30 Nov GFA looking to improve club and national players
[November 24, 2021 – Harmon, Guam] In an effort to create a stronger bridge between Guam Football Association’s member clubs and the Guam National Program, GFA Technical Director Sang Hoon Kim has invited each club to nominate top players to train on a consistent basis with the national team.
“This effort has benefits for both the national program and Guam’s club teams,” said Kim, also Head Coach of the Guam Men’s National Team (Matao). “At least four times a week, nominated club players will train consistently at a high level and contribute more to the club during weekend matches when the Budweiser Soccer League resumes in 2022. With more players training at a high level, we will be able to identify and develop a deeper pool of players to select from for the national team. If nominated players from the clubs – especially foreign players with experience from abroad – are not eligible yet to play for Guam, they can still help our national players improve during training sessions by introducing different playing styles and levels of physicality.”
A handful of nominated club players took part in a full 11-a-side training match Tuesday evening at the GFA National Training Center before the National Team training squad takes a break for the Thanksgiving holiday. Kim expects more players to join national team training sessions next week.
Additionally, Budweiser Soccer League Premier Division men’s club teams will have weekly training matches against Guam’s U17 and U20 training squads on a rotating basis beginning Nov. 30 for four weeks before the year ends. Both the U17 Boys and U20 Men’s National Teams will be competing in AFC tournaments in 2022. The weekly arrangement will allow both the U17 and U20 squads to gain valuable match experience before international tournaments while also allowing the club teams to train as a unit before the next men’s league season slated to begin in January, Kim said.
Training match schedule:
- Nov. 30: U17 Boys National Team vs Islanders FC at 6:30 p.m.
- Nov. 30: U20 Men’s National Team vs Bank of Guam Strykers FC at 7 p.m.
- Dec. 7: U17 Boys National Team vs Quality Distributors at 6:30 p.m.
- Dec. 7: U20 Men’s National Team vs Guam Shipyard at 7 p.m.
- Dec. 14: U17 Boys National Team vs Lots of Art Tattoo Heat at 6:30 p.m.
- Dec. 14: U20 Men’s National Team vs NAPA Rovers FC at 7 p.m.
- Dec. 21: U17 Boys National Team vs Bank of Guam Strykers at 6:30 p.m.
- Dec. 21: U20 Men’s National Team vs Islanders FC at 7 p.m.
Guam Men’s National Team Captain Jason Cunliffe keeps possession of the ball under pressure from Yvan Tcheugoue during a Matao training match Tuesday evening at the Guam Football Association National Training Center. Matao Head Coach Sang Hoon Kim recently invited GFA Member Clubs to nominate players from their respective first teams to train with the Matao. Tcheugoue most recently played for the NAPA Rovers FC in the Budweiser Men’s Futsal League.
Juan-Carlos Mungaray looks to gain possession of the ball from Yaw Boateng during a Guam Men’s National Team training match Tuesday evening at the Guam Football Association National Training Center. Matao Head Coach Sang Hoon Kim recently invited GFA Member Clubs to nominate players from their respective first teams to train with the Matao. Mungaray most recently played for Quality Distributors FC and Boateng most recently played for the NAPA Rovers FC in the Budweiser Men’s Futsal League.
Yaw Boateng takes the ball toward the touchline as Guam Men’s National Team Captain Jason Cunliffe stays close on defense during a Matao training match Tuesday evening at the Guam Football Association National Training Center. Matao Head Coach Sang Hoon Kim recently invited GFA Member Clubs to nominate players from their respective first teams to train with the Matao. Boateng most recently played for the NAPA Rovers FC in the Budweiser Men’s Futsal League.
Yvan Tcheugoue moves to receive the ball as Aleksei Ruchkovskii (left, in orange vest) and Gavin Baker (right, in orange vest) close in on him during a Matao training match Tuesday evening at the Guam Football Association National Training Center. Matao Head Coach Sang Hoon Kim recently invited GFA Member Clubs to nominate players from their respective first teams to train with the Matao. Tcheugoue most recently played for the NAPA Rovers FC and Ruchkovskii most recently played for Quality Distributors FC in the Budweiser Men’s Futsal League.