Coach Ernie Nierras, the Philippines’ Pragmatic Football Visionary

By Kokoy Severino

The sun setting over Biñan Football Stadium during the second half of Stallion Laguna FC vs Bali United FC in an historic AFC Cup match. (Photo by Kokoy)

In a world in which truth and reality can become increasingly muddied by a mere tap of one’s finger, it’s good to have guys like Coach Ernie Nierras around. 

Sitting in front of a roomful of football journalists after Stallion Laguna’s hard-fought opening loss to Indonesian club Bali United in the AFC Cup on Wednesday, Coach Ernie makes no bones about what this match meant to the country, and where he wants not only his club to go, but the whole nation in our footballhood journey. And he has a clear vision of every step needing to be taken along the way.

I’ve had the privilege of watching Stallion Laguna develop through the last decade or so into one of the Philippine club system’s elite organizations. While other clubs have regularly replaced head coaches over the seasons, there has been only one name associated with the helm of Biñan, Laguna’s representative on the national stage, providing stable and dedicated leadership with a long-term visionary comprehensive developmental approach that encompasses the entire nation. Indeed, Coach Ernie is not gratified by just winning championships, but his mission is to win with players produced through the Philippine development system.

“When we won the championship back-to-back [in 2012-2013], I said this is not how we want to do it. We want to really focus on developing local players.”

Stallion has not always been based in the small provincial city just south of the capital. Its auspicious roots are actually traced back to the traditional hotbed of Philippine football Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo, a part of the club’s history not lost on Coach Ernie.

So the story goes, around the turn of the century, back in what now feels like the dinosaur days compared to where the Philippine football renaissance is now, a community of footballers conceived of their team’s name while drinking a bunch of Red Horse Stallion Beers. They decided to name themselves Stallion, not only as a beer-induced idea, but also as a tribute to the legendary Tamasak, a magnificent white stallion so strong and beautiful that he was coveted by the Spanish colonial governor of the province in the early 1820’s. After much negotiation, the owner of Tamasak agreed to trade the horse to the governor in exchange for the town’s autonomy. And that is how the city of Barotac Nuevo came to be, and how Tamasak achieved local hero status. Today, a statue of Tamasak graces the municipal government grounds of the country’s football capital.

Over the past two decades, Stallion the football team evolved from a gathering of friends who drank beer after 7-a-side matches to what is now a consistent top three contender in the country’s pro ball system. The team established itself closer to the National Capital Region where the top flight is staged, but settled in a nearby provincial city. For the latter half of those two decades, Coach Ernie Nierras has molded the club’s identity with a never-say-die attitude and a beautiful open attacking playing style, channeling the spirit of a majestic, graceful, powerful Tamasak.

Even in the face of a mounting goal deficit late in the Bali United game, Coach Ernie implored his guys to stick to what they do best, to keep attacking, keep creating opportunities, stick to the identity he has instilled in the Stallion Laguna organization.

“I told the guys, we can do two things – sit back and hopefully they won’t score again, or we play the way we always know how to play, to attack.”

It is that same fortitude and sense of perseverance that has kept Coach Ernie determined to forge on towards fulfilling his football vision for the country, a vision inspired and informed by numerous stints coaching various Philippine national teams, from youth to senior, men and women. That vision includes all of the provincial football associations setting aside whatever animosity exists between them, and uniting under one common goal to develop the country's enormous domestic football talent potential.

For many, this may be a far-fetched dream. Not far-fetched at all for Coach Nierras, who has demonstrated his capacity to bring together various stakeholders in harnessing the power of community to build an enduring institution. The local government of Biñan, for example, has thrown their full support behind Stallion Laguna FC. Biñan Football Stadium, the club’s home field located within the city government compound, is the only venue outside the nation’s capital consistently hosting club matches, this year including for the first time in history the AFC Cup, the second tier of pan-Asian competition. The city of Biñan is now even looking at redesigning the lighting apparatus to generate enough lumens to host future continental cup matches at night when more spectators can fill the stands, an encouraging sign that Coach Ernie, Stallion Laguna FC, and the entire city are expecting such competitions to be a regular occurrence.

