Teen Ayuyus begins training camp in Korea

The CNMI Boys U18 National Team players and their coaches pose for a photo at the departure area of the Saipan International Airport before boarding a plane bound for Busan, South Korea early yesterday morning. (Contributed Photo)

The CNMI Boys U18 National Team left Saipan for South Korea early yesterday morning for a five-day training camp.

The 20-player squad plus head coach Michiteru Mita and his assistants Jershwin Angeles and Jonathan Takano boarded a 3:10m flight to Busan where they were scheduled to arrive at 6:10am (7:10am Saipan time). From Busan, the group headed to Gyeongsangnam-do where the Changnyeong Sports Park is located. The sports facility is the venue of the Teen Ayuyus training camp.

The team had its first training session yesterday as it ran drills and plays for two hours before calling it a day to prepare for today’s busy schedule. The Teen Ayuyus will have a morning training session today from 8:30am to 10am and a team meeting at 2pm before heading out to play in their first match in Korea.

The visiting squad is entered in the youth football festival and will have a total of four games against high-level youth teams from Korea and Japan. The Teen Ayuyus’ first three matches (from Monday to Wednesday) are all scheduled from 4pm to 6pm and they will have training sessions in the morning before each game. Their last match will then be played from 9am to 10:30am and from Changnyeong, they will travel back to Busan for their late evening departure on Thursday.

Mita, before the team left Saipan, said that at the camp the Teen Ayuyus are pressed to improve on their team and individual plays, as the AFC U19 Championship 2018 Qualifiers is less than three months away. The squad is having the training camp in preparation for the qualifiers where the CNMI will be up against North Korea, Hong Kong, and Australia. The AFC tournament will run from Oct. 31 to Nov. 8.

Mita has cautioned his wards about the physicality of the games they will be playing in the festival, but said this is good for the Teen Ayuyus, as the same could be expected when the squad sees action in the AFC event, especially against North Korea.

The CNMI U18 Boys National Team is made up of Dai Podziewski, Alex Park, Clayron Izuka, Joshua Galarion, Anthony Fruit, James Ermitanio, Joshua De Leon, Carlson Cruzat, Jonathan Capayas, Louis Calayag, John Joseph Bucayo, Thaiphi Austria, Christopher Aninzo, Joshua Abragan, Eun Syu Hahn, Terrance Evan Thosert-Belcher, Sunjoon Tenorio, Mareko Tekopua, John Michael Rojas, and Ryan Relucio.