‘Great job by NMI team over rival Guam’

After the final showdown of the Marianas Football Cup 2024 under the rain last Sunday at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville, NMI Men’s U20 National Team head coach Konomi Suzuki said that the team did a “great job” over rival Guam.

Suzuki, who’s been a coach with the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association for nearly a year, praised the team for their 2-0 win in Game 1 last Saturday and their epic penalty kick shootout win, 5-4, in Game 2, last Sunday.

With their championship, Suzuki said, “I understood how important the Marianas Cup was for this community and throughout the tourney, the players and the coaches did a very great job for the [NMI].”

She said the team’s performance was overall “very good,” although they need to improve some points technically, physically, and also tactically.

In the first game, she said the team did really well, but in the second game, the Guam team came back stronger. “The team’s performance in the second game was not so effective but the players overcame the situation,” she said. “They encouraged each other even though we had difficulties during the game. The biggest factor was our mindset—we didn’t give up until the end—so that was what made us lead the penalty kicks.”

The NMI kicked all five PKs past Guam’s keeper Josiah Jones. Dev Bachani secured the first PK, followed by captain Daniell Pablo, then Anthony Bergancia, Markus Toves, then the final tie-breaking goal by Andrew Sablan, for a perfect five PKs made to secure the title.

Meanwhile, the NMI’s keeper Mark Chavez and the tourney’s most valuable player, put a stop to Guam’s offense with a decisive save from an attempt by Micah Elwell. Guam went on to score just four out of five PKs by captain Shuntaro Suzuki, Landon Diaz, Nicholas Moore and Curtis Harmon.

“Each one of them tried to do their best and to play their role for the team, and having a lot of local people witness our football development is always really important for us to grow more,” said Suzuki. “Throughout the tourney, that atmosphere made us stronger and united.”

Even as the rain poured last Sunday, the fans and supporters stuck it out with the team and cheered them on.

This tourney was preparation for the team’s upcoming matches in the AFC U20 Asian Cup 2025 Qualifiers in Kuwait between Sept. 21 and 29. “We also considered how we would play in the AFC tournament, so we were able to try some team concepts in the Marianas Cup,” said Suzuki.

With that, “playing against Guam, which is our rival country before the AFC U20 tourney meant a lot for us. We really appreciate this opportunity and a lot of the people behind the scenes.”

“I really appreciate a lot of the spectators, supporters, fans, and the people behind the scenes. Their cheers were so meaningful to us and that made us feel that we can’t lose in front of them,” she said. “I was able to focus on coaching this time because of everyone’s effort and involvement in the tournament. So, I thank each and everyone who had a hand in the victory.”

By defending the title, she said it means a lot. “I’ve been a coach for nearly a year but before myself, a lot of coaches and players have been involved in this program. So, I really believe we have a good program, and by defending this title, we were able to prove that we are doing things right and continuously developing and continuously improving. I really appreciate Jerry [Tan] for trusting the longterm vision and program. He trusts the program, the coaches, the players, and the staff… And also, if we were able to inspire some younger players, that is really appreciated.”

In last year’s Marianas Cup, the NMI men’s U23 team clinched the title over Guam after they won with an aggregate score of 3-1 over two games. Guam took Game 1, 1-0, but the NMI won big, 3-0, in Game 2 for its first Marianas Cup men’s title since its debut in 2007.