Coach Ernie knows very well the historical significance of this first AFC Cup match at Biñan Football Stadium, admitting this is only the first step, projecting a better operation both on and off the pitch in future.

“It’s like taking final exams. We have to know if we studied enough, if we prepared enough.”

The final score did not matter; what mattered most was continuing the fight until the very end. Under Coach Ernie’s long-term vision, that fight is not over with the final whistle on the pitch. He relishes the challenge of coaching as the underdog, to formulate the right strategic and tactical decisions in overcoming the odds. But what moves him even more is the blessing of coaching his own kids – his daughters Samantha and Sabrina on the youth and senior national teams, and now his son Matthew, club Vice Captain, in a big international tournament, marking an even deeper level of commitment to his vision.

To a pragmatic coach espousing a long-term vision he is determined to achieve for family, club, and country, the AFC Cup holds profound meaning.

“This is more significant than just a game. We’re talking about the development of Philippine football…”

As the sun began to set over the city of Biñan and the second half of Wednesday’s international clash, we knew Stallion Laguna FC and the spirit of Tamasak will rise again as sure as the dawn, and the Philippine football renaissance will forge forever forward against whatever odds are out there.

Guys like Coach Ernie Nierras know the way.

Kokoy and Coach Nierras after the press conference...

Stallion Laguna FC results and fixtures in AFC Cup Group G

(all kickoff times local at venue):

September 20 – Stallion Laguna FC 2, Bali United 5 @ Biñan Football Stadium, Biñan, Laguna

October 4 – vs Central Coast Mariners @ Industree Group Stadium, Gosford, Queensland, Australia 7:00 pm

October 26 – vs Terengganu FC @ Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia 8:00 pm

November 8 – vs Terengganu FC @ Biñan Football Stadium, Biñan, Laguna 4:00 pm

November 29 – vs Bali United @ Captain 1 Wayan Dipta Stadium, Bali, Indonesia 8:00 pm

December 13 – vs Central Coast Mariners @ Biñan Football Stadium, Biñan, Laguna 4:00 pm

 

Other Philippine clubs in Asian continental competition:

 

Dynamic Herb Cebu FC results and fixtures in AFC Cup Group F:

September 21 – Cebu FC 0, Phnom Penh Crown 3 @ Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila

October 5 – vs Macarthur @ Campbelltown Sports Stadium, Sydney, Australia 7:00 pm

October 26 – vs Shan United @ Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila 8:00 pm

November 9 – vs Shan United @ Thuwunna Stadium, Yangon, Myanmar 6:30 pm

November 30 – vs Phnom Penh Crown @ Smart RSN Stadium, Phnom Penh, Cambodia 7:00 pm

December 14 – vs Macarthur @ Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila 8:00 pm

 

Kaya-Iloilo FC results and fixtures in AFC Champions League Group G:

September 19 – Kaya Iloilo FC 1, Shandong Taishan 3 @ Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila

October 3 – vs Incheon United @ Incheon Football Stadium, Incheon, South Korea 7:00 pm

October 25 – vs Yokohama FM @ Yokohama International Stadium, Yokohama, Japan 7:00 pm

November 7 – vs Yokohama FM @ Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila 8:00 pm

November 28 – vs Shandong Taishan @ Jinan Olympic Stadium, Jinan, China 8:00 pm

December 13 – vs Incheon United @ Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila 4:00 pm

Kokoy Severino is a career educator and Secretary of the Football For Peace Movement in the Philippines. He has coached junior high school soccer in the public school system of the Greater Houston area for over 20 years. He holds a National Youth Diploma and a Goalkeeping Coaching Certification from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and United Soccer Coaches, two coaching certifications from the United States Soccer Federation, and a Master's in Educational Leadership from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. His research focuses on the relationship between interscholastic competitive soccer and the academic success of at-risk economically disadvantaged students. Kokoy returns regularly to his native country of the Philippines and works with fellow soccer coaches to conduct training sessions for underserved youths in impoverished neighborhoods. He is also a member of Initiatives and Hearts for Indigenous People, a collective of soccer coaches in the Philippines who use the beautiful game to mentor youths out of poverty, particularly focusing on marginalized indigenous communities. 

Kokoy is a lifelong traveler and has been documenting soccer matches through photographs in his native country of the Philippines, his adopted home state of Texas, as well as in Singapore, Vietnam, and Washington State, plus more parts of the world to come.

