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NMIFA opens spring season
Soccer is back.
Four months after Super Typhoon Yutu forced the cancellation of tournaments, soccer games will return this weekend, as the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association kicks off the 2019 NMIFA Spring Youth League.
Four teams in the boys U18 division will start the season with the CNMI Boys U15 National Team battling TanHoldings Football Club in the 5:30pm game today at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville. In the second match at 7:15pm, MP United FC will take on Kanoa FC. Matansa FC completes the division, but won’t be playing its season-debut game until next Friday against MP United.
Including the five squads in the U18 group, this year’s spring season features 54 teams spread out in nine divisions (four in non-competitive and five in competitive). The non-competitive field has teams in the co-ed U6, U8, U10, and U12B, while co-ed U12A, boys U15 and U18, and girls U16 and U19 teams are lined up in the competitive field. Games in eight divisions will all be played at the NMISTC, while the four teams competing in the girls U19 group (futsal) will utilize the Tan Siu Lin Sports Complex.
Kanoa and TanHoldings will square off in the first girls U19 division match at 5:30pm, while Southern United FC will meet MP United in the second tiff at 6:40pm.
In the girls U16 division, a triple-header is scheduled every weekend with Kanoa and Paire playing in the curtain-raiser tomorrow afternoon. The two other matches in the opening week will have Southern United challenging MP United, and TanHoldings colliding with Matansa.
In the boys U15, Kanoa-1 will see action in the first game at 8am against Matansa, while Kanoa-2 is slated to duel TanHoldings in the second match at 9:30am. For the last game in the division tomorrow, MP United will square off against Shirley’s FC at 11am.
In the co-ed U12A, only four teams are vying for the division crown—Kanoa, Shirley’s MP United, and TanHoldings. Kanoa and TanHoldings will play on Pitch 1 at 4pm, while the Shirleys-MP United game will take place on Pitch 2 at the same time.
