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MP United guns for back-to-back
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Posted on Apr 25 2019
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
MP United Football Club’s Richard Steele, left, dribbles past a Kanoa FC defender during their game in the boys U15 division of the 2019 NMIFA Spring Youth League, which will resume this weekend at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville. (Contributed Photo)
Games in the 2019 NMIFA Spring Youth League will resume this weekend with MP United Football Club aiming to clinch the boys U18 division crown when it takes on TanHoldings Football Club tomorrow at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville.
The possible title-deciding match is set for 5:30pm and will be followed by the 7:17pm tiff between the CNMI Boys U15 National Team and Matansa.
MP United holds an impressive 6-0-0 win-draw-loss, with two matches left (including tomorrow’s game) in its schedule in the double round-robin competition, which took a brief break last weekend in observance of the Lenten season.
A victory or even a draw against TanHoldings, which owns a 4-0-2 mark, will hand MP United back-to-back division championships. MP United ruled the 2018 spring season after earning a 7-1-0 card, two victories ahead of TanHoldings (5-1-2).
After its crucial game against TanHoldings tomorrow, MP United will close out the season on May 16 when it duels the winless CNMI U15 (0-0-5). The May 6 showdown between MP United and CNMI U15 along with the Matansa-Kanoa match were originally set for May 3, but were rescheduled, as Northern Mariana Islands Football Association will be participating in the Marianas March Against Cancer.
After the May 3 cancelation, the division will go back to its original Friday schedule with TanHoldings playing its last game against Matansa and Kanoa having its penultimate match versus the CNMI U15.
Also rescheduled from May 3 to May 16 were the Matansa-Kanoa and MP United-Southern United duels in the girls U19 futsal division, while the April 26 matches (TanHoldings vs MP United and Southern United against Matansa) will go ahead as set.
With Kanoa drawing a bye tomorrow, it will have to wait for its May 10 match against Southern United to secure the division title. Kanoa holds a 6-0-0 record, two wins ahead of MP United (4-0-2).
In other divisions, Kanoa had already bagged the co-ed U12A crown and the club’s squads are in contention for the boys U15 and girls U16 titles. Kanoa owns a 7-0-0 mark in the co-edU12 division with three games left in the competition. In the boys U15, Kanoa also has a 7-0-0 slate, just one victory ahead of MP United (6-0-1), while Kanoa (5-1-1) is ranked second in the girls U16 behind Southern United (6-1-0). Both the boys U15 and girls U16 divisions have three playing days left in the season.
