Mike Casas Announces His Retirement The Beastkeeper hangs it up after three years with Kaya, and over a decade of playing inspired football.
Kaya FC-Iloilo goalkeeper Louie Michael Casas announced his retirement from professional football today, concluding a stellar career that included national team call-ups, multiple college championships, a myriad of regional tournament trophies, and several domestic league titles. He’s decided to step away from the game to be with his family in the States, looking to spend more time with his son as he grows up.
Casas has accomplished much in his three seasons with Kaya—manning the net through two AFC Cup runs, an undefeated PFL season, a historic AFC Champions League campaign, and a triumphant 2021 Copa Paulino Alcantara run where he was awarded the Golden Gloves.
The Beastkeeper’s football journey started all the way back in the second grade, coming up in Cebu through the local grassroots program. He impressed the coaches and scouts, and was eventually brought into the fold for the National Youth Teams.
Things really started to get busy in 2004, in his freshman year of college. After receiving scholarship offers from multiple schools, he ultimately decided on San Beda College where he went on to win multiple NCAA and UniGames Championships.
That same year, Casas made his Senior Team debut during the 2004 Tiger Cup. He was both the youngest member and the starting keeper for a Philippines side that had yet to receive the Azkals nickname. He held that role until 2007, when he temporarily stepped away from the football limelight to pursue new personal challenges.
Mike moved to Bacolod and finished his studies at the University of St. La Salle, during which he also began playing in the local weekend league. It was there that he ended up joining an upstart Ceres side that would go on to take the Philippine football world by storm.
He was the last line of defense for a club that went from playing weekend league games, to joining regional competitions, to conquering national tournaments, before finally winning their way into the first division of the United Football League over the span of a few years. The Beastkeeper soared back into the scene helping bring the giant killers to the top, where they would go on to become giants themselves.
Back on the big stage and a few domestic titles later, he was once again called on to join the Azkals for the 2018 Bangabandhu Cup—a little over ten years after his last national team appearance.
Casas was a bit ahead of his time, playing as a sweeper keeper before the concept became popular in the country. He made up for his size with agility and footwork, making life easy for his defenders with his ventures outside the box while still remaining a capable shot-stopper.
Though he was older by the time he arrived at Kaya, he didn’t stop raising his game and improved with his feet even further. His dependability at the back allowed the team to have an easier transition to their new style, which led to success in the recent Copa and helped lay the foundation for continued progress moving forward.
At just 5’7½ feet tall, Casas did not possess the conventional height of today’s keepers. However, this didn’t stop him from working himself into one of the country’s premier home-grown talents and silencing doubters with trophies upon trophies.
The Filipino football community will soon miss seeing his on-field game dedications, his signature stutter step goal kicks, and his fiery diving saves. He leaves the game a true inspiration to other aspiring players who aren’t blessed with size, showing that it can be done with enough hard work and dedication.
“Nagpapasalamat ako sa management, sa teammates ko, sa mga coaches, at lalo na kay boss Paul na na-experience ko yung family culture ng Kaya FC,” Mike stated. “At sa lahat ng mga sumusuporta sa Kaya FC, maraming salamat sa inyo! UNA KAYA!”
