Guam Football Thread

ChaDuRi671 · Dec 3, 2013

Updates on our players at Phnom Penh Crown FC:

From their FB page:

PPCFC head coach Sam Schweingruber had this to say about the 3 Guam national team players, Ian Mariano, Marcus Lopez and Scott Leon Guerrero, as their 10-day trial with Crown came to an end. "At midnight tonight the 3 Guam national team players will return to their country. All three have shown great work rate, potential and an eagerness to learn and develop. Unfortunately, the 10 days try out time has come to an end all too early. Marcus arrived with an injury and was not able to show us his full potential, and Ian got food poisoning and was out of action for the last few days - just when it counted the most.
All 3 players have shown good potential but did not impress sufficiently enough to the level where I would offer them a contract with our club immediately. There is a good chance that at least one of them will return in the near future for a second trial and show us more of his ability and skills. I want to thank all three players for their commitment whilst with us here in Phnom Penh. They are a credit to their country and to their national coach Gary White." Pictured below, LtoR, Marcus, Ian and Scott.
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ChaDuRi671 · Dec 14, 2013

Our highest ranking yet: 169.

ChaDuRi671 · Jan 9, 2014

Marcus Lopez returns to Phnom Penh Crown FC for his second trial.

The search for a striker continues at Phnom Penh Crown. Coach Sam Schweingruber has made no secret of his desire for another striker to add to his team's firepower, in addition to another new face, George Bisan, who has shown in the last two C-League campiagns that he certainly knows where the goal is. Recent trialists include South Korean Jeong Ho Kim and Raphael Obeng from Ghana, and another new face will join the squad's pre-season preparation this week, in the shape of Guam national striker Marcus Lopez. He's already spent a week with Crown in late November but struggled with a knee injury and only managed half a game against BBU. Now he's back to full fitness, he's arrived for a second try-out. Just 21 years old, Lopez has appeared 11 times for his country, scoring 3 goals, after playing for the national team at U-12, U-14 and U-16 levels. Born in Guam, he played youth and college football whilst studying Stateside in California before appearing for Guam Shipyard back home and then joining the professional ranks at Pachanga Diliman in the Philippines last season. Welcome back Marcus. At the same time, coach Schweingruber has other irons in the fire as he continues his search for added firepower. On the injured list currently are Bisan, with a niggling shoulder complaint, Bin Thierry with an instep strain and goalkeeper Yok Ary, getting back to fitness after a fractured collarbone.
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http://cambodiafootball.blogspot.com/2014/01/lopez-returns.html

Guam international striker Marcus Lopez is back at PPCFC for a 2nd trial stint. Guam record - 11 games, 3 goals. Welcome Marcus.
— Phnom Penh Crown FC (@PhnomPenhCrown) January 9, 2014

Also coach Gary White was recently featured in SkySports.

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11096/9100034/breaking-the-mould

ChaDuRi671 · Jan 10, 2014

ChaDuRi671 · Feb 13, 2014

It is official the Guam national football team currently ranked #160 on the FIFA Rankings will be traveling to... http://t.co/bjDEw1QvzW
— AVBAruba.aw (@avbaruba) February 11, 2014

Aruba are you ready to come out and support your national team as we get ready to face Guam on March 27 and 31... http://t.co/EErDg2g9Le
— AVBAruba.aw (@avbaruba) February 11, 2014

ChaDuRi671 · Feb 19, 2014

The president of the JFA, Kuniya Daini, and the executives of the JFA, Junji Ogura and Saburo Kawabuchi, all visited the GFA this week for a short presentation.

ChaDuRi671 · Feb 21, 2014

Ambitious Guam climbing high

It is said that: ‘No dreamer is ever too small; no dream is ever too big’. The Guam Football Association have set about turning that expression into reality. Though one of FIFA’s smallest Member Associations both in terms of population and size, the remote northern Pacific island nation have dreamed the dream and are now working hard to realise their ambitions.

An overseas territory of USA, Guam has a population of just 180,000 and is based in the Asian Football Confederation’s sub-region of East Asia, where the likes of Japan and Korea Republic hold sway. Yet despite all these challenges, Guam decided that with proper planning and structure they can achieve previously unattainable goals.

