MP United’s Nick Swaim was the first to score after sending the ball past Godfathers’ goalie Evan Hunsberger in the 14th minute. Taking over Chris Nelson in the first half, Bruce Berline pushed with the Godfathers’ main offense.
MP United went all out as Eric Cooke, Kang Shen, and Tiger Lee kept the ball in their possession. A series of goal attempts had Hunsberger busy on his end of the field as the Inter Godfather’s focused on the defense. Shen marked MP United’s second point with a swift kick in the 33rd minute.
Inter Godfather’s had yet to score a goal by the start of the second half. Yoshio Gabaldon, Berline, and Edwin Cruz teamed up against Cooke and Lee, stealing the ball twice.
Dae Min Jeon nearly scored MP United’s third point but was stopped in his tracks by Jacob Van Dam. Both Swaim and Lee pushed for another goal but were also outnumbered by Inter Godfather’s defenders. MP United’s efforts eventually paid off when Joe LeVahn struck their third and final point in the 65th minute.
The match wasn’t over yet as Godfathers’ Arkie Reusora and Shunji Nagayasu joined for a late-game charge. Their tightly formed defense slowed MP United’s progress for a brief moment.
With seconds dwindling away, it was only a matter of time before MP United got their hands on the trophy. Also in their team’s roster were Nathan Tan, RokiBul Malitha, Kirk Schuler, Jae Hyuck Yim, Norman Camacho, Min Ki Kim, Bin Hong Moon, Joel Jimenez, Adam Hardwicke, Peter Prestly, Lee Sang Hun, Peter Bonser, and Hyun Woo Woo.
The next men’s football cup will take place in February, 2011, according to Northern Marianas Islands Football Association’s Ed Salas.
