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CNMI U19 team up next for AFC event
It will be the CNMI U19 National Team’s turn to show its wares in an Asian Football Confederation-sanctioned tournament as it competes in the AFC U19 Championship Bahrain 2016 Qualifiers in Thailand.
Several members of the CNMI U19 National Team and manager Ruselle Zapanta, right, pose for a photo at the departure area of the Saipan International Airport early yesterday morning before leaving for Thailand. (Contributed Photo)
The Commonwealth’s U19 players and some officials left Saipan yesterday morning and were expected to reach Chonburi today after their flight from Manila to Bangkok was delayed for a few minutes. The group will be playing in Bangkok for the AFC U19 Championship Bahrain 2016 Qualifiers that will start next week, but will go to Chonburi first for a five-day training camp.
“We have exhibition matches tentatively on Sept. 23 and 25. However, we don’t know yet who will be our opponents. We will find out more when we meet up with the coaches and the rest of the team. We are currently on board to Bangkok,” team manager Ruselle Zapanta told Saipan Tribune yesterday.
In Bangkok, players Joshua Galarion, Joel Fruit, Yoshi Mafnas, Greg Sablan, Terrence Belcher, Kennedy Izuka, Josh Diego Masga, Sean Perez, and Ryu Tanzawa and Zapanta will be reunited with goalie Christopher Aninzo, Emmanuel Aniana, Mareko Tekopua, Euly Ermitanio, Alan Hinson, and Chad Shankweiler, coach Kiyoshi Sekiguchi, assistant coach Jershwin Angeles, and CNMI delegation head Elna Curate. The three officials and Aninzo and company are coming from Laos after competing in the AFC U16 Championship India 2016 Qualifiers. The off-island members of the team—Scott Kim, Jordan Butcher, and Won Young Kim—will also join the U19 crew in the training camp, while Hunter Jewell, who is flying from Kansas, will be with the squad a few days before the AFC games start.
The CNMI will have its first match in the Group H qualifiers on Sept. 28 against a familiar foe in Chinese-Taipei. The last three matches will be versus Singapore on Sept. 30, Thailand on Oct. 2, and South Korea on Oct. 4.
While their coaches and some of their teammates were in Laos, majority of the U19 squad members continued with their own training sessions until last Saturday. The remaining players worked on stamina building drills and reviewed their defensive setups as they prepare against faster teams with strong ability to score.
In an earlier interview with Sekiguchi before he left for Laos, he said speed and defense will play important roles in the CNMI’s bid to limit the opposing team’s production.
Meanwhile, the other members of the CNMI U16 National Team are scheduled to return to Saipan this morning. The U16 group left Laos yesterday morning or less than 24 hours after making it to the scoreboard of the qualifiers during their game against the Philippines. Anthony Fruit and Sun Joon Tenorio converted one goal apiece in the Commonwealth’s final match in the Group G qualifier. Besides the Philippines, the CNMI also played against Malaysia, Timor-Leste, and the host team.
