Teen Ayuyus put in work

The CNMI’s Gabriel Arkoh Jr., right, works with the ball during a training match against Tuloy U15 team at the Tuloy XO Field in the Philippines last week. (Contributed Photo)

The CNMI Boys U15 National Team is back on Saipan with the tools it needs when it competes in the Asian Football Confederation U16 Championship 2020 Qualifiers next month.

The Teen Ayuyus returned from an eight-day training camp in the Philippines last Sunday and Northern Mariana Islands Football Association technical director and head coach Michiteru Mita is pleased with the results of their off-island preparations for the AFC event.

“The main objective of this camp was to simulate the AFC U16 Championship Qualifier—for the boys to experience a foreign environment while they have a series of matches, and to condition, team build, and prepare for subsequent matches over a period of time. The team also had opportunities to analyze and discuss our games, and our strategic direction was formed, so the camp was a success,” Mita said.

The group, which is made up of Joe Emil Antonio, Jerald Aquino, Gabriel Arkoh, Dev Bachani, Richard Castro, Jeremiah Diaz, Chad Escaner, Oliver Fajardo, Kohtaro Goto, Dane Hodges, Akira Kadokura, Jose Lopez, Brian Lubao, Jim Kirt Maniago, Dylan Mister, Ariel Navarez, Daniell Mar Pablo, Jerick Quimzon, Andrew Sablan, Leo Takahashi, Merrick Toves, and Garrett Weaver, trained every day, held its practices in the morning (and a couple of afternoon ones), and played against teams from its host Tuloy Foundation, and a few more local squads.

“We had two matches with Tuloy and three matches with local teams. We had one win, but more important than winning, we were able to clarify individual roles in games, determine our styles, and identify areas of improvement in preparation for the AFC tournament,” the head coach said.

The Teen Ayuyus defeated Kaya FC’s U15 squad, 1-0, and they also challenged De La Salle Zobel and Stallion FC’s U15 teams.

“A few players quickly grasped tactics and techniques, and they tried to apply them during the matches. They have potentials to lead so the team can grow further,” Mita said.

Mita also pointed out the importance of proper nutrition since they are doing high-intensity training camps and preparing for a tournament as national team players, not just club players competing in a local league. He reminded them, too not to be always cautious of making mistakes, but instead move on and learn from these shortcomings.

Since they were away from home for eight days, the CNMI head coach, who was assisted by Jersh Angeles and national player Chris Aninzo in facilitating the training camp, is proud that players learned to take care of themselves while in Tuloy.

“For many of the players, it was a unique experience to be away from family for an extended period of time. They have to do things on their own like cleaning and they put genuine efforts and adapted well. We are grateful to Tuloy Foundation for the hospitality, great facility, and for really taking care of us like family,” Mita said.

Now that Mita and the 22 players are back on Saipan, they have only about a month for their final preparation for the AFC qualifier, which will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia from Sept 14 to 22. In the tournament, the CNMI is in Group G and will be playing against China, Brunei, and the Philippines. The top finishers in each of the 11 groups in the qualifiers plus the five best runners-up will qualify in the finals that will take place from Sept. 3 to 16, 2020.