint with Ateneo Juniors, Zach Banzon found himself at a crossroads in his football life. Though he was a homegrown prospect in Kaya’s academy system, a collegiate playing career just didn’t seem to be on the cards. Like many young athletes before him, Zach pondered whether or not the dream of a life in football was coming to a close.

Taking Psychology at UP-Diliman to pursue a career in Medicine, his studies were his primary concern. His emotional attachment to his high school alma mater, and the fact that UP already had a solid starter in future teammate Ace Villanueva, made the idea of pushing for a spot rather unappealing. Rather, he continued training and playing for the Kaya B-team as an avenue to continue doing what he loved–a decision that would begin an unforseen adventure.

“Things changed when Paul Tolentino (Kaya General Manager) offered me a chance to join the first team in our first AFC Cup stint and go to Hong Kong, Singapore, and the Maldives. I couldn’t turn that down! Looking back, I don’t regret it and I’m so thankful for the opportunity,” Banzon recalled.

“I know I’m blessed to be where I am now and it’s thanks to that. Sometimes I wonder how many kids are also finding themselves having to make that decision in terms of pursuing football, and I hope the football paths are paved better for them now compared to when I was at those crossroads.”

Unconventional as it was, Zach’s sudden rise did come with its own set of struggles. As a player who wears his emotions on his sleeve, his early success during the inaugural PFL season had him soaring high; while the eventual struggles brought him down low. His confidence took quite the hit, and ever since he’s had few chances to redeem himself in real games. As such, Banzon simply spent his time grinding away in training—as well as graduating Magna Cum Laude. Slotted behind older, more established goalkeepers like Matt Acton, Ref Cuaresma, Ace Villanueva, and Mike Casas, he certainly had the time and examples to learn and grow from.

“Working with all those different personalities made me learn more about myself. I was with Matt (Acton) my first year, and one of the things that he explained to me was how there’s always the next training session to look forward to and you can bounce back and get better,” Banzon noted. “As someone who had a hard time dealing with my emotions on the field, it’s a lesson that sticks out. All these guys just being so close to me and always being supportive also showed me how lucky I am to have been with these guys.”

After six years with the club and only a handful of starts to his name, Zach finally got the chance he’d been waiting for. His number was called for match four of the AFC Champions League Group Stage—against the reigning champs Ulsan Hyundai FC no less. Knowing that all his hard work did not go unrecognized by the coaching staff brought deep-lying feelings to the fore, and the shot-stopper made sure to carry that with him through the final three matches of the ACL campaign.

“In the first game, Coach Graham during halftime told me that once I settled in the game, I was showing my true self. I was emotional after that game, it was just a lot of emotions flooding in, finally playing a competitive game after two years, playing at the highest level of football, feeling like I could’ve given more for the team,” Banzon stated.

“Coach Yu told me how I deserved to show what I could do after working hard in training, and how lucky I was to be playing at the highest level of football in Asia at my age. That really put things in perspective and allowed me to just be myself again for the next games.”

Overcoming his nerves and a shaky start, Zach came into his own more and more through each match. Although he was unable to keep a clean sheet in his time there, he displayed both skill and a whole lot of grit and toughness. Even after receiving a kick to the face in the fifth match, the keeper merely got up and wore those bruises like a badge of honor. Teammates, coaches, and fans alike look forward to see if he can build upon the form he showed in Thailand. Truly, the upcoming PFL season can’t come soon enough.

“I think this experience has showed me that I can play at that level, and it has just made me hungrier to get back there. Looking forward to the upcoming season, of course in my head it’s ‘We have to win the league and get that ACL spot.'”