Football
Una Kaya: Despite second place UFL finish, Kaya players feel like champions
AKTV/Mark Dimalanta
Despite a 1-0 win over Penson Stallion Gilligan’s Tuesday night, Kaya still failed to take home the United Football League title, settling for second place.
For other teams, a runner-up finish might not be so bad, but for Kaya, it was yet another heartbreaking end to a season. In its first UFL season, Kaya fell five points short of hoisting the Division One crown behind titlist Philippine Air Force.
In this season’s UFL Cup competition, Kaya looked well on its way to the finals after gaining a 3-0 halftime lead against the Loyola Meralco Sparks in the semis. But Phil Younghusband and the Sparks pulled off a miracle in the second half, with the Azkals star striker booting in three goals after the break to boot out Kaya.
After Global drew with Loyola on Tuesday, it tied Kaya at the top of the table with 42 points. But Global won the title because of a better goal differential.
“So close yet so far,” said vice-captain Anton del Rosario. But despite the disappointment, he said he’s content with how the team played.
“We still ended the season on a high note,” he said. “We can’t be mad with our performance.”
Forward Joshua Beloya, who debuted for Kaya last January, chalked it up to the breaks of the game. “We were a bit unlucky,” he said, adding that the players don’t have any reason to hang their heads.
“I feel like a champion already,” he said.