Check out The Adventures of Kokoy - A Travel Guide.

Read and view Coach Kokoy's blog about implementing the beautiful game as an academic and social-emotional intervention at an inner-city junior high school for new immigrants to the United States - Coach Kokoy's Las Americas Soccer Blog.

                 

"Life is not a journey, but a pilgrimage..."

- Kokoy Severino has been in a constant state of travel since he was four years old.

Photo by Dad.

The Clouds Opened Up, But We Found the Silver Lining Anyway

By Kokoy Severino

Kaya Iloilo FC coach Colum Curtis (right) remained proud of his players after the match... 

In an intermittent downpour, Kaya-Iloilo FC left everything out on the pitch tonight, and that’s what Coach Colum Curtis is most proud of in his squad. They manhandled their opponents with aggressive and physical defense, preventing them from establishing any sort of rhythm. And we know how important rhythm is to a team with five Brazilian players, three of whom comprised the forward corps of Shandong Taishan against Kaya – Moises, Cryzan, and Pato, who incidentally scored the three goals for the visitors from northeast China. Kaya’s defensive pressure and tight marking in the middle and back thirds kept the Brazilian trio at bay for over an hour of game time. The drives that did manage to penetrate into Kaya’s box were repelled by a couple of heroic saves by goalkeeper Quincy Kameraad. It took a costly defensive error in the box for Shandong to score their first goal on a 63^rd-minute penalty.

Shandong head coach Choi Kanghee can blame the awful Rizal Memorial artificial field surface all he wants, as he expressed in the post-match press conference, but there is no question that the boys representing Iloilo, the historical hotbed of Philippine football, took the fight to the boys from northeast China. This came as a surprise to Choi, who admitted Kaya played much better than what they had seen in their scouting videos.

Ultimately, as the tight match wore on, it was that aggressive defensive pressure that proved to be Kaya’s downfall later in the game. As the defensive line tired, they became more prone to sloppy and costly errors, evidence of a fitness level below that of Shandong, who are in the midst of their Chinese Super League season and FA Cup tournament. Kaya, on the other hand, have had an easy ride in the Copa Paulino Alcantara, amassing a 35-1 goal differential in the last four matches they’ve played.  

Coach Curtis lamented the lack of tighter more competitive matches in the run-up to Kaya’s Champions League opener. This can be heard perhaps as a message to the Federation powers that be, who have the capacity to facilitate and organize international club friendlies for the three Philippine representatives currently competing in pan-Asian competitions, something we fans would definitely welcome, too. After the Copa Paulino Alcantara concludes in a couple of weeks, Kaya, as well as Stallion Laguna and Cebu FC, would be facing long gaps between matches in the Champions League for the former and the AFC Cup for the latter two.

I did feel robbed by Shandong Taishan tonight in another way. Midfielder Marouane Fellaini was absent, to the disappointment of many a spectator looking forward to watching the legendary former Manchester United center-midfielder and Belgian World Cup veteran. Understandably, Coach Choi explained that they had to leave numerous players behind in Shandong for this game, to be mindful of their rotation in the various ongoing domestic competitions.

Fellaini or no Fellaini, this was a more difficult opener for Shandong and a better start for Kaya than the 1-3 scoreline might indicate. Statistically, Kaya generated some very solid defensive play, winning 92% of their tackles and making 12 interceptions - that’s three more than Shandong’s defense managed. Indeed, Kaya played their very scrappy style quite effectively, winning many of the loose and 50-50 balls. There were very few Taishan passes that went unchallenged, and had to rely on a pair of Kaya’s tired defensive blunders to set up their goals for them. Even in the air where the northeast Chinese group had a clear height advantage, the Iloilo resolve remained undaunted; they went up and after every ball. Nothing came easy for Shandong Taishan until the waning minutes when the Visayan team had given their every last ounce.

Offensively, Kaya’s 42% ball possession belies their preferred counter-attacking style, exemplified by Jarvey Gayoso’s breakaway goal, one for the Champions League highlight reel, that pumped some life and hope into the Philippines half of the Rizal Memorial grandstand.

