Wings FC to compete in inaugural pilot club competition in Saipan

[December 13, 2023 – Harmon, Guam] Wings FC will seize the opportunity to add more hardware into its champions arsenal at the first-ever Marianas Club Championship kicking off 6 p.m. Saturday at the Northern Mariana Islands Soccer Training Center in Koblerville, Saipan.

Wings FC, supported by Takagi & Associates, Guam Radiology, and Title Guaranty of Guam, topped Budweiser Soccer League Premier Division standings with a 10-2 record to earn its place in a league champion vs champion match in this year’s inaugural pilot competition. Guam’s league champion will play against Eleven Tiger FC, champions of Marianas Soccer League 1, in Saturday’s showdown, sponsored by EAFF.

“With this new regional club competition, one of the main objectives for Wings FC is of course to win,” said James Okuhama, Wings FC Head Coach. “During the season, the objective was and always had been how we can play collectively as a team. I believe the team was able to experience the strategy of playing as a unit; we were rewarded by consistently winning games and eventually winning the overall 2023 league title.

“The match against NMI’s league champion will definitely be a tough game, but with every new experience, I will also tell the players to ultimately enjoy this memorable event,” Okuhama added.

A total of 16 players will be traveling to Saipan for Saturday’s match: goalkeeper Jacob Toves, and field players Raito Atsuta, Yaw Boateng, Levi Buckwalter, Nicolas Yokota Chargualaf, Luciano Jameson, Justin Li, Nicholas Moore, Donovan Moss, Juan-Carlos Mungaray, Nathan Nuwer, Kai Pahl, Beau Perez, C.J. Sablan, Shuntaro Suzuki, and Yvan Tcheugoue.

Of the 16 players, 10 have donned the Guam national jersey as part of various Guam youth national teams. Okuhama will be joined by Duane Pahl on staff for Wings FC.

For Okuhama, the development of this new regional club competition can spark a renewed passion for the game at the club level and interest in Guam’s leagues.

“I think it’ll be a great event to motivate both the club teams in Guam and in Saipan,” Okuhama said. “As this event grows, it will also inspire youth players in club teams. I also think the Marianas Club Championship will help our islands grow even closer and continue learning from each other. For Wings FC in particular, this is absolutely a great opportunity for our team to also showcase our club. Wings FC is all about the player – we always focus on their needs. At Wings FC, ‘Players come first.’ We are excited to be the pilot team from Guam for this new event and give this opportunity to our players to show what we can accomplish.

“We would like to thank Guam Football Association and Northern Marianas Islands Football Association for this opportunity, as well as our club sponsors Takagi & Associates, Guam Radiology, and Title Guaranty of Guam. Last, but not least, we would like to thank all of our players on this team who worked hard to achieve this,” Okuhama added.

The creation of the Marianas Club Championship as a pilot competition also is part of Competition Development in Guam Football Association’s four-year Strategic Plan. By 2026, GFA aims to establish an annual international club tournament with four clubs teams.

Wings FC created its first team to compete in the Premier Division of the Budweiser Soccer League for the first time in the 2023 season. In only its first appearance, the team secured the title three points ahead of No. 2 Bank of Guam Strykers FC. Its only losses came on Week 2 against Islanders FC and in Week 15 against the Strykers. The team’s top goal scorers, Yvan Tcheugoue and Yaw Boateng, finished in second and fourth place, respectively in the league’s Golden Boot race behind winner Marcus Lopez and No. 3 Samuel Stenson, both from the Strykers. Wings FC goalkeeper Jacob Toves secured the league’s Golden Glove award allowing only an average of 1.5 goals per match and earning two clean sheets, the most of any goalkeeper in the league’s Premier Division.

In addition to the Wings FC contingent, Joshua Bamba and Curtis “Meto” Harmon will be traveling from Guam to Saipan as Referee and Assistant Referee for the match.