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Teen Ayuyus play twin matches today
Ichiro Borja tries to get away from his defender during a scrimmage between the CNMI U16 and men’s team pools last Saturday at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)
The CNMI Boys U16 National Team will have a busy schedule in the opening of the Inaugural Tuloy XO Cup, as it plays back-to-back games today at the Tuloy XO Field in Alabang, Philippines.
The Teen Ayuyus will debut against Luen Thai Soccer School in the 9am match after the kick-off game between Tuloy and Makati Football Club at 8am. The CNMI players will then return to the artificial turf at the Tuloy sa Don Bosco Foundation in the afternoon for its 2pm duel versus the host. Other matches in the opening day of the inaugural competition are Don Bosco Technical College Cebu against Chelsea FC Soccer School Hong Kong at 10am and LSS over MFC at 3pm.
Nineteen players will suit up for the CNMI team. Eight of them—Razeff Altamirano, Taka Borja, Brian Lubao, Jonathan Mindanao, Rintaro Miyawaki, Jason Quimzon, Rinto Takahashi, and Merrick Toves—arrived in the Philippines from China last weekend after competing in the East Asian Football Federation U15 Boys Tournament in Xianghe. They were with head coach Michiteru Mita, goalkeeper coach Kwok Kei Poon, and assistant Jershwin Angeles. Other members of the team— Kirt Andon, Thaiphi Austria, Mark Esalan, Sebastien Manabat, Joshua Mendez, John Michael Rojas, Joshua Waldo, and Richard Waldo Jr. and manager Raymond Zapanta—left Saipan yesterday, while Kaden Church flew in from the U.S., and John Guiller Canape has been in the Philippines for several weeks.
Mita, before joining the CNMI’s U15 players in China, told Saipan Tribune that the U16 squad is aiming for the championship in the Tuloy XO Cup. However, it will not be easy, as they will go up against a competitive Chelsea team from Hong Kong and several PH clubs, which according to Mita have shown significant improvement in the past few years.
The head coach added that win or lose, playing against different teams in off-island competitions is a great experience for CNMI national squads as they are able to gauge where they are at as far as their individual skills and team improvement are concerned.
After their pair of matches today, the Teen Ayuyus will only have one game tomorrow as they take on Makati FC at 10am. Then in the final day of the elimination round (Friday), the CNMI bets will face Don Bosco Cebu at 8am and Chelsea HK at 2pm.
The Top 2 teams after the round-robin play will collide for the championship at 9am this Sunday, while the No. 3 and 4 finishers will square off for the third place trophy at 8am. A Challenge Cup between the last two placers will be played at 7am.