Coach Curtis said that what he has been happiest about since arriving in the Philippines in August is his squad’s unwavering commitment to working hard, learning and improving. If this opening match is the benchmark for improvement, then Kaya will be providing us with some of the most exciting football Rizal Memorial has hosted in the matches to come.

    Kokoy Severino is a career educator, nationally certified youth soccer coach in the United States, and an executive officer of the Football for Peace Movement in the Philippines…

Kaya-Iloilo FC results and fixtures in the AFC Champions League Group G

(all kickoff times local at venue):

September 19 – Kaya Iloilo FC 1, Shandong Taishan 3 @ Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila

October 3 – vs Incheon United @ Incheon Football Stadium, Incheon, South Korea 7:00 pm

October 25 – vs Yokohama FM @ Yokohama International Stadium, Yokohama, Japan 7:00 pm

November 7 – vs Yokohama FM @ Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila 8:00 pm

November 28 – vs Shandong Taishan @ Jinan Olympic Stadium, Jinan, China 8:00 pm

December 13 – vs Incheon United @ Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila 4:00 pm

 

Other Philippine clubs in Asian continental competition:

 

Stallion Laguna FC match schedule in the AFC Cup Group G

September 20 – vs Bali United @ Biñan Football Stadium, Biñan, Laguna 4:00 pm

October 4 – vs Central Coast Mariners @ Industree Group Stadium, Gosford, Queensland, Australia 7:00 pm

October 26 – vs Terengganu FC @ Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia 8:00 pm

November 8 – vs Terengganu FC @ Biñan Football Stadium, Biñan, Laguna 4:00 pm

November 29 – vs Bali United @ Captain 1 Wayan Dipta Stadium, Bali, Indonesia 8:00 pm

December 13 – vs Central Coast Mariners @ Biñan Football Stadium, Biñan, Laguna 4:00 pm

 

Dynamic Herb Cebu FC match schedule in the AFC Cup Group F

September 21 – vs Phnom Penh Crown @ Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila 8:00 pm

October 5 – vs Macarthur @ Campbelltown Sports Stadium, Sydney, Australia 7:00 pm

October 26 – vs Shan United @ Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila 8:00 pm

November 9 – vs Shan United @ Thuwunna Stadium, Yangon, Myanmar 6:30 pm

November 30 – vs Phnom Penh Crown @ Smart RSN Stadium, Phnom Penh, Cambodia 7:00 pm

December 14 – vs Macarthur @ Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila 8:00 pm

  

Kaya-Iloilo FC vs Shandong Taishan FC - AFC Champions League Scouting Report

By Kokoy Severino 

Group G: Kaya-Iloilo FC (Philippines) vs Shandong Taishan FC (China)

Kickoff time: 8:00 pm, Tuesday September 19 at Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila

    More than half the AFC Champions League tournaments held since it was rebranded in 2002 have featured Shandong Taishan, the first opponents of Kaya-Iloilo FC, the Philippine representatives in Asia’s premiere continental club competition. The second-most dominant club in China’s pro ball system, this is Shandong Taishan’s 11^th appearance in the AFC Champions League.

    Shandong have won the Chinese Super League title four times. They were the last team to have won the CSL before Guangzhou Evergrande started their outrageous seven-season streak of championships from 2011 until the financial crash of 2017. Up until that point, Shandong had the most top two finishes since the CSL’s inception in 2004. In China’s FA Cup competition, Shandong hold the records for most final appearances with 13 and most championships with eight. The northeast China club qualified for the 2023 AFC Champions League two different ways – by winning the 2022 FA Cup, for the third year in a row, and by finishing as Super League runners-up.

    Despite their domestic success, Shandong have underachieved at the continental level. Over their previous ten qualifications, the Tai Mountain comrades have posted a record of 27 wins, 15 draws and 27 defeats on their way to one quarter-final berth, the deepest they have ever reached in the tournament. Shandong are definitely looking to improve on their 2022 performance when they posted their worst Champions League results ever, fielding a roster depleted by Coronavirus restrictions – zero wins, one draw and five losses, scoring only two goals and conceding 19. And this was after qualifying for the ACL by winning their domestic double, finishing as champions of both the Chinese Super League and the FA Cup. To bounce back from such an atrocious performance, we can be quite certain that when Shandong hit the artificial Rizal Memorial Stadium turf on September 19 to open the 2023 campaign, they will be in full attack formation, intent upon piling on the goals and showing no mercy.

