Kaya FC Relishes Challenge of Star Studded Davao Aguilas

The wait is over. Kaya FC kicks off its second season in the Philippines Football League on Sunday, against the heavily revamped Davao Aguilas. The match kicks off at 4pm, at the Davao del Norte Sports Complex.

“I’m excited to be playing here again. This is where I grew up. And I think, from the last two games we played here, we gained supporters,” said rising Kaya star Eric Giganto, who was born and raised in nearby Compostela Valley. “Every time that I’m here I think I’m playing for them (family). As a young talent in Kaya, I need to give my best when I enter the game. That’s it. My confidence is higher when I play here because, this is where I grew up, this is where I started playing football,” he added.

“We’re here as Kaya FC to give the people a great game. We’re going to do our best.”

Last season, Kaya won three out of the four encounters against the Aguilas, including both of the matches in Davao. The first was a 5-1 runout, while the second was a comfortable 2-0 win. The Aguilas did, however, get one back with a 3-1 victory at the University of Makati late in the year.

“If we go back to the previous season, we played two games here, and we felt comfortable with the result. But playing tomorrow against Davao, they’re a completely different team now. We can’t afford to be over confident. In the preseason, we played against each other, and we (Kaya) lost. We learned from that. It’s a new team, it’s a new challenge, and for tomorrow’s game, it’s going to be exciting. It’s a first test for us, the first challenge of the season. The outcome tomorrow can gauge how far we can go,” said Kaya head coach Noel Marcaida.

In the offseason, Davao was extremely busy in the transfer market, making nine new additions to its lineup, including Philippine National Team players Dennis Villanueva, Tyler Matas, Joshua Grommen, and former Kaya player, Adam Reed. They joined an already star-studded lineup that featured the likes of Phil and James Younghusband, Simone Rota, and Jason de Jong. Although the Aguilas have quickly built one of the most potent (and expensive) squads in the PFL, their captain, Phil, believes instant success isn’t guaranteed.

“The team is only a year old. It takes time to build a winning team. Having that investment means high expectations. It means more pressure. But with the caliber of players we have, the staff we have, and the talent we have, it’s up to us to handle that pressure and handle those expectations in the best way possible,” said the Davao captain.

Aguilas head coach, Marlon Maro, acknowledged the added pressure on his side this season, and the need to have a strong start to the campaign.

“Everyone in the team feels the expectations, not only from the fans, but especially from the top management. With these expectations, we need to adapt to these challenges ahead,” he said. “We’re glad to play again in our nest in Tagum, Davao del Norte. We expect tomorrow will be a very good match between the two teams. Our objective is to have a good start and it all starts tomorrow with three points for Davao Aguilas.”

Asked what might be Kaya’s advantage against such a potent collection of highly-talented players, Noel Marcaida pointed to his side’s cohesion.

“I think the advantage that we have against Davao Aguilas is that our team is intact from last year. We were able to acquire players that can fill in the areas where we needed to improve from last season. It was mentioned by Phil earlier that they have 10 new players, it’s not easy to really have that chemistry in two to three months,” he said.

To which, Marlon Maro responded, “Just watch the game tomorrow.”