CNMI players keep head high

The CNMI Boys U16 National Team players pay their respects to the CNMI flag during the singing of the Commonwealth anthem before their game against China in the Group G Asian Football Confederation U16 Championship 2020 Qualifiers last Friday in Indonesia. (Contributed Photo)

The CNMI Boys U16 National Team wrapped up its campaign in the Group G Asian Football Confederation U16 Championship 2020 Qualifiers in Indonesia last Friday and headed home with its morale high.

The Teen Ayuyus’ final assignment was against China, which coasted to a 15-0 win. The winning margin may be huge, but this does not reflect the kind of effort the CNMI players showed in the game and the entire tournament, particularly the squad’s last three matches.

“You could see the toll the three other matches had on the team. Despite their exhaustion and fatigue, they continued to stay as disciplined and compact as they could to try to stop China’s quick penetration. They left everything they had for this last match. Towards the end of the match, we also had a huge chance of scoring but we were unable to capitalize,” said team manager Mikky Vargas.

“Years ago, we couldn’t imagine creating scoring opportunities against our opponents, let alone actually score against them. But now, we see that the boys create chances every game,” she added.

Out of its four matches, the CNMI scored in two, with Kohtaro Goto finding his target in their game against Brunei and Jim Maniago doing the same versus Indonesia.

“Although it seems like nothing compared to the 15 goals Indonesia was able to score against us, that lone goal can keep them from qualifying to the next round and it absolutely devastated the host. Imagine, NMI, the smallest FA, keeping them from qualifying to the next round,” Vargas said.

Indonesia and China played in the last Group G game yesterday to determine the team that will advance to the finals next year. Coming into last night’s match (10pm Saipan time), Indonesia and China had similar 3-0-0 win-loss records, but the latter is ahead in goal difference, 28-26, after the former gave up a goal to the CNMI.

“Coach Mita (Michiteru) and the other officials are extremely proud of the team. They have come a long way from a very small island, but they showed everyone how big their fighting spirit and heart are. They fought with all they had till the last whistle and took their experience from each game, using it to perform better. The coaches only hope for the boys to have this fight in them even once we’re home. That way, we can continue to close the gap between our football and the world’s football—a gap that gets smaller and smaller every year,” Vargas said.

CNMI players hustle for the ball during their game against China in the Group G Asian Football Confederation U16 Championship 2020 Qualifiers last Friday in Indonesia. (Contributed Photo)