Zach Banzon: Kaya's Big wall could be the next Big Thing
With the AFC Champions League campaign over, we now turn our attention to the upcoming Philippines Football League, brought to us by Qatar Airways. Preparations are in full swing, new signings appear left and right. And some have even shown promise.
Kaya FC-Iloilo is one of these clubs that were a bit busy in the off-season with a slew of new signings in Ryo Fuji, Patrick Asare, and more recently in a shocking move, Jarvey Gayoso among others. But to our surprise, no single person has made a visible impact as Kaya Academy product, Zach Banzon.
When the AFC Champions League campaign began, Kaya knew that it was going to be a steep uphill battle. They were the heavy underdogs. The newcomers in a group full of champions. But it would be a good barometer to measure where they stand as far as the rest of our confederation's strength goes.
And a show of strength was indeed what they got, with Kaya at the receiving end of some spectacular attacking football by K-League frontrunner and ACL defending champions Ulsan Hyundai, Thai League 1 champions and group host BG Pathum United, and 6-time and current V. League 1 champions Viettel FC.
The first round looked to show how much the gap is between Philippine Club Football and the rest of Asia's best, considering that the reigning PFL champions United City FC (now United Clark FC) is a different beast with its seemingly deeper pocket or maybe its good pool of players inherited from the powerhouse Ceres Negros FC.
At this point, they really got a first-hand experience of how it was to play at the ACL level. And Zach couldn't have said it better:
"The biggest difference between ACL teams and PFL teams that I've noticed is probably the small details of the game. Where people run and the timings of the run are at an elite level and pace. At this level the tiniest detail can make the biggest difference."
But the mood changed come the second round when Graham Harvey, Kaya's gaffer, decided to start Banzon ahead of Mike Casas, Kaya's preferred keeper since the last few seasons. This, of course, among other changes.
Donning that number 1 shirt, the young net-minder showed a performance of a lifetime, dishing out fantastic saves, and saving the Ilonggo-side from an even larger scoreline.
And the defense is not the only thing that changed. His distribution has been at a better level, allowing his team better possession through his good combination of long and short passes. A far cry from just simply hoofing the ball as far as we can.
This positive play has changed the complexion of Kaya's game and made them slightly more threatening with the little possession that they have. They just needed that key pass into the final third to complete that recipe, but the lack of it is for a different story.
In just three games, Kaya's face changed from "happy to participate" to "here to play ball" as we started to push the three champs even harder, almost stealing a point in all games.
"We've shown that we're not far off. "
This is not to say that he should be elevated to superstar status right away. There's still plenty of things that he should still work on, like keeping the ball stuck between his hands. But it does bring that breath of fresh air watching him acrobatically diving to make fantastic saves.
We're pretty sure that Kaya had to really think this through before making the change. Both these keepers had to fight to earn their place, after all.
"The both of us are ready all the time. Casas and I always give our all and perform well in training, so the team can count on us during the game."
And despite the hype now building up in his favor, he still shows that his feet are still planted on the ground. This good attitude makes for healthy competition inside the team.
"Whatever happens, the most important thing is we always respect and support each other. We have an amazing relationship and I know the coaches see that also."
The long journey to the starting eleven
If hard work and patience have a face, Zach Banzon could be one of them. He has been patiently waiting for his turn, building his football career from the ground up.
He's played football during his youth at the Ateneo de Manila High School. It was here where his potential was seen, nourished, and eventually discovered.
We all know that football isn't as well established as basketball and volleyball. Heck, even boxing is way ahead of football when it comes to competitions and infrastructure that gives aspiring kids the opportunities to get better and to shine.
So in order to move further, players like Zach need to find their place in good youth football academies or programs.
This opportunity came in the form of the Kaya Elite Program which helped push him further when he was just 17 years old. Kaya Elite participated in the Youth Football League, or the YFL. And this league was as good as a young footballer can get.
"We were coached by Jaypee Merida, who knew me very well from my time with him in Ateneo High School. From there, I played for Kaya B and was eventually promoted to the men's team in 2016."
