23 named to CNMI Team

National Collegiate Athletic Association player Sunjoon Tenorio will lead the 23-man roster of the CNMI Boys U19 National Team that will see action in the Asian Football Confederation U19 Championship 2020 Qualifiers in Cambodia next month.

Tenorio, who plays for Suffolk University in the NCAA Division II and the top scorer of the Rams this season, is the team captain of the Teen Ayuyus and will go straight to Phnom Penh from Boston. He will be joined on the national squad by fellow Suffolk standout Dai Podziewski and Boise State University rookie Joshua Abragan.

Completing the Commonwealth crew are vice captain Thaiphi Austria, Razeff Altamirano, Taka Borja, Joshua De Leon, Eunsyu Hahn, Joshua Mendez, Skyler Poon, Jason Quimson, John Michael Rojas, Kirt Andon, Joshua Waldo, Merrick Toves, Brian Lubao, Daniel Mar Pablo, Kohtaro Goto, Oliver Fajardo, and Reginald Pascual. The squad is a mixed of the players that competed in the 2019 Marianas Cup in Guam in August and in the AFC U16 Championship 2020 Qualifiers in Indonesia last month.

Northern Mariana Islands Football Association technical director Michiteru Mita is the team’s head coach and will be assisted by Jersh Angeles, while Jimmy Tang is the group’s goalkeeper coach. Also part of the CNMI delegation to the qualifiers that will run from Nov. 2 to 10 at the National Olympic Stadium are team manager Ruselle Zapanta, technical analyst Liz Phan, and physiotherapists Hazel Leoncio and Pam Carhill.

The CNMI players and officials, who met with their well-wishers yesterday during a send-off ceremony at Kanoa Resort, will leave Saipan for Cambodia via South Korea on Tuesday, giving the Teen Ayuyus enough time to prepare for their opening match on Nov. 2 against Brunei. Besides Brunei, the CNMI bets will also duel Cambodia (Nov. 4), Thailand (Nov. 6), and Malaysia (Nov. 8) and all squads are tough ones so Mita is bracing his wards for very hard games, mentally and physically.

“The AFC tournament is the highest level international tournament for them. Players need to be 100% fit, not only technically, but also physically and mentally to compete against high-level opponents,” Mita said.

The head coach added that their players are progressing well despite the challenges they are facing, as they prepare for the competition.

“The players are working hard on and off the pitch to be in top condition for the tournament. We need them to be in their best form so they can compete with these tough opponents,” Mita said.

“The preparation is going well despite the boys’ busy schedule, which does not only include the national team training, but also their school, the youth league, and men’s league. They manage their time well, as they focus not only in football but also in academics,” he added.