Matansa FC to compete in Guam

Matansa Football Club will be competing in its first off-island tournament as it sends a U18 squad to the 2015 Youth Invitational Gobblefest that will be held in Guam next week.

Matansa Football Club’s David Mafnas stops the ball and looks for his teammates during their game against Shirley’s FC earlier this month in the boys U15 division of the NMIFA youth league at the Oleai Sports Complex Field. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Club president Elna Curate said they are bringing in a 14-player team to the tournament that will run from Nov. 27 to 29 at the Guam Football Association National Training Center in Harmon. The group is composed of forwards Terrence Evan Belcher, Ryu Tanzawa, Joshua De Leon, midfielder Nolan Gatharngeg, Mark Norita, Jay Rife, Jamesbonie Valdez, Jether Yobech, and David Mafnas, defenders Kenneth Mafnas, Euly James Ermitanio, and Carlson Cruzat, and goalkeepers John Joseph Bucayo and Davy Laxamana.

“It’s a good opportunity for our players to be exposed to a competition outside Saipan and play against teams from Guam and the Philippines,” Curate said.

In the Guam tournament, Matansa will be playing against the host’s Wings and Islanders and a team from the Philippines.

“Sending a team to Guam is part of our club’s development program. The players need to experience challenging non-Saipan players so that they will have the idea where their skill levels are and how can they keep up with players from other countries,” the Matansa FC head added.

Curate also said the tournament in Guam is a good training ground for the club’s U15 players who are suiting up in the U18 division. Of the 14 players representing Matansa in next week’s event, nine are in the U15 age group.

As for the veterans on the team, particularly team captain Belcher, Curate expects them to provide leadership to the squad’s inexperienced members. Bucayo, Cruzat, Ermitanio, De Leon, Tanzawa, and David and Kenneth Mafnas are the other veteran players on the squad, having played for the CNMI national teams in the past off-island tournaments.

Hojin Woo will coach Matansa and will be assisted by Ariel Jinang.

“This is a young team and I am sure they will learn a lot from the games in Guam. The things they will experience in Guam will make them better players,” said Hoo, who has been training the squad for about two months.

Matansa will debut against the Philippine team on Nov. 27 at 10am before meeting the Wings on Nov. 28 and the Islanders on Nov. 29. Guam’s Wolverines are also entered in the division, but the copy of the tentative schedule provided to Saipan Tribune did not indicate if Matansa will also play against the former. Each match will be played in two 45-minute halves and the champion will be determined via team standings.

Meanwhile, Curate would like to thank their corporate sponsor CTSI-Saipan, Tan Siu Lin Foundation, and Northern Mariana Islands Football Association and its president Jerry Tan for making their participation in the GFA-organized event possible.