A few years back double-digit defeats were the norm for Guam, and a 19-0 loss against Iran in the nation’s first-ever FIFA World Cup™ qualifier in 2000 was, for a short while, a record scoreline for the world’s biggest football competition. Fast forward to the present day, though, and a succession of positive results have lifted Guam to a record-high of 160 on the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking, and a credible position of 33 of the AFC’s 46 nations.

Future planning
Under the guiding hand of FA President Richard Lai, and with multi-million dollar assistance from FIFA, Guam have established football headquarters which national coach Gary White describes as “first class”.

A national football academy is now in operation that boasts a programme across different age groups, both male and female. This off-field development has been the result of careful planning and big ambitions, as Guam FA President Richard Lai told FIFA.com.

"One of my goals coming in as president of the GFA was to work diligently with my EXCO to build a world class National Training Centre, with the most modern equipment and structure available,” he said. “With the assistance of FIFA, AFC, the government and many sponsors, we are achieving this goal.”

Guam are one of the only National FA's to have a solar panel green energy system installed, thus allowing extra funds to be spent on football development. “Our next development project is to build a sports science, rehab, recovery and strength centre to further assist our national players and coaching staff to prepare for international competition. We believe now have all the ingredients for stability and future success.

“Our program is quickly developing on and off the field and this is highlighted with our recent success with the men's national team,” continued Lai. “We are now three games unbeaten and have reached our highest ever FIFA ranking, which are real milestones and shows the improvement we have made over the last couple of years and the impact the programme has experienced under our head coach Gary White.”

International impact Already with a fast-growing record of achievement working with smaller nations, White is further enhancing his reputation just two years into the role. One of the first and most notable changes was the applying of the moniker ‘Matao’, a traditional term that represents courage amongst the indigenous Chamorro population. The strong connection with the local culture has elevated the nation team to a new level of recognition and popularity within the nation.

The Guamanians aggressive approach towards their own self-development is evidenced by upcoming matches in CONCACAF nation Aruba, with inter-continental travel unusual for small nations. “This type of preparation activity is usually only implemented by powerhouse national teams. We aspire to one day compete with those teams,” White told FIFA.com. “This gives you an insight into the mentality that we have at the GFA.

“I have a unique positive support system here that I have never experienced before as a professional football coach. We are all on the same wave length moving towards the same goals. We have set ourselves what we believe is an attainable goal. That is to be the fifth-strongest programme within ten years in East Asia.”

Several USA-based players feature for the Matao, the most notable being Los Angeles Galaxy defender AJ de la Garza. Arguably, however, it is the captain, and the team’s leading goalscorer, Jason Cunliffe, who is the team’s focal point. Born in the capital Hagatna, Cunliffe talks with passion about the national team. “It it used to be a case of, ‘How badly are we going to get beaten?’ Now there is belief and expectation. It has done a 180 [degree reversal] in only two, three years.

“We have a small population, but big hearts. And that can take us a long way.”
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http://www.fifa.com/world-match-centre/news/newsid/228/135/1/index.html?cid=twitter_fifacom

GuamFootball · Feb 27, 2014

Guam national coaches are coordinating the 2014 Guam National Team Identification Camp, which will be held the weekend of March 21 in California. It will be a three-day camp for prospects for the women's team (Masakåda) and one day camps for those eligible to play for Guam's men's team (Matao) and various youth national teams.

ChaDuRi671 · Mar 9, 2014

Gary White with the governor of Guam (center).

ChaDuRi671 · Mar 11, 2014

ChaDuRi671 · Mar 15, 2014

Big test on horizon: Matao will face Aruba in rare match-up

At the end of the week, national coaches will be in Ventura, Calif., to conduct the Guam National Team Identification Camp, an event set up to identify top players eligible to play for Guam in international competition.

The primary objectives of the camp is to gauge firsthand the skill level of players interested to play for Guam through organized technical sessions and also to deepen the country's list of eligible players. In addition to assessing players' individual talent and skill, coaches will be looking for players who can add value to the current training squad and enhance Guam's established playing style.

