Kaya FC Look to Strengthen Hold On Elusive PFL Title PFL 2023 — Iloilo’s looking to maintain winning form against Maharlika in the penultimate match of the season.

Maharlika Manila FC vs Kaya FC-Iloilo
Saturday, May 20, 2023 | 4:00 PM Kickoff
PFF National Football Center, Carmona
 

The end of 2022-23 PFL Season looms large and it’s shaping to be an all-out sprint to the finish. Kaya FC-Iloilo find themselves in the driver’s seat of the title race with two matches left; roughly 180 minutes of football between them and domestic glory. It’s all about finishing strong from this point on, beginning with a final clash with Maharlika Manila. 

The team is coming back from a lengthy three week break, their last match being a dominant 6-1 victory over Mendiola FC 1991. The players utilized this time off for some valuable rest and recovery, while Coach Yu Hoshide worked to keep everyone focused on the task at hand. 

“It is honestly difficult to keep motivation and condition when we cannot play a game for three weeks during the season,” he stated. “But I think the players are doing their best to stay focused, and for that I really appreciate them.”

Kaya put up a dominant performance against Mendiola in the last game, especially in the second half. What has been the key to Kaya’s increased scoring output this season? 

“The match with Mendiola was last month, and this next game against Maharlika will be our first game in a long time,” Hoshide added. “So I hope we can concentrate from the beginning of the first half and get off to a good start.”

A quick look at the league table would show the LBC-backed club’s near 20-goal advantage in goal difference this season; with standouts Daizo Horikoshi, Jarvey Gayoso, Jhan Melliza, and Eric Giganto taking over the top scorers list. Coach Yu credits the team’s increase in scoring output to the overall development of his squad and the work they’ve put in on the training grounds. 

“Tactical aspects are important, but we’ve also needed individual growth,” he confirmed. “I believe that our players can still grow, so we worked to develop their individual skills in practice for these last two games.”

Though their Manila-based rivals currently find themselves last in the standings, Coach stressed the importance of staying vigilant and not letting their foot off the gas pedal. 

“Football is a sport where you never know what will happen until the game is over. I expect our players to respect the opponent, to fight 100% and to play high-quality possession football from start to finish.”

See you all at the PFF National Football Center in Carmona, Cavite! Kickoff’s at 4:00 PM, and you can also catch the livestream on the PFL’s Facebook and YouTube pages!