LOCAL football clubs Kaya l FC-Iloilo and United City officially ended their respective debut Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) campaigns on Sunday, losing in their final matches.
Kaya bowed to Vietnam’s Viettel FC, 1-0, in Thailand to finish last in Group F with a 0-0-6 record while Philippines Football League (PFL) champion United City fell to Korea’s Daegu FC, 4-0, in Uzbekistan to end up third in Group I with a 1-1-4 card.
Both teams found the going tough in the two-week group play stage of the tournament, which features Asia’s premier football clubs.
They, however, are grateful for the opportunity to test their skills against the best in the region and for the lessons it entailed which they intend to use moving forward.
“I think the biggest takeaway that we have is that we feel like we belong at this level. We can continue to keep playing in the Champions League, and when we come back to the PFL, we hope that we bring this level to that,” said Kaya coach Graham Harvey.
Kaya and United City now turn their focus to the PFL season, set to start in August. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