    Leading the Shandong attack is their most globally recognizable player, former Belgian international Marouane Fellaini. Sporting his signature ethnic Moroccan afro, Fellaini spent 12 seasons in the English Premiere League, making a combined 354 appearances for Everton first and then Manchester United where he won a handful of trophies. He was instrumental in Belgium’s 2014 and 2018 World Cup campaigns, reaching the knockout rounds in both and finishing third in Russia. After the 2018 World Cup, he retired from national team duty, cut his hair, and signed a multi-year contract with Shandong, well away from the pressure and scrutiny drawn to the center of Manchester United, one of the world’s most storied football organizations. Fellaini made himself at home in the midfield of the perennial Chinese Super League contender, helping Shandong get to the ACL round of 16 in his first season, and going on to tally 44 goals in 124 appearances for three domestic trophies.

    Now 35 years old, the Belgian legend has just announced his plan to leave Shandong at the end of the current season. In the same announcement, Fellaini expressed his full intent to give everything he can to win as many trophies as possible in his last run, which would undoubtedly increase his one-million Euro transfer price tag. His 10 domestic goals this season are proof enough that he means business as the first AFC Champions League match date approaches.

    But Fellaini is not the only scoring threat Kaya-Iloilo need to closely mark.

    After three years with Portuguese side Santa Clara, Brazilian striker Crysan joined Shandong at the beginning of the 2022 Super League season and went on a rampage. In his first season in China, Crysan hit the net 25 times in just 32 matches, the second-highest individual total in the league. It appears his momentum has carried into the 2023 season, chalking up a club-leading 11 goals in 18 appearances. His current figures are not quite on par with last season, leading one to believe he will land in Rizal Memorial particularly hungry for goal.

    The same year that Fellaini arrived in northeast China, fellow midfielder Moises signed on after four seasons with Palmeiras, with whom he had twice won the Brazilian Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. Prior to that, Moises earned some silverware in the Croatian top flight with Rijeka. Together, the two veterans have combined for 62 goals at Shandong. Moises’ most dangerous quality however is his midfield creativity, finishing the 2022 campaign with the highest assist total in the league, and continues to lead the club with eight in the current season.

    Defensively, Shandong are anchored by veteran China international goalkeeper Wang Da Lei, who has posted some impressive numbers in league play. Conceding only 21 goals in 24 matches for a <1 average, Wang has recorded nine clean sheets, helping Shandong maintain the second-best goal differential in the league and the fewest goals against. Wang may look familiar to some Azkals followers, as he presided over the 8-1 thumping of the Philippines by China in a 2017 friendly.

    Of course, Wang must give credit to his defensive unit, which packs a ton of international experience, fielding five national team players in their back rotation. Those same five defenders have logged over at least 1000 minutes each in AFC Champions League pitch time. Lead by veteran center-back Shi Ke who has seen action in 36 ACL matches for over 3000 minutes, and left-back Zheng Zheng with 34 appearances and more than 2800 minutes. Despite these numbers, Shandong Taishan have struggled to replicate their Super League performance in the Champions League.

    With Fellaini’s impending departure, and over a third of their entire lineup past 30 years old, 2023 will be Shandong’s last crack at making it past the ACL quarter-finals before having to reconfigure their midfield. With a few formidable obstacles in the road out of Group G, it will be tough going for Fellaini and company though, with or without his afro.

    Just because Kaya-Iloilo don’t have the star-studded lineup of their opening Champions League opponent doesn’t mean they can’t make a game of it. From what I have seen, the most important quality going for Philippine football is a drive and conviction to persevere against all odds. It’s that drive that keeps us on the road towards progress and improvement, a road we have been on steadily and visibly.

    Kaya is one of the most successful professional football outfits in the Philippines. The organization sprouted up in the 1980’s from a group of players who gathered regularly for pickup games on the grounds of a prestigious international school in the capital. By the mid-1990’s the community was ready to formalize this gathering into a full-fledged competitive team, and entered the various competitions in existence at the time in an economically underdeveloped country where soccer had taken a backseat to basketball, boxing, and cock-fighting as the main commercial spectator sport endeavors. The late Rudy del Rosario, former Philippine National Team Captain and one of the club founders, cited Bob Marley and the Wailers’ song “Kaya” as the inspiration for its name.

