Quick Turnaround Presents Fresh Opportunities for Kaya Makati and Ilocos United

After Wednesday’s 5-2 victory, Kaya Makati hosts Ilocos United again on Sunday at the University of Makati Stadium. The quick turnaround against the same opposition seemed like a curious scheduling decision from the Philippines Football League at first, but it’s development that is now being embraced by both teams.

“I think it’s fantastic. I think the PFL should be looking to do more things like that,” said Ilocos head coach Ian Gillan. “Especially since we have to travel a long distance, I think this type of thing should be a regular fixture in the schedule. I’m a believer that we should be traveling and playing several games away.”

With only three days in between the matches, Sunday’s affair will likely not only see a shuffle in lineups, but also a change in tactics. Alfred Osei is certainly out of the picture, as the Kaya center back picked up a yellow card on Wednesday and will subsequently be suspended.

“It’s going to be an interesting game, playing a team twice in a row in one week. They were really aggressive in how they approached the match. It will be interesting to see what adjustments Ilocos will make in the game,” said Makati head coach Noel Marcaida. “For Kaya, we aim to play well and have our winning streak improve to five. We also need to improve in how we deal with set pieces defensively.”

“We’re considering three or four new starters. When you play three games in eight games, it’s not easy. But also, playing the same opposition so soon, a few mind games could be good — switch things up a little, so they don’t know what to expect.”

Wednesday’s encounter saw Jordan Mintah score a hat-trick, with fellow striker, Robert Mendy getting on the score sheet as well. The duo have now scored in back-to-back matches at home, and together, account for 14 of the club’s 27 goals so far this season.

“I’m happy for them. They’re really working hard. But for me, it’s not enough. They will always have to perform well in every game. If at least 50% of the chances they have, they convert, I would be happy with that,” said Marcaida.

Having lost to Kaya on two occasions now, 4-2 in Ilocos, and 5-2 in Makati, United is eager to utilize the quick turnaround to correct their shortcomings.

“We find out about our opponent’s strengths and weaknesses fairly quickly now. And it’s nice and fresh in your mind and you can actually go out there and address it in the next game,” said Gillan.

“As a player, it gives me a chance to fix the mistakes, fix what went wrong, and we have that chance on Sunday.” said Ilocos player Caygill, who earned a penalty and scored a goal on Wednesday.

Kaya Makati is currently at the top of the standings, level on points with Meralco Manila with 23, but with a superior goal difference. The Makati club has played two more matches than Manila however. Ilocos, meanwhile, are still winless in 11 outings, and are currently at the bottom of the table with three points.

Sunday’s match kicks off at 7pm.