The Azkals Development Team is bracing for the possibility of missing team captain Jarvey Gayoso in the Copa Paulino Alcantara Final against Kaya-Iloilo Friday, Nov. 19 at the PFF National Training Centre in Carmona, Cavite.
Gayoso is doubtful to play the title game after suffering a hamstring injury in the second half of ADT’s 2-1 semifinal win over Stallion-Laguna that went into extra time last Tuesday, but Yrick Gallantes said the team is prepared to deal with the possibility of playing without their talisman.
“It will be difficult,” Gallantes said. “We know that he’s the captain of the team on the pitch, but also off the pitch we know that we could support him, we could fight for him and he knows that.”
ADT made it to the final mainly because of Gayoso, who has scored six goals in the competition including five in a 9-0 drubbing of Mendiola FC 1991 last week.
He also scored the equalizing goal in the semis during the 66th minute, only to be carried off the pitch with his injury.
The developmental side persevered, with goalkeeper Quincy Kameraad making a big save that prevented Stallion’s Finn McDaniel from scoring in the early moments of extra time and Gallantes supplying the winner in the 116th.
“Even if we were down one-nil, we still fought still and we still knew that we could get back into it,” Gallantes said. “We had motivation to win the game after Jarvey’s injury, and we did.”
ADT will come in hoping to deny Kaya a fitting capper to a busy 2021 campaign despite being on the losing end of their previous meeting last Nov. 7 when the Copa got underway.
Kaya prevailed 2-0 in that match, but ADT showed some promise by keeping things scoreless until it conceded twice in the second half.