    In 2010, Kaya became one of the original teams in the inaugural United Football League, established as the country’s top flight until it folded at the end of the 2016 campaign. In the seven seasons the UFL operated, Kaya twice finished as runners-up and came in third once. Where the UFL left off, the Philippine Football League took over, and Kaya’s run continued, taking second in the table for three successive seasons until this last one when they finished as champions.

    In the Copa Paulino Alcantara, Kaya is the only club to have played in every final since its inauguration in 2018, bagging the trophy outright twice. At the moment, Kaya are on track for another serious challenge to recapture the CPA trophy, undefeated after four matches, bulldozing through their group with a 35-1 goal differential that will likely grow in the remaining ties. Kaya is more than a worthy Philippine representative in Asia’s most prestigious continental club competition, and one of very few teams in the country I would put up against the likes of Fellaini, Moises, Crysan, and Wang.

    Newly appointed Head Coach Colum Curtis is looking to continue his successful run in Southeast Asia. After guiding Svay Rieng to the 2019 Cambodian league championship as an assistant, Curtis took over at Visakha FC who lifted the Hun Sen Cup for the first time in club history. Now at Kaya-Iloilo, the former Northern Ireland youth international is seeing his third club in the Asian continental competition system. He inherits a squad of top domestic pedigree, many of whom are at the peak of their respective careers.

    If Kaya have an answer to Moises, he would have to be offensive juggernaut Daizo Horikoshi, whose 21 goals and 20 assists last season were key to the club’s first Philippine Football League championship. The Japanese striker and playmaker will have to be at his creative best to crack Shandong’s experienced defensive line. Horikoshi transferred to Kaya in 2019 after a season with Albirex Niigata’s Singapore League franchise. He clearly found his form last year earning him the Golden Ball award in the League and the Golden Boot in both the League and the Copa. At just 26 years old, Horikoshi still has a number of years left at his peak. It would be good for the Philippine club system if he stays a while.

    Also approaching the peak of his career is 26-year-old winger Jarvey Gayoso, who has scored 16 goals in 32 total appearances for Kaya since 2022. Back in college, Gayoso tore up nets in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, scoring 50 times as an Ateneo de Manila varsity forward from 2015 to 2019, foreshadowing a promising pro future. In the current Copa tournament, he has averaged one goal per appearance. With 12 national caps, Gayoso is currently the most expensive product of the Philippine development system playing domestically who is still in his 20’s, valued on the market at €150K.

    Kaya’s defensive line will have to stay particularly disciplined and organized against Shandong. This is where guys like Akito Saito and Audie Menzi will be critical in disrupting Crysan’s drives. Each still in his mid-20’s, Kaya will count on their speed and quickness to get back in a hurry in transition from an offensive shape. Just acquired in August from Aizawl in India’s top flight, Saito is a youthful addition to Kaya’s defensive ranks. Benguet-born Audie Menzi was already logging minutes for Kaya during the UFL days while still at Far Eastern University, where he won a national collegiate title in 2015. Now at 28, Menzi has already seen two AFC Champions League campaigns with Kaya, scoring the winning goal in a play-in match against Shanghai Port in 2021. The Filipino international’s experience will go a long way in settling down and digging in Kaya’s defense.

    Senegalese forward Abou Sy transferred from Stallion Laguna in August and made an immediate impact, tallying six goals and three assists in four Copa matches thus far. When observed from the stands, Abou Sy is the hardest working player on the pitch, all over the forward and middle thirds for Kaya. At 27 years old, Abou Sy displays the combination of physicality, work rate, intelligence, athleticism and talent necessary to harass Fellaini enough to neutralize him in the middle of the park, and spark Kaya’s quick-counter transitions, which is pretty much the bread and butter of every club in the Philippines’ top tier and below.

