CNMI All-Stars off to Hong Kong

A select women’s squad from the CNMI will be leaving the island to compete and train in Hong Kong.

Former Olympian and Chelsea FC Soccer School (Hong Kong) technical director Luam Khen Koo watches CNMI All-Star Team member Diane Pablo perform a drill during a training session at the Oleai Sports Complex Field.
(Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Dubbed the CNMI Women’s All-Star Team, the group will be participating in the Luen Thai Cup from July 7 to 9 and will be training in Hong Kong before and after the competition. The squad is composed of goalies Carla Ballesteros and Chevy Kate Alipio, Dianne Pablo, Guinevere Borja, Jeraldine and Jeralyn Castillo, Lyka Sally, Renita Fleming, Mae Ito, Alexandria Vergara, Angelica Mia Carreon, Chloe Salvosa, De Jana Muna, Diana Maniacop, Elaine Enriquez, Jennifer Perena, Krizel Tuazon, Sara Allen, and Lalaine Pagarao. Former Olympian and Chelsea FC Soccer School (Hong Kong) technical director Luam Khen Koo is the head coach and will be assisted by Jimmy Tang also from Chelsea.

The team, organized and bankrolled by the Northern Marianas Islands Football Association, will be leaving in two batches with the first group scheduled to arrive in Hong Kong on June 22 and train for several days under the watchful eyes of Chelsea FC Soccer School coaches. The remaining group will leave Saipan on July 6 and will stay in Hong Kong after the competition for separate training sessions with Chelsea coaches.

As for the tournament, the CNMI bets will be playing against Singapore National Women’s A Team, South China Agricultural University Women’s Football Club, and a selection from organizer Chelsea FC Soccer School (Hong Kong). The three-day tournament, which is sponsored by Tan Siu Lin Foundation and supported by Hong Kong Home Affairs Department and Hong Kong Football Club, is part of Luen Thai’s 50th anniversary celebration.

“The tournament is Hong Kong will be a very good learning experience for our players. As you see, what the girls are lacking are matches and they will get them, not only from one, but three teams,” said Koo, who supervised the squad’s scrimmage versus the CNMI U14 national training pool yesterday at the Oleai Sports Complex Field.

“This team is in a developmental stage. They are not used to playing outside the CNMI often and therefore have limited chances to see how other top teams in the region play. With this tournament in Hong Kong, they will be exposed to players with high-level skills and they can gauge where they are at and what they need to improve on to match up with their opponents,” said Koo, who noted that the Commonwealth bets need to pick up the tempo of their game to put on a good showing in the Luen Thai Cup.

“In Hong Kong, they will see much quicker and stronger players so they really need to push their pace. Once we get there, we will work on our tactics and game plan and make the adjustments as the match progresses,” the coach added.

Koo picked South China Agricultural University Women’s Football Club as the team to beat in next month’s tournament, which will have a round-robin format. The top team after the round-robin play will bring home the championship trophy, while the three other squads will receive medals.