Kaya opens Asean club stint against Malaysian side

Philippines Football League champion Kaya-Iloilo will also have another international competition when it takes part in the Asean Club Championship that starts next week.

Kaya opens the campaign on the road on Aug. 22 against Malaysian side Kuala Lumpur City in Group B play of the tournament commercially known as the Shopee Cup, being held for the first time featuring some of Southeast Asia’s (SEA) top clubs.

Interestingly, Kaya will be facing that squad which features Philippine national team veteran Patrick Reichelt on its roster.

Reichelt is one of many Filipino players Kaya will face, with the most notable being Azkals legend Neil Etheridge, who recently signed with Thailand’s Buriram United.

Etheridge moved to SEA after several years playing in England, including a one-season Premier League campaign with Cardiff City and for Championship side Birmingham City.

Also in Kaya’s group are Singapore Premier League champion Lion City Sailors, Vietnam’s V.League 1 winner Cong An Ha Noi and Indonesia’s Liga 1 regular series premiers and championship series third placer Borneo Samarinda.

Following Kuala Lumpur City, Kaya faces Etheridge and Buriram in another away fixture on Sept. 26, before the Shopee Cup resumes in 2025 with three games against Ha Noi (Jan. 9 at Rizal Memorial Stadium), Borneo (Jan. 23) and Lion City (Feb. 6).The top two clubs advance into the two-legged semifinals set April 2 and 30, joining the two best sides from Group A.

Group A has Thailand’s BG Pathum United, Malaysia’s Terengganu FC, Indonesia’s PSM Makassar, Vietnam’s Dong A Thanh Koa, Cambodia’s Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng and Myanmar’s Shan United.

The finals, also held in two legs, will be on May 14 and May 21.The Shopee Cup is the first of two foreign tourneys for Kaya, which will be competing in the Asian Football Confederation Champions League 2 set for a September start. INQ