    And that is the stage Philippine clubs are at right now in their evolutionary strategic development. Kaya is great at full-on transition surges once possession is gained. The disadvantage of this is it is impossible to sustain that kind of offensive pace for 45 straight minutes without slowing down at about the 25-minute mark. At that slower pace is when teams need to maintain longer possession of the ball, establish a rhythm, and conserve energy. Philippine clubs, even the best of them, are still not yet accustomed to making the necessary adjustments to play a more possession-oriented game. Even at that slower pace, teams in the Copa are still implementing a constant fast-break offense.

    Against a team such as Shandong, Kaya may have to apply an Italy-style strategy, allowing the opposition to possess the ball while they keep their defensive shape compact and solid, patiently looking for the slightest turnover opportunity. In being more energy-efficient, Abou Sy, Horikoshi, Gayoso, Menzi and company can burst out upon recovery of the ball and go full speed on the break, which is what they do best, and do it effectively even late into the half.

    In what would seem counter to one’s intuition, the Iloilo club’s thorough dominance in the tournament named after their province’s most beloved football hero may actually work against them in the AFC Champions League. With a +34 goal surplus in just four matches, the narrowest margin being a 7-0 perforation of Loyola, Kaya’s Copa Paulino Alcantara opponents are not helping much in their preparation against more competitive sides at the continental level. By contrast, Shandong’s last four games as of this writing also sees them undefeated, but by significantly tighter margins, including an FA Cup quarter-final win in penalties over Beijing Guoan.

    But then again, the comparatively lighter schedule may also work in Kaya’s favor, allowing them to save their much-needed energy for their big league matches coming up. In that regard, let’s hope Qingdao Hainiu gave Shandong a harder game than last night's 2-4 result might indicate in the Tai Mountainmen’s final Chinese Super League tie before crossing the West Philippine Sea.

    A win over Shandong would make two in a row against international opposition by a Philippine squad, something rarely seen at Rizal Memorial since the mid-20^th century. That would be uniquely special not only for the five Kaya-Iloilo players in Coach Michael Weiss’s national selection that claimed an historic victory against Afghanistan on September 12, but especially for the raucous festive home crowd, of which I will be one.

    Kokoy Severino is a career educator, nationally certified youth soccer coach in the United States, and an executive officer of the Football for Peace Movement in the Philippines…

 

Kaya-Iloilo FC match schedule in the AFC Champions League Group G

(all kickoff times local at venue):

September 19 – vs Shandong Taishan @ Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila 8:00 pm

October 3 – vs Incheon United @ Incheon Football Stadium, Incheon, South Korea 7:00 pm

October 25 – vs Yokohama FM @ Yokohama International Stadium, Yokohama, Japan 7:00 pm

November 7 – vs Yokohama FM @ Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila 8:00 pm

November 28 – vs Shandong Taishan @ Jinan Olympic Stadium, Jinan, China 8:00 pm

December 13 – vs Incheon United @ Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila 4:00 pm

 

Other Philippine clubs in Asian continental competition:

 

Dynamic Herb Cebu FC match schedule in the AFC Cup Group F

September 21 – vs Phnom Penh Crown @ Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila 8:00 pm

October 5 – vs Macarthur @ Campbelltown Sports Stadium, Sydney, Australia 7:00 pm

October 26 – vs Shan United @ Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila 8:00 pm

November 9 – vs Shan United @ Thuwunna Stadium, Yangon, Myanmar 6:30 pm

November 30 – vs Phnom Penh Crown @ Smart RSN Stadium, Phnom Penh, Cambodia 7:00 pm

December 14 – vs Macarthur @ Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila 8:00 pm

 

Stallion Laguna FC match schedule in the AFC Cup Group G

September 20 – vs Bali United @ Biñan Football Stadium, Biñan, Laguna 4:00 pm

October 4 – vs Central Coast Mariners @ Industree Group Stadium, Gosford, Queensland, Australia 7:00 pm

October 26 – vs Terengganu FC @ Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia 8:00 pm

November 8 – vs Terengganu FC @ Biñan Football Stadium, Biñan, Laguna 4:00 pm

November 29 – vs Bali United @ Captain 1 Wayan Dipta Stadium, Bali, Indonesia 8:00 pm

December 13 – vs Central Coast Mariners @ Biñan Football Stadium, Biñan, Laguna 4:00 pm