NMI looks forward to challenging football teams in Pacific
The NMI Men’s National Football Team challenging the national squads in the Pacific region is a rare occasion and head coach Michiteru Mita said the group is excited for the opportunity as they compete in the 2023 Pacific Games in Honiara, the Solomon Islands.
The NMI Men’s National Team is in Group C of the 12-team football competition that will run from Nov. 17 to Dec. 2, 2023. NMI will make its historic debut in the 2023 Pacific Games on Nov. 18 against Fiji before closing pool play against Tahiti on Nov. 24. Group A’s New Caledonia, Tonga, and Cook Islands; Group B’s Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu; and Group D’s Samoa, American Samoa, and host Solomon Islands are the other participating countries.
“We are more excited than nervous about our first experience to compete against Pacific teams that are under the Oceania Football Confederation. We have Fiji, which is ranked No. 170 and Tahiti at No. 163. These are higher-ranked teams than the squads we usually faced when we play in the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) or EAFF (East Asian Football Federation), Macau (No. 187) and Mongolia (No. 190), so it will be very interesting to learn how Tahiti and Fiji play,” said Mita.
The NMI Men’s National Football Team is bringing in 23 players and six officials to Solomons. The squad is composed of Jerald Aquino, Anthony Austria, Dev Bachani, Anthony Bergancia, Casey Chambers, Mark Jainier Chavez, Mark Costales, Leland Deleon Guerrero, Akira and Wataru Kadokura, Zhi Xiang Lin, Brian Lubao, Ariel Narvaez, Jonne Navarro, Nolan Ngewakl, Ronnel Ocanada, Daniell Mar Pablo, Tyler Omelau, Markus and Merrick Toves, and Jireh Yobech. Joining Mita on the officials list are assistant coach Konomi Suzuki, goalkeeper coach Jersh Angeles, team manager Catherine Attao-Toves, kit manager Davy Laxa, and physiotherapist Hazel Mabaza.
“We will take every opportunity to play against these teams. Even after facing Tahiti and Fiji, we are still looking forward to battling two more squads from other brackets depending on the rankings after the pool play,” Mita said.
The Top 1 finisher in each pool will advance to the semis and the winners of these matches will collide for the gold medal match on Dec. 2. The remaining teams will still play in the consolation games to determine the final rankings.
After its first match against Fiji, the NMI national team will have several days of rest, which according to Mita is favorable to the squad.
“This will give us more time to adjust further with the environment and make room for recovery. Right now, the team is in good shape, as players have been playing in the M-League for the past two months so they are peaking well in time for the Pacific Games. However, when they reach the Solomons, it’s going to be a different environment, as they have to adopt fast and the more time we get to practice before the first and second game, the better for us,” said Mita.
The NMI Men’s National Football Team and the rest of Team Marianas delegation will leave Saipan for Solomons on Nov. 15 via charter flight and will reach Honiara in the afternoon of the same day. Team Marianas is supported by Joeten Daidai Foundation, Triple J, Crowne Plaza Resort, IT&E, IP&E, Tan Siu Lin Foundation, Mobil, Tan Holdings, and McDonald’s of Guam & Saipan. (PR)
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