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MPU eyes 4th title in Pacific Ocean Cup
Players and coaches of MP United Football Club’s U12 team pose for a photo at the departure area of the Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport before leaving for Japan yesterday to compete in the Pacific Ocean Cup 10. (Contributed Photo)
MP United Football Club will try again to get its fourth title when it competes in the Pacific Ocean Cup 10 this weekend in Japan.
MP United left for the tournament hosted by its sister club Vivid Blue yesterday, bringing in 11 players and two coaches to battle the host team and two other squads. Suiting up for MP United U12 are Stephanie Kim, Jin Hee Woo, Geon Ho Song, Andrew Chung, Xavier Lee, William Lee, Garrett Weaver, Dev Bachani, Kelly McCallion, Cosmo Hata, and Allen Won. Gene Weaver and Patrick McCallion will call the shots for the visiting team.
The MP United U12 players will have their first game against Vivid Blue this Saturday, while their second match will be versus Veluwe. For its last game, MP United will take on Shimizunishi. Each match will be played in two 15-minute halves with a five-minute break and the team with the best record after the round-robin play will rule the tournament.
MP United last won the competition in April 2017 during the Pacific Ocean Cup 7, easing past Pacific Ocean Cup 5 champion Paire in the finals, 4-0. MP United’s two other title wins in the tournament held twice a year were in 2013 (Pacific Ocean Cup 2) and 2014 (Pacific Ocean Cup 4). In Pacific Ocean Cup 2, MP United outgunned Vivid Blue in a shootout in the finals, 3-1, while in Pacific Ocean Cup 4, the former was pitted against the same team and this time cruised to a 3-0 triumph.
Nagaoka SSS won the inaugural tournament, which MP United and Vivid Blue alternately host as part of their football development and cultural exchange programs. Other winners of the competition were Vivid Blue (Pacific Ocean Cup 3), Pure FC (Pacific Ocean Cup 6), Harasato (Pacific Ocean Cup 8), and recently the TanHoldings FC, which incidentally edged MP United in a shootout, 3-1, of the Pacific Ocean Cup 9 finale in April this year.
