Kaya FC Makes Case for Philippine Club Football in AFC Cup

Chris Greatwich (c/o Kaya FC)

“I think people now are starting to stand up and take notice of Philippine Football, not just at the international level, but also in the club level," said Kaya coach Chris Greatwich, pointing to the fact that both Filipino clubs participating in the AFC Cup won their games last Tuesday.

"I think it shows that club football in the Philippines is strong and we are more than capable of competing in the regional level," he added.

Greatwich's troops pulled off a dramatic victory in the last minute of stoppage time, with OJ Porteria turning in the winner against New Radiant in the final moments. On March 15, Kaya have the opportunity to push further, with the Rizal Memorial Stadium once again the venue for a massive AFC Cup encounter. The Philippine side next face Singapore's Balestier Khalsa, who are fresh from a surprise win over Group F favorites Kitchee.

“I think we’ve got a great group of players. They are a joy to work with," said the former Philippine National Team standout. "Let’s see how far we could come in this competition. I think we’ve got the potential, [which we are] realizing now. I think this group is very much up for grabs. Everyone seems to be qualified, so it will be interesting to see how this group plays out.”

The success of the Filipino clubs in this year's AFC Cup has come as quite a shock to the rest of the Asian region, given that the Philippines was without a legitimate domestic club competition until 2010. Since then, the progress of local teams has been immense, punctuated by recent success against countries that have enjoyed football as a mainstream sport for decades.

Although he felt there was plenty to improve in the recent victory, Greatwich points to Kaya's indomitable spirit as the backbone to their rise not only locally, but also on the regional stage as well.

“I think Kaya has its own spirit. We are known for our battling qualities -- the never say die spirit. I think that came out in the game (against New Radiant). I don’t think it was our best performance, but ultimately we’ve got the three points because we persevered and we worked through our difficult moments and came up trumps in the end.”

With such a vital game in Group F looming, Kaya will be hoping that same spirit will tow them past Balestier Khalsa on Tuesday, March 15 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is at 7:30pm.