KAYA FC-Iloilo and two more Philippine football clubs begin their respective continental competitions at home this week.
The reigning Philippines Football League titlist will start its AFC Champions League campaign on Tuesday, 6 p.m. when it faces Chinese FA Cup champion Shandong Taishan at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
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The AFC Cup also starts this week with Stallion Laguna FC facing Indonesia club Bali United on Wednesday, 6 p.m. at the Biñan Football Stadium, and Dynamic Herb Cebu taking on Phnom Penh Crown of Cambodia on Thursday, 6 p.m. at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
Kaya FC is set to become the first Philippine team to play a home match in the ACL following their debut campaign last year.
“We’re coming up against a different level of team, so we’ve had to adjust some things tactically to prepare for Shandong and the Champions League,” said Kaya FC coach Colum Curtis, appointed to the position just last month. “We never know how a football game is going to go, so we need to make sure that the players are ready to attack on the field.”
Filipinas’ match against Australia moved to larger venue
When the Philippines plays its second round Olympic qualifier against Australia, it will be at a larger stadium.
Football Australia announced that the Matildas’ match against the Filipinas on Oct. 29 has been moved to the 60,000-seater Optus Stadium in Perth.
Initially, the match was set to be held at the Perth Rectangular Stadium, a 20,000-seater venue used during the Fifa Women’s World Cup, but Football Australia said it was moved due to the demand for tickets following the Matildas’ success in the World Cup.
The other matches of the second round will be held at the Perth Rectangular Stadium with the Filipinas opening up the campaign against Chinese Taipei on October 26. They also play Iran on November 1.
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Kaya FC takes No. 1 seed in PFF Women’s League
Kaya FC-Iloilo topped the elimination round of the PFF Women’s League following a 15-0 blanking of Stallion FC over the weekend at the National Training Center in Carmona, Cavite.
Cam Rodriguez had a hat trick for Kaya’s seventh win in nine outings and will enter the semifinals at No. 11 with 22 points and superior goal difference.
Far Eastern University, Manila Digger FC, and De La Salle also made it to the final four.
The Lady Tamaraws beat Manila Nomads, 10-0, to take the second spot with 22 points.
Manila Digger sealed the third spot with a 4-1 win over Tuloy FC to also claim its seventh win and 22 points, while La Salle took fourth with 19 points.
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