Previous Story
MPU finishes tournament in Japan
MP United Football Club players and officials shake hands with Japanese players after their game in the Pacific Ocean Cup 10 in Japan last weekend. (Contributed Photo)
MP United Football Club’s U12 players are back on Saipan after completing their games in the Pacific Ocean Cup 10 last weekend in Numazu, Japan.
The Gene Weaver and Patrick McCallion-coached MP crew played against host Vivid Blue, Veluwe, and Shimizunishi in a short tournament and scored six goals in three games. The team was composed of William Lee, Garrett Weaver, Dev Bachani, Kelly McCallion, Cosmo Hata, Allen Won, Stephanie Kim, Jin Hee Woo, Geon Ho Song, Andrew Chung, and Xavier Lee.
MP United first challenged sister club Vivid Blue with the latter eking out a 5-3 victory. Then its second game, MP United lost a closely fought match versus Veluwe, 0-1. After being shutdown in their penultimate match, MP United players managed to get their offensive game going against Shimizunishi. However, the Japanese team still won, 5-3.
Chung scored four of MP United’s total goals and was named one of the most valuable players in the tournament, which Vivid Blue won.
Vivid Blue, besides prevailing over MP United, blanked Shimizunishi in its second game, 3-0. The host team then secured the championship and earned an unbeaten record in the tournament following a 2-0 triumph over Veluwe. Shimizunishi took the runner-up honors despite tying Veluwe’s win-draw-loss record (1-1-1) due to goal difference.
It was Vivid Blue’s second title win in the competition, which is held twice a year with Vivid Blue and MP United alternately hosting the event. Vivid Blue’s first championship was recorded in 2014 during the Pacific Ocean Cup 3 that was also held in Japan. MP United, on the other hand, owned the most titles in the tournament, winning the Pacific Ocean Cup 2, 4 and, 7.
