THE NMI Men’s National Football Team playing against the other national squads in the Pacific region is a rare occasion, and head coach Michiteru Mita said they are excited for the opportunity as 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 competition that will run from Nov. 17 to Dec. 2, 2023.
The NMI team will make its historic debut in the 2023 Pacific Games on Nov. 18 against Fiji before playing against Tahiti on Nov. 24.
Group A consists of New Caledonia, Tonga, and Cook Islands; the Group B teams are Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu; while Group D consists of Samoa, American Samoa, and Solomon Islands.
“We are more excited than nervous about our first experience to compete against Pacific teams that are under the Oceania Football Confederation,” Mita said.
“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 (Asian Football Confederation) or (the East Asian Football Federation) — Macau (No. 187) and Mongolia (No. 190). It will be very interesting to learn how Tahiti and Fiji play,” Mita added.
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 in playing 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 To1 finisher in each pool will advance to the semis and the winners of these matches will vie for the gold medal on Dec. 2. The remaining teams, for their part, will play 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 so the more time we get to practice before the first and second games, the better for us,” Mita said.
The NMI Men’s National Football Team and the rest of Team Marianas delegation will leave Saipan for the Solomons on Nov. 15 via a 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.
