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Hali Long

Camille Naredo

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/172958108136020220717-aff-womens-ph-thailand-GC-30.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Hali Long (5) of the Philippines during their match against Thailand in the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Women’s Championship held at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila on July 17, 2022. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Hali Long (5) of the Philippines during their match against Thailand in the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Women’s Championship held at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila on July 17, 2022. <em>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File</em></span></span></span>MANILA -- If Hali Long is to be asked, Kaya FC-Iloilo&#x27;s campaign in the inaugural edition of the AFC Women&#x27;s Champions League (AWCL) went by too quickly.</div><p>The Kaya Women earned the right to compete in the tournament after ruling the 2023 edition of the PFF Women&#x27;s League. Thanks to the Filipinas&#x27; FIFA ranking, they got to skip the preliminary phase and progressed directly to the group stage. </p><p>There, they were drawn into Group B along with Australia&#x27;s Melbourne City, Iran&#x27;s Bam Khatoon, and Thailand&#x27;s College of Asian Scholars -- all champions of their respective leagues as well.</p><p>&quot;[It] was really nice to go immediately into the group stage,&quot; Long told ABS-CBN News in a recent interview. </p><p>Unfortunately for Long and the Kaya Women, their stint would end at that phase. Draws with College Asian Scholars and Bam Khatoon put them in a must-win position heading into their final group round game against Melbourne City last October 12.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/10/7/kaya-fc-opens-awcl-campaign-with-draw-vs-college-of-asian-scholars-1650">READ: Kaya FC opens AWCL campaign with draw vs. College of Asian Scholars</a></div><p>But the A-League Women&#x27;s champions showed them no mercy. Mariana Speckmaier, Rebekah Stott and Lourdes Bosch all scored within 10 minutes, and Kaya eventually absorbed a 4-0 loss.</p><p>&quot;It was bittersweet for it to end early,&quot; Long admitted. They finished third in the group with two points, and Bam Khatoon -- against whom they salvaged a 1-1 draw -- advanced to the quarterfinals along with Melbourne City.</p><p>While she is disappointed by the early end to their campaign, Long also makes it clear that they had plenty of positive takeaways from the AWCL -- including a desire to go further in the next edition of the tournament.</p><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-0" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DBK9u3nTdeI/embed/captioned/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=540&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fnews-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A298086.39999999106%2C%22ls%22%3A297709.09999999404%2C%22le%22%3A298069.09999999404%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="799" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-0" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p>&quot;Sayang [but] not in a bad way,&quot; said Long, also a captain of the Philippine women&#x27;s national football team. &quot;We came out of that tournament with a lot of good experience, a lot of lessons, a lot of learnings.&quot;</p><p>&quot;It was a very emotional kind of tournament, to be able to represent the Philippines from a club level,&quot; she added. &quot;We did it in 2022, some invitational in Singapore… But to do it for the Champions League was … [I&#x27;m] just really grateful to be a part of Kaya, and grateful to be a part of the team that got to make a lot of firsts for Philippine women&#x27;s football.&quot;</p><p>Long is no stranger to &quot;firsts&quot; in Philippine women&#x27;s football. </p><p>She was an integral part of the team that reached the semifinals of the 2022 AFC Women&#x27;s Asian Cup, in the process earning the country&#x27;s ticket to the FIFA Women&#x27;s World Cup 2023. She helped the Filipinas win the AFF Women&#x27;s Championship in 2022 at home, and led the team on the field when they competed in the biggest stage in the sport in New Zealand last year.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/10/21/nba-ph-celebrates-jersey-day-ahead-of-new-season-1308">READ: PWNFT has more to prove after Asian Cup feat, says captain</a></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/07/12/23/time-for-filipinas-to-show-what-we-are-made-of-says-hali-long">READ: Time for Filipinas to &#x27;show what we are made of,&#x27; says Hali Long</a></div><p>For the 29-year-old center back, however, what makes &quot;firsts&quot; more special is if more achievements will follow. After seeing action in the inaugural edition of the AFC Women&#x27;s Champions League, she is determined to help Kaya return to the competition -- and make a deeper run next time.</p><p>&quot;Hopefully, as we continue to participate and keep our league going here, the Philippines can continue to send teams to the league,&quot; she said. </p><p>&quot;And due to our ranking as a national team, we actually got to skip the preliminary stage … It all goes hand in hand,&quot; Long added. &quot;[I&#x27;m] grateful to be a part of both, and to do my part -- national team and club. And to come back here and keep playing and keep growing as an individual, but also as a team.&quot;</p><p>For now, Long&#x27;s focus is on helping the Kaya Women rule the on-going 2024 PFF Women&#x27;s Cup. </p><p>They opened their campaign last Friday, routing the youthful Tuloy FC 6-3 behind a hat-trick from veteran Camille Rodriguez.</p><p>It&#x27;s a new challenge for Long, who continues to be an active player while also advocating for the growth of women&#x27;s football in all levels in the country. Even now, as she plays for Kaya in the Women&#x27;s Cup, she serves as an inspiration to her opponents -- some of whom call her &quot;ate&quot; while on the field.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/07/21/22/hali-long-ties-ph-record-for-international-appearances">READ: Hali Long vows to keep going after tying PH record for int&#x27;l appearances</a></div><p>&quot;It&#x27;s very humbling, medyo awkward,&quot; she said. &quot;I feel aged.&quot;</p><p>&quot;But I take it,&quot; added Long, the Filipinas&#x27; most capped player. &quot;If I can share what I learned by playing here since 2016, if I can only share a little bit of what I&#x27;ve learned with them, they can be more powerful, inspirational, and they can be the face of football next.&quot;</p><p>&quot;I really hope that for the upcoming youth.&quot;</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><script data-wid="auto" type="text/javascript" src="https://content.viralize.tv/display/?zid=AAEyze-tm4MR6kEa&amp;cid=ABOzpSiXl5H4fk6O&amp;activation=click&amp;vip_mode=playing&amp;vip_position=bottom-right"></script>

<p>If Hali Long is to be asked, Kaya FC-Iloilo's campaign in the inaugural edition of the AFC Women's Champions League (AWCL) went by too quickly.</p>

If Hali Long is to be asked, Kaya FC-Iloilo's campaign in the inaugural edition of the AFC Women's Champions League (AWCL) went by too quickly.

After 'bittersweet' campaign in AWCL, Kaya's Hali Long eyes more progress

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After 'bittersweet' campaign in AWCL, Kaya's Hali Long eyes more progress

Camille Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

Published October 22, 2024 04:09 PM PHT

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Kaya FC-Iloilo

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Hali Long

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