Shortly after the training camp, players recently called up to the Matao for what has been dubbed as a "FIFA International Cross-Continental Battle," will assemble in Aruba to play two matches against the host country.

Part of CONCACAF
The very nature of the matches is rare in international football, and thus has created a buzz in international media. Seldom does one see a developing football nation travel across continents for international matches, much less a country from a different football confederation. Aruba is part of CONCACAF, which includes countries including the United States, Mexico and Costa Rica, while Guam, a member of the AFC, is among the likes of Japan, Australia and Korea Republic.

FIFA rankings
Wins against Aruba will greatly assist with achieving Guam's goal of entering the list of the top 150 football countries in the world.

One element taken into consideration for movement on the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking list is the strength of the confederation of the opposing team. FIFA ranks the strength of CONCACAF higher than AFC, which may allow for more world ranking points for Guam.

At the coaching level, the performance of athletes selected to the Matao for these games in Aruba will help team coaches determine players selected for the upcoming EAFF East Asian Cup preliminary competition to be held in Guam in July. For any international competition, and in particular the prestigious East Asian Cup tournament, Guam needs to appoint its strongest team. All players will have the opportunity to secure their spot on the team for this summer's tournament and cannot simply rest on their laurels.

Roster for games
The roster of players for the Aruba games, which will be officially announced after March 18, will include young collegiate athletes, many of whom I expect to impress team coaches and other players with technical and tactical improvement through U.S. intercollegiate play.

I am extremely excited for the upcoming matches in Aruba. As the former national team head coach of the Bahamas, I've seen firsthand the competition from Aruba, and expect positive results from Guam's squad. Aruba has been earnestly recruiting players with Aruban roots from the Netherlands, many of whom will make their debut for Aruba against Guam.

Thanks for support
The Matao's coaching staff and players all immensely appreciate the support of the local community in the team's international pursuits and need all of our support in Guam's first-ever FIFA international match in the Caribbean. When the national team wins, we all win.
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http://www.guampdn.com/article/20140316/SPORTS/303160026

ChaDuRi671 · Mar 26, 2014

The World Goes Nuts for El Clásico, Aruba Goes Crazy for Guam

http://soccerly.com/article/manuelm...nuts-for-el-clasico-aruba-goes-crazy-for-guam

zdrstvte · Mar 26, 2014

I thought DeLaGarza played for the US team before?

jonny63 · Mar 28, 2014

Aruba 2-2 Guam

ChaDuRi671 · Mar 28, 2014

zdrstvte said: ↑

I thought DeLaGarza played for the US team before?
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DeLaGarza wasn't officially cap tied with the US.

http://www.lagalaxy.com/news/2013/0...am-he-looks-pursue-his-dream-international-so

ChaDuRi671 · Mar 28, 2014

Decent match for the Mataos. Aruba were pretty good. Hopefully, we can get the win on the 30th.

Gary White before the match.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152286227098006

(No DeLaGarza. Never seen #11 before, so I'm guessing he's new.)

guamster · Mar 28, 2014

Construction of facility in south might begin Oct 1 - Pacific Daily News
http://www.guampdn.com/article/2014...Construction-facility-south-might-begin-Oct-1

Lai also announced at the press conference that the Guam men's national team will participate in the 2018 World Cup Qualifier, the first time Guam has attempted to do so since the 2002 Cup.

Construction for the new facility, which will be between Agat and Umatac, according to GFA media and marketing officer Jill Espiritu, could begin as soon as Oct. 1, the start of the new fiscal year. The first pitch would then be playable in November.
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jonny63 · Mar 31, 2014

30.3 Aruba 2-0 Guam

3 red Cards for Guam...

ChaDuRi671 · Apr 2, 2014

Sigh, don't even know how we got 3 red cards.

