Adam Reed: We’re Ready for All the Big Teams

“Since I’ve ever played football professionally, I haven’t experienced anything like that ever before.”

From someone who played six years in England, it’s quite the statement. Like the rest of the Kaya Makati players, Adam Reed agreed that last Saturday’s encounter against Ceres Negros was quite the experience. But far from the kind of player that shies away from an intense contest, the former Sunderland player admitted it was an outing he savored.

“It was enjoyable,” he said. “Everyone was talking about the pitch being really nice to play on. Obviously, the weather disrupted that a bit. But the general environment and feel of the game, it was a good place to play football. We didn’t get what we wanted in terms of the result, but I think the lads worked hard and maybe we were just a bit unlucky.”

Despite the dramatic nature of the defeat, Reed walked away feeling rather upbeat.

“I think we stuck together and we played our part in trying our best. We handled ourselves in the right manner. We can leave the game with our heads held high, which is of course a positive,” he stated.

Suspended for Kaya Makati’s first visit back in June, last weekend was his first match in Panaad. Usually a rather familiar name in the referee’s book, the expressive midfielder has recently enjoyed an unprecedented run of games without suspension. And despite the wild nature of the contest last weekend, he once again played the full 90 without a card. He admits he’s learned to curtail his fiery side a bit in order to be able to enjoy more time on the pitch.

“It’s new to me adapting to this culture. Obviously coming from England, everyone speaks a lot [on the pitch], and the crowd is there as well, so it’s not so blatant,” he said of the colorful language the referees accuse him of using. “Adapting to the culture and knowing when to speak, and when not to speak, I’m learning. It’s an improvement for me, and I get to play more games, so I’ll get a chance to help the team perform on Saturday.”

With a massive home game against Global Cebu just a few days away, Adam believes Kaya Makati won’t have any issues shaking off last weekend’s disappointment.

“In the last few weeks we’ve really come together and we’re starting to believe more. I think coming towards the end of the season we’ve been in a good run of form. Against Ceres, I think we proved to everyone that you can’t take Kaya lightly. In the past, I think teams weren’t giving us the credit we deserved. I think we’re letting people know that we are a good team,and we are capable of competing against the best teams in this league,” he explained.

“So, against Global it’ll be no different. Last time we played Global in Cebu, we were a bit unfortunate not to come away with three points. And I think back on our home turf, with the preparation that we always do, we’ll go in there with the right mindset, positive, and I think we’ll come away with the three points.”