Teen Ayuyus win second training match

The CNMI Boys U15 National Team players respond to assistant coach Jonathan Takano during a classroom session in their training camp in Guam last weekend. (Contributed Photo)

The CNMI U15 Boys National Team prevailed in its second training match, blanking the mixed players of Dededo FC/Wings FC U15, 5-0, last Sunday at the Guam Football Association National Training Center.

Guam-based Eddie Cho played against his own club (Wings FC) and led the Teen Ayuyus shutout victory after knocking in a pair of goals, one each in the first and second half. John Michael Rojas and Joshua Allen Waldo contributed one goal apiece for the visiting squad, which also got an own goal off their opponents’ miscue. The CNMI U15 Boys National Team took a 2-0 halftime edge against the Dededo FC/Wings FC U15 and played better offense in the second half, while still blanking its foes to get its first win in the series of training matches. Last Saturday, the Teen Ayuyus drew the Guam U16 Boys National Team, 2-2.

While Teen Ayuyus head coach and Northern Mariana Islands Football Association technical director Michiteru Mita was happy with their offense, he was more proud on how his wards played on the defensive end.

“The boys did well yesterday (Sunday) and we had some lucky goals, but what is good is that we didn’t concede any goal with the 11 players on the field very persistent on defense,” Mita said.

The Teen Ayuyus coach, who is assisted by Jonathan Takano and Jershwin Angeles, also noted the squad’s good rotation of players.

“We changed 10 players since our first game against Guam and all players played in the last two matches. All players gained official game experience under a good facility,” Mita added.

Versus Dededo FC/Wings FC U15, goalkeeper John Martin Palad started out for the Teen Ayuyus and were joined on the pitch by defenders Jhoey Noble, Mark Twain Salamat, Reginal Pascual, and Ian Maniago, midfielders Waldo, Rojas, Cho, and Razeff Altamirano, and forwards Taka Borja and Aloyzeus Angeles. Completing the 22-player squad managed by Rodwealth Espana are goalies Floyd Muna and Jason Quimzon, defenders Ichiro Borja, Eunsyu Hahn, and Terrance Montenegro, midfielders Kirt Andon, John Guiller Canape, Sebastian Manabat, Joshua Mendez, and Joseph Rasa, and forward Mark Esalan.

Meanwhile, the Teen Ayuyus were scheduled to duel anew the Guam U16 Boys National Team yesterday afternoon, but results of the match were unavailable at press time. The visiting team will then play one more training game today before returning to Saipan this evening.

The friendly matches are part of the CNMI U15 Boys National Team’s five-day training camp, which aims to prepare the squad for its campaign in the AFC U16 Championship 2018 Qualifiers. The Asian Football Confederation tournament will run from Sept. 16 to 24 this year in Thailand with the Teen Ayuyus playing against the host country, Indonesia, Laos, and Timor-Leste for a spot to the finals that will take place next year.