FC Arirang tops Han Nam Market Cup

FC Arirang hoisted the 2009 Han Nam Market Cup after outclassing Inter Godfather’s in the championship match, 1-0, Sunday night at the Oleai Sports Complex Field.

Kim Kwang Sik scored the winning goal in the 40th minute, as FC Arirang went undefeated in four games in the one-day soccer tournament.

Seven teams joined the Han Nam Market Cup with squads divided into two pools. Joining FC Arirang in Pool A was Multinational FC, Wild Bill’s Independents, and Marianas Pacific United. Inter was in Pool B, along with Korea Junior and Club Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino.

A single-round robin format was implemented in each pool with the top two teams in each group colliding in the finals and the runners-up playing in the battle for third place. Each game was played in two 25-minute halves. A win gave a team three points, one for a draw and none for a loss. Tiebreaks were decided by (in order) points, goal difference, and more goals.

FC Arirang debuted with a 2-0 win over MFC with Kim Sung In scoring in the 25th minute and Kim Kwang Sik making his first goal in the tournament in the 49th minute.

The eventual champion’s next challenger was Wild Bill’s and the game ended in a 2-2 draw. Kim Sung In scored a pair of goals for FCA in the 11th and 37th minute, while Ben Wood and a certain Jack had one apiece in the 46th minute and 11th minute, respectively.

FCA closed out its pool play assignment against MPU and for the third time Kim Sung In scored (28th minute), while Kang Sung Ho made his first goal in the 32nd to lift Arirang to a 2-0 win.

WBI won over MFC, 1-0, on a Jason Schroeder goal in the 16th minute, but lost to MPU, 1-2, to drop to second place. MPU drew one goal apiece from Nick Swaim (18th minute) and Joe Miller (40th) to enter the win column in Group A.

In Group B, Inter got one goal each from Peter Loken (15th minute), Masa Otsaka (30th minute), and Arkie Resaura (49th) for a 3-0 thrashing of Korea Junior.

Otsaka and Loken also scored in the 20th minute and 44th minute, respectively, in Inter’s 2-0 triumph over Club TDHC to advance to the title game.

Club TDCH finished second in Group B after forcing a 1-1 draw against Korea Junior.

In the battle for third place, Wild Bill’s won over Club TDHC, 3-1. Matt Hollay made the first goal for Wild Bills in the 19th minute, while Jetsada Phonsutjit and Brad Ruszala nailed one goal each in the 33th and 40th minute, respectively.

Besides winning the championship trophy, FC Arirang also took home $150 cash. Inter won $100, while Wild Bill’s pocketed $50.

Inter’s Chris Nelson was named MVP during the brief awards ceremony. Other individual awardees were FCA’s Kim Sung In (most goals), and Wild Bill’s’ Nong (best defender).

The Han Nam Cup was organized by the Korean Football Association of Saipan.