ChaDuRi671 · Apr 17, 2014

Duerden's article on Gary White.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/17/s...oaches-find-success.html?hpw&rref=sports&_r=0

Doug Herrick in the USL Pro team of the week.

guamster · Jul 13, 2014

Guam Football Assoc‏@GuamFootball
Rally behind #Guam national teams this summer in the EAFF East Asian Cup & Women's East Asian Cup! RT this flyer! pic.twitter.com/2Y5GBvojQW

ChaDuRi671 · Jul 19, 2014

The Matao squad for the EAFF 2015 preliminary round (Round 1).

Front row from left to right are Shaun-Paul Martinez (Project Elite), Caleb Elwell (Project Elite), Taiga Simon (Project Elite) Sean Evans (Equipment Asst.), Ian Lawton (Team Trainer), Robby De Guzman (Matao Equipment Manager), Jimmy Okuhama (Asst. Coach), Gary J. White (Head Coach), Shinobu Kobayashi (Goalkeeper Coach), Eloy Palomo (Team Manager), Jacob Lee (Project Elite), Yuuto Marchal (Project Elite), and Andrew Kilgore (Project Elite). Behind the trio of Project Elite athletes are Shane Healy (Equipment Asst.) and Shashikant Kotwal (Equipment Asst.)

Middle row from left to right are Dylan Naputi, Thaddeus "TJ" Atalig, Shane Malcolm, Christian Schweizer, Ryan Guy, Jason Cunliffe (Captain), Dominic Gadia, Marcus Lopez, Scott Leon Guerrero, Mark Chargualaf, Jonahan Romero, and Ricky Katsumata.

Back row from left to right are Bijan Gloston, Ian Mariano, Shawn Nicklaw, Travis Nicklaw, Marlon Evans, Micah Paulino, John Matkin, and Dallas Jaye.
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ChaDuRi671 · Jul 19, 2014

The Matao training before the EAFF 2015 preliminary round.

July 21 - against Macau
July 23 - against Mongolia
July 25 - against Northern Mariana Islands

All the matches will take places in Guam (5:30 pm Guam time)

ChaDuRi671 · Jul 27, 2014

The Mataos qualify for the second round of the EAFF 2015 with zero goals conceded.

Results (Matao):
0-0 Macau
2-0 Mongolia (Ryan Guy x2)
5-0 Northern Marianas Islands (Shawn Nicklaw, John Maktin, Marcuz Lopez, Ian Mariano, and Ryan Guy)

More pictures at: https://www.facebook.com/GuamFootball

International football: Gary White's Guam qualify for the next phase of the East Asian Cup with big win

Guam, led by British coach Gary White, are celebrating after qualifying for the next stage of the East Asian Cup.

The islanders topped their preliminary group ahead of Macau and Mongolia without conceding a goal after securing a 5-0 win over the Northern Mariana Islands on Friday.

Former St Patrick’s Athletic and New England Revolution man Ryan Guy was the star, attracting plenty of attention in winning the MVP and Golden Boot awards for the tournament.

Guam will now face North Korea, Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei in November for the chance to take on the might of China, Japan and South Korea in next year’s finals.

White, who turned 40 on the day of the victory, was born in Southampton but is now forging an impressive reputation overseas in Asia and is proud of this latest achievement.

Delighted

He told Sky Sports: “I am delighted for all involved here at the Guam FA especially for our players, staff, fans and Mr Lai and the GFA executive board. It’s been a real concerted effort.

“Our preparation was first class and our tournament strategy was clear, concise and calculated.

“We now face stronger opposition in the semi-final that includes World Cup finals calibre teams but it’s not a challenge we will fear. In fact, we will embrace it to further move Guam football forwards.”

After previously enjoying success with the British Virgin Islands and Bahamas, Guam are the third team the young coach has led to their highest ever FIFA ranking.

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http://www1.skysports.com/football/...next-phase-of-the-east-asian-cup-with-big-win

Good stuff by the Mens and Womens @GuamFootball teams for qualifying for the next round of the EAFF East Asian Cup..
— AJ DeLaGarza (@AJD_20) July 27, 2014

ChaDuRi671 · Sep 3, 2014

Gary White is currently at the Philippines. He is scouting Chinese Taipei in preparation for the EAFF 2015 preliminary round 2. (That is the Guam FA president, Richard Lai, next to him.)