#CPA2022: The Curtain-raiser is here

Photo credits: Philippines Football League

It's been 113 days since the final of the 2021 Copa Paulino Alcantara and now we are here, just a day before the 2022 edition of the most prestigious local league cup is upon us! Not only club football is back, the 2022 Copa Paulino Alcantara will serve as a curtain-raiser to this year's league season!

The cast is complete as all participating clubs from the 2020 Philippines Football League are back to fight for this year's Copa Paulino Alcantara. The defending Copa Paulino Alcantara champions Kaya FC-Iloilo will be tested this time around as their main rivals will be back in the tournament to prevent a record-setting third consecutive trophy going to Iloilo.

After missing out on last year's festivities, 2020 PFL champs United City Football Club will be looking to add the Copa to their trophy cabinet while Maharlika Manila FC will make amends for their absence last season.

Last year's third placers Stallion Laguna FC are also looking to bank on a bolstered line-up this season to convert their third-place finish last time around to a championship which they've been dying to get ahold of.

After making it to the final of the 2021 CoPA, the newly-appointed head coach of the Philippines U-23 Norman Fegidero and the Azkals Development team will be looking to use the competition as a springboard to success in their Southeast Asian Games campaign which will take place on the second week of May.

Though tagged as newcomers, Dynamic Herb Cebu FC certainly proved that they were no pushed overs as they made it to the battle for third in their first try in the competition. With the way things are shaping up for them ahead of the season, they will be aiming for something higher than what they had last year.

And finally, Mendiola FC 1991 will be banking on the experience of their squad with the help of fresh additions to improve on their performance last season and possibly make it back to the semifinals for the second time since 2019.

Opening match fitted for the curtain-raiser

Photo Credits: Philippines Football League

March 14, 2022, is the date where the 2022 Copa Paulino Alcantara kicks off, and what better way to start the competition with a clash between the defending champions Kaya FC-Iloilo and Maharlika Manila FC

The defending champions will be welcoming Maharlika Manila FC back into the club football scene after their hiatus last season. This time around, the Manileños boosted their squad with fresh additions.

They've acquired the services of the Clarino trio with Miggy, Ojay, and Gino all suiting up for the black and pink. They'll also bank on the experience of their veterans David Basa, Javier Coscosuella, and Charlie Beaton.

With experience comes along their freshness as well thanks to the addition of Ziggy Ae, a standout from the GOM Academy and a former Global FC player. He'll be paired up with the breakout player of the 2020 season, MJ Libre.

On the other hand, Kaya FC-Iloilo, coming off fresh from their four-nil defeat against Sydney FC in their AFC Champions League play-off match, is boasting a squad full of confidence despite the result.

With Robert Lopez-Mendy back with the club, they now have the much-needed threat upfront to join Jovin Bedic. They will also make use of their ADT acquisitions Mar Vincent Diano, Jarvey Gayoso, Oskari Kekkonen, and wonderboy Sandro Reyes.

In their opening match in the 2020 Philippines Football League, despite being the title-favorites that season, Kaya FC only managed to win by a single goal thanks to Kenshiro Daniels. It could be remembered that Maharlika Manila FC came into that match as the underdogs and that the match would be lop-sided but they held off a barrage of attacks from the Ilonggo-based booters.

This time around, they'll be looking to surprise the competition and possibly pull off an upset against a side whose looking to retain the title and bring a record third back home.

Longevity Challenge for United City FC

Photo credits: Philippines Football League

Aside from the 2021 Copa Paulino Alcantara, Filipino football fans will be treated to an exciting season as the league also aims to kick off the league proper by the middle of the year which means more games for everyone, especially the country's representative in continental competitions Kaya FC-Iloilo and United City FC.

First off, the 2020 PFL winners United FC will kick off their Copa Paulino Alcantara campaign on the 24th of March against Maharlika Manila FC before they take on the defending champions Kaya FC-Iloilo on the 28th of March.

They'll then face Stallion Laguna FC on the 31st of March then Mendiola FC 1991 on the fourth of April which will end their four-game stretch in the CoPA before traveling to Thailand to open their AFC Champions League campaign against K-League side Jeonnam Dragons.

When they get back in the country, UCFC will then play their remaining matches against the Azkals Development Team on the fifth of May and Dynamic Herb Cebu FC on the eighth of May.

Player management will be pivotal for coach UCFC if they want to have a decent outing in the AFC Champions League as well as to stay competitive in the Copa Paulino Alcantara. They'll rely on the knowledge of coach Jason Withe who returns with the squad for their ACL campaign while coach Frank Muescan will handle the team in their domestic cup journey.

Time to end the Duopoly?

Photo credits: Philippines Football League

For four years, it's been a story of two clubs on whether who's going to win the league and the cup. During their existence, it was a competition between Ceres-Negros FC and Kaya FC-Iloilo. Since being absorbed by United City FC, the trend continued in the 2020 campaign where the title fight was decided by just a point between the two.

When UCFC skipped last year's Copa, it was clear that Kaya FC-Iloilo were the runaway favorites to win the tournament and they did not disappoint as they brought the second domestic cup back to Iloilo.

This year, however, they'll be facing the challenge from the rest of the field as everyone's eager to prove that club football in the Philippines is not just dominated by two clubs.

Starting off with Stallion Laguna FC, a club that's been around for 20 years now are looking to end their trophy drought. The last time they touched a silverware was in 2013 after capping off a cup-double in the now-defunct UFL.

They've bolstered their squad this year with quality signings like two-time Copa Paulino Alcantara winner Marvin Angeles, former Ceres-Negros FC standout Junior Muñoz, and Charles Pickering, a young Filipino talent who previously played with Bangkok FC in the Thai League 3.

They also retained the services of Abraham Placito who scored in the semifinals of the Copa last year, Gabriel Silva, and Griffin McDaniel, who'll be looking to step out of the shadows of her sisters Chandler and Olivia McDaniel who helped the Philippines to their maiden qualification to the FIFA Women's World Cup.

Moving on to Mendiola FC 1991, they haven't had much success since their debut in the Philippines Football League but the closest in mind would be their semifinal appearance in the 2019 Copa Paulino Alcantara.

This time, however, they're looking to do it again and possibly even more than that. As per our interview with coach Nhiboy Pedimonte, their squad this year will be composed of the past and the new.

They'll have players returning like Franco Dela Torre, Arjo Zabala, and their prodigal son Kenry Balobo whose stint with United City FC could be considered as some kind of an internship as he never featured in a match with the club since his move away from Mendiola.

Dynamic Herb Cebu FC looks to be the closest thing so far in breaking this duopoly given their exploits in their debut season. Boasting players who had plenty of experience in local club football, they took the Copa by storm. Despite only playing two matches last year, those games were pivotal ones.

Their first match against Stallion Laguna FC ended in favor of coach Ernie Nierras' side by just a single goal. In their semi-final match against eventual winners Kaya FC-Iloilo, the game almost went into extra time if not for Jovin Bedic's dagger from the spot after a foul from team captain Evren Tasci.

The composition of their squad is an interesting one as well as the blend between experienced and the young ones comes in a form of a double-edged sword. If they can make everything click, they may find themselves challenging the title favorites this time around.

All talks will eventually be over and when they step on the pitch, it will mean business for all seven clubs participating in this year's Copa Paulino Alcantara where one of them could get a chance to represent the country in the AFC Cup.

The matches will be streamed live on the Philippines Football League Facebook page and Youtube channel with plans of possibly bringing it to live television in its latter stages. And again, this is just a curtain-raiser for this year's club football season so there's still plenty of football action we have to look out for.