Marianas Cup glory on the line in 2023 edition of tournament in Saipan

[July 31, 2023 – Harmon, Guam] The Marianas Cup island derby returns for its 2023 edition Aug. 3 and Aug. 5 in Saipan featuring men’s and women’s teams from Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands competing for regional champions honor.

Guam will be sending a contingent of 46 players and staff to Saipan Aug. 3 for the annual tournament.

“The objective of this competition is solely to win,” said Dominic Gadia, Guam U23 National Team Head Coach. “Since the inception of this competition, it’s always been about who lifts the trophy at the end of the matches. As this is mainly a U23 competition, and for most of our players, their first opportunity to compete internationally at this level, the goal of this phase of their development is to ‘learn to win’. The expectation to perform and get the desired outcome must be hammered into these players as it will only help them prepare for their upcoming AFC competition in September.

“Also, the opportunity to play alongside our Matao captain (Jason Cunliffe) should be something they relish and I know he will carry my message tenfold alongside them. This is a derby and I expect a very difficult NMI team playing with the full support of the islands behind them,” added Gadia, the first Guam Men’s National Team captain to hoist the original Marianas Cup trophy after Guam’s win when the tournament was first created in 2007.

Guam’s U23 team consists of goalkeepers Josiah Jones and Saena San Nicolas and players Joshua Bamba, Levi Buckwalter, Nicolas Chargualaf, Gio De Vera, Caleb Elwell, Daniel Glasscock, Meto Harmon, E.J. Manibusan, Nate Mortera, Donovan Moss, Bryan Nakamine, Kai Pahl, Beau Perez, CJ Sablan, Samuel Stenson, and Shuntaro Suzuki. The team will also includes senior level players Jason Cunliffe and Jude Bischoff.

For the women’s side, Guam U23 Women’s National Team Head Coach Kristin Thompson has her sights primarily set on identifying players for potential selection to the Masakåda, Guam Women’s National Team for the upcoming EAFF E-1 Football Championship Women’s Competition in November among other objectives.

“It is my hope that we can use the Marianas Cup as a steppingstone and high-level training matches for the EAFF competition in late November,” Thompson said. “It will be great to see how the players play in this high-level environment with an intense level of island pride at stake.

“I am looking to see who is passionate and committed to improving their level of play. I am also looking to see players improve their pace of the game and their overall awareness of the game to see if they are ready to step up and play at the senior level,” added Thompson, also a former Guam Women’s National Team player.

The Guam U23 Women’s National Team roster includes goalkeepers Ha’ani Byerly and Feah Fejeran and players Sarah Benavente, Hannah Cruz, Kalle Damian, Giselle Dahilig, Olivia Haddock, Jodee Halili, Jada Han, Maya Iriarte, Samantha Kenney, Cassandra Kido, Kaia Malakooti, Analea Meno, Richelle Ragadio, Dolores San Gil, Lexi Taitague, Reika Tenorio, and Emily Walton. The team also includes senior level player Ariya Cruz.

The matches will be played at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville, Saipan. In Aug. 3’s double header, the women’s match will be played at 5:30 p.m., followed by the men’s match at 8:30 p.m. In Aug. 5’s double header, the men’s match will kick off at 5 p.m., followed by the women’s match at 8:30 p.m.

The original ifit-wood Marianas Cup trophies introduced in 2007 are currently housed by FIFA in the FIFA Museum in Zurich, Switzerland. Additionally, the original Marianas Cup women’s competition trophy is currently featured on display at the FIFA Museum in Sydney, Australia for the duration of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand™.