AFC Cup 2022 Retrospective Following the ill-fated Asian campaign, Iloilo have a lot of learning to do to prepare for the upcoming PFL Season.

Days removed from the club’s bittersweet return to the Philippines, we look back at what has been an instructive yet ultimately disappointing continental campaign. Kaya FC-Iloilo did not accomplish what they set out to do in the 2022 AFC Cup, unable to garner any points against this year’s Group of Death.

Things were on the upswing for Iloilo in the first match against Visakha FC after going into halftime with a one-goal lead. However, the Cambodian side pulled back two goals in the second period to complete the comeback and pull the rug from under them.

The following match against Kedah Darul Aman FC followed a similar trajectory with the score tied at the break, but another second half collapse from Kaya saw the final score ballooning and the Malaysian side winning by three.

Head Coach Yu Hoshide sought to turn things around in the final match against Bali United FC, and the boys showed up and put on their best performance of the tournament.. Unfortunately, the hosts converted a set piece midway through the first half, and it was just too much for Iloilo to overcome on hostile ground.

“We’re really disappointed in the game. In the last two games, our second halves weren’t great—but this game’s second half was really good,” Hoshide noted following the heartbreaking Bali loss. “ We dominated play, but unfortunately we couldn’t score. At the end of the day, that is our ability.”

Regarding the gradual evolution of the team’s strategy, Coach Yu noted several changes he and his staff made over the course of the three fixtures. Though the adjustments didn’t bear fruit until it was too late, the team remained committed to try for all three points to the very end.

“We wanted to block them higher up the field because we know that Bali is a really good team. We changed strategy in the second half to attack more because we were losing—we wanted to win, not draw,” he stated.

Though the results were far from what was originally envisioned and the team failed to play up to their full capabilities, this year’s AFC Cup run will serve as an invaluable learning experience for the club as a whole.

“Hopefully, after we get back to the Philippines, the players don’t forget this feeling. That’s the most important thing for us,” said Hoshide. “We will have a league, but we don’t officially know the exact start day—but hopefully we can keep this condition and this motivation as well.”

In a message to all of Iloilo’s fans and supporters, Coach Yu had this to say.

“Sadly, our international matches for 2022 are already done, but we still have the upcoming [Philippines Football League]. We will do our best to become champions, so we can have international matches next year also.”

It’s been a rough year for Kaya FC-Iloilo on the Asian front, but it just means going back to square one and starting over. When you get knocked down, you get up and try again—and for Iloilo to return to the continental stage next year, they must first claim the domestic crown.

All eyes now turn to the imminent PFL Season, where winning the title means winning passage to the AFC Champions League. Any and all updates on the schedule will come through our various social media channels.