Kaya guns for lead vs Nomads

MANILA, Philippines - Kaya tries to reclaim the United Football League lead when it battles dangerous Nomads Auction Manila today at the University of Makati field.

After coming away with back-to-back draws against Loyola Meralco and Global, Kaya hopes to get a better result this time against Nomads in the 4 p.m. match.

Kaya has been boosted by the return of skipper Aly Borromeo, whose last-minute heroics earned a 1-1 stalemate against Global.

With only three points separating the No. 1 to No. 3 spots, Kaya can no longer drop points and leave its fate on the results of other matches played by Global and Loyola.

As it stands, Global is on top with 35 points, two ahead of Kaya and three clear of Loyola, which is not seeing action this weekend because of its campaign in the RHB Singapore Cup.

Struggling teams Army Fritz and Macziol clashes with Navy Red Juice in the first match at 2 pm. Both matches will be aired live on AKTV on IBC 13.

Both Armed Forces teams have yet to win in the second round and a win by cellar dweller Navy could drag Army down into the relegation battle.

Army, which finished third last season, is searching for positives after a disappointing run of six losses in its last eight matches.

Navy, on the other hand, has only one win to show in 13 matches, but there were encouraging signs last Sunday when it took the lead against Air Force in a match that was halted because of an unplayable field.

Kaya is fancied to overcome Nomads, with its squad of experienced international players.

But Nomads did a decent job in their last match against a team in the Top 3, holding Global to a 1-1 draw.

Nomads are also coming off an impressive 4-1 conquest of Army last Sunday in a match where teenager Jeremy Theuer bagged a brace.

The string of good results have boosted last year’s second division champions to fifth – their highest ranking since their promotion at the start of the season.