It was at this point that his career as a professional footballer was established as Kaya competed against great teams in the United Football League, the then-de facto top tier club football competition in the Philippines.
And as any young, talented player would, he eventually had his chance.
And as they say, the rest was history. It still took him quite a while to establish himself ahead of the pecking order as Kaya's goalkeeping lineup was always full of talent back then. But what a journey it has been, right?
"Looking back, it's been a long journey through the ranks. I'm really thankful for the support everyone in Kaya has given me from the start."
Optimism ahead of the PFL season
Now that the ACL campaign is over, we now go to the realms of speculation for the upcoming PFL season. Last season, Kaya was able to hand United City FC their sole loss of the season on the last matchday.
While this result was a good way to close the season, it still didn't categorically put to rest the issue of whether Kaya can beat UCFC. This is because of the fact that United rested most of their starting eleven for that game.
Seeing how Kaya stood up to the highly-rated competition in their ACL outing and coming out capable of pushing for close results, does affect our perception of their chances.
During the first round, we got to witness how much Kaya lacked in terms of fitness, chemistry, and the overall cutting edge to slice through the opposition's defenses. This leads us to ask if Kaya can still push the defending champions, UCFC, down the wire. And we really can't blame fans who were in doubt.
After all, the team was blown away by Viettel, BG Pathum, and Ulsan Hyundai's offensive prowess. And Kaya's offensive effectiveness was shut down, too.
This could be attributed to the fact that while most of the ACL teams just came off or is still in the middle of their local football seasons, PFL clubs have almost had no time to play local matches at all. And this is no thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Match fitness I think plays a big part, as the teams we've faced have played many games leading up to the group stage. The more we play in the local league and in the continental leagues, the more we learn, improve, and put more eyes in Philippine Football."
But things changed when Kaya's gaffer, Graham Harvey, made the crucial decision to let Banzon start ahead of the more experienced Casas. The dynamics of play have slightly changed. The organization of the backline was much better, and honestly, Kaya had been saved several times from chances that should have made goals.
In turn, this also changed our perspective from Kaya being a runner-up contender to a team that could go all the way this time around. It is certainly too early to say, both teams have just only had six games under their belt this year so there's still plenty of football to be done.
But we do know one thing, Zach's contributions should be enough to earn his starting spot this season. Whether this happens or not, we still expect Kaya to do way better.
"No matter who plays, I rate our chances in the PFL very highly. Everyone has seen how we've played in the Champions League level, so we're looking to bring that caliber back when we play back home."
Philippine Football is alive, And kids who pursue it have a future
We've already mentioned how the lack of funding, infrastructure, or attention is making it a really difficult endeavor for kids to pursue a football dream. And sad to say, we are still in a state where a child's football dream dies all because they never got good enough. The lack of these things that could have pushed them further stops them from seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
And if ever you're one of these kids, here's what Zach can tell you:
"I wasn't always a good player, but I loved the game so much that I would always show up to training. I wanted to keep playing no matter how I performed. I wanted to be the best version of myself so I always trained hard and studied hard." "I loved to play so much it didn't matter if I had to drag 3 school bags everyday and commute for an hour or 2 at night after training. Keep loving the sport and keep wanting to improve."
Take it from him. The life of a Filipino footballer is hard, but it's can love you back. We all just need to work hard for it. Stop making excuses and keep on pushing.
"Our coach back then, Chris [Greatwich], told me a quote which I think still best describes my football career - 'What's done in the dark, comes out in the light'." I think all the effort I've put out through the years, especially when no one was looking, has started to shine through.
And we certainly don't disagree with coach Greatwich on that one.
One for the future
Unlike outfield positions, goalkeepers normally take a longer time to bloom. If we can talk about GKs who showed their full potential, we'd have plenty of players in the older age brackets.
So yes, there's still plenty of things that Zach Banzon needs to perfect on the training ground. There's still plenty of skills that he needs to gain while playing competitively. But he's definitely got something that's worth taking a look at. So we're hoping to see more of him in front of Kaya FC Iloilo's goal.
See you on the touchline!
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