Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 11) – Defending Philippines Football League champions United City FC will make its Asian Football Confederation Champions League debut in Uzbekistan.
The AFC selected on Monday the Central Asian country as host of Groups H and I group stage matches slated from June 25 to July 11.
United City FC is part of Group I along with 2020 Japan League champion Kawasaki Frontale and Chinese Super League third placer Beijing Guoan. South Korean club Daegu FC and Thai football team Chiangrai United will contest the bracket’s fourth member in a preliminary match on June 23.
The top Filipino football club will face Beijing on June 26 and July 8, while it will tangle with Kawasaki on July 2 and 5. The Jason Withe-coached squad will face the fourth bracket member on June 29 and July 11.
Among the Golden Boys’ noted offseason acquisitions are Philippine Azkals stalwarts Justin Baas, Mark Hartmann, and Ryan Jarvis and Korean star wingback Jung Da-hwon. They will join United mainstays team captain Stephan Schrock, Hikaru Minegishi, Mike Ott, Sean Kane, Anthony Pinthus, Pocholo Bugas, and Azkals naturalization candidate Bienvenido Maranon.
Meanwhile, PFL runner-up Kaya-Iloilo can be the second Filipino club to play in the 2021 AFC Champions League if it will win its preliminary games in Thailand.
Kaya needs to beat Australia’s Brisbane Roar on June 20 to progress in the second round of the preliminaries. Chinese club Shanghai Port will face the winner of the Kaya-Brisbane tussle on June 23 to determine which club will advance in Group F of the 2021 AFC Champions League group stage.
