MP United tops Choco Milk Cup QR2

The four participating teams pose for a photo during the opening ceremony of the 2014 Choco Milk Cup Qualifying Round 2 last Sunday at the Koblerville Elementary School Field. (Contributed Photo)

MP United U12 ruled the 2014 Choco Milk Cup Qualifying Round 2, besting three other teams in last Sunday’s competition held at the Koblerville Elementary School Field.

MP United finished the round-robin tournament with a 2-1-0 win-draw-loss record, tying Tan Holdings FC’s mark. The Kennedy Izuka-coached team eventually won the tiebreak, as it scored more goals than Tan Holdings, 9-7. Goals for decided the winner of the qualifying tournament after MP United U12 and Tan Holdings remained tied in the head-to-head record with the opposing squads engaging in a 2-2 draw in the second game of the weekend competition.

With the victory, MP United U12 now qualifies for the 2014 Choco Milk Cup Finals, which will be held on Nov. 30. MP United U12 is composed of Go and Rei Sekiguchi, Danielle Colombo, Mark Esalan, Eun Syu Hahn, Tony Kim, Cullen Taisacan, Oliver Lee, Bryan Cayabyab, Maaya Sato, Sam Ryu, Kaito Sawaki, and Andy Kim.

The QR2 winner will be joined in the finals by Qualifying Round 1 winner Matansa FC, NEA Cycle Team, and Tinian Premier Club. Matansa notched the first seat to the finals after beating Shirley’s FC and Kanoa FC teams in the April qualifier of the National Elite Academy-organized event. NEA is a special program of Northern Mariana Island Football Association and a brainchild of former NMIFA technical director Johann Noetzel. It trains selected young players in three cycles every year and at the end of each cycle, the elite group is pitted against teams from various football clubs.

NEA Cycle 2 players opened the hostilities in the second qualifying round last weekend, but fell to Paire Football Club, 1-2. Raffi Lee scored the pair of goals for Paire, while John Canape hit the lone shot for NEA Cycle 2.

Up next was the MP United-Tan Holdings tussle with Esalan and Hahn drilling one goal apiece for the former in the second and 15th minute. Khotaro Goto knocked the two goals for Tan Holdings, making his first in the 10th minute and his second and the equalizer in the 19th.

After the draw with Tan Holdings, MP United played back-to-back games and this time won over NEA Cycle 2, 2-0. Oliver Lee and Go Sekiguchi hit the board for MP United, which bagged its second victory and sealed its spot in the finals after shutting down Paire FC in the last game of the day, 5-0. Lee shone anew in MP United’s second win, as he made a hat-trick against Paire. He notched two goals in the first half, while Esalan contributed one to give MP United a 3-0 advantage at the half. When the game resumed, Lee found the back of the net again, while Tony Kim completed the blowout with his only goal in the tournament late in the game.

In other results, Tan Holdings recorded its two victories against NEA Cycle 2, 3-1, and Paire FC, 2-0. Versus Paire, Goto recorded the first goal (18th minute), while Thaipi Austria delivered the second in the sixth minute of the final half. Versus NEA Cycle 2, three different players scored for Tan Holdings with John Michael Rojas hitting his target in the first half and Austria and Luis Claridades lighting up the board in the final frame. Ichiro Borja tallied the lone goal for NEA Cycle 2.