Jarvey Gayoso has finally joined his new club Kaya-Iloilo ahead of their AFC Champions League playoff match against Chinese Super League side Shanghai Port on Wednesday, June 23 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Gayoso took part in Kaya’s first training session in Bangkok after flying in from Sharjah, United Arab Emirates where he played in all three matches of the Philippine Azkals in the World Cup/Asian Cup Qualifiers.
“Understandably, Kaya plays a different formation and a different style of play, it’s all about adjusting as fast as possible because the competition’s coming up soon,” said Gayoso in an interview provided by the club's media relations.
“But it’s nice to play with these guys because a lot of them I’ve met and I’ve played with also so it’s nice to play with a lot of them. So, I’m excited for the qualifiers and I’m ready, we’re ready,” added the former Ateneo star whose signing was announced last June 13.
He and Kaya are aiming to pull off an upset win over Shanghai and become the second Filipino club to play in the group stage of the Champions League.
United City gained a direct berth to the ACL by virtue of winning last season’s Philippines Football League.
Even if it loses, Kaya is assured of a berth in Group I of the AFC Cup, but there are reports that the East region of the competition could be cancelled after Singapore pulled out as host due to the COVID-19 situation.