American Samoa national football team

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Not to be confused with Samoa national football team.
This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see American Samoa women's national football team.

American Samoa
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)The Boys from the Territory
AssociationFootball Federation American Samoa
ConfederationOFC (Oceania)
Head coachTunoa Lui
CaptainNicky Salapu
Most capsNicky Salapu (22)
Top scorerRamin Ott (3)
Home stadiumPago Park Soccer Stadium
FIFA codeASA
First colors
Second colors
FIFA ranking
Current 189 Decrease 1 (April 4, 2024)[1]
Highest164 (October 2015)
Lowest205 (May 2006)
First international
 Western Samoa 3–1 American Samoa 
(Apia, Western Samoa; August 20, 1983)
FIFA recognized
 Tonga 3–0 American Samoa 
(Avarua, Cook Islands; September 2, 1998)
Biggest win
 Wallis and Futuna 0–3 American Samoa 
(Apia, Western Samoa; August 22, 1983)
FIFA recognized
 American Samoa 2–0 Cook Islands 
(Nuku'alofa, Tonga; September 4, 2015)
Biggest defeat
 Australia 31–0 American Samoa 
(Coffs Harbour, Australia; April 11, 2001)
(World record for senior international matches)

The American Samoa national football team (Samoan: Au soka Amerika Sāmoa) represents American Samoa in men's international association football and is controlled by the Football Federation American Samoa, the governing body of the sport in the territory. American Samoa's home ground is the Pago Park Soccer Stadium in Pago Pago and their head coach is Tunoa Lui.[3]

History

In 1983, American Samoa entered a football team in the South Pacific Games for the first time. The territory's official first match took place in Apia, Western Samoa on August 20, 1983, and ended in a 3–1 defeat to Western Samoa. Two days later, the team recorded their first win with a 3–0 defeat of Wallis and Futuna however, they were eliminated from the competition at the group stage following a 3–2 loss to Tonga on August 24.[4][5][6]

The following year, the American Samoa Football Association (ASFA) – now known as Football Federation American Samoa (FFAS) – was founded and took over responsibility for organizing the territory's national team.[7]

After competing in the 1987 South Pacific Games and the 1994 Polynesia Cup, ASFA became full members of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) allowing them to compete in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers for the first time.[7] American Samoa registered their first FIFA-recognized international during the 1998 Polynesia Cup in Rarotonga, Cook Islands when they lost 3–0 to Tonga on September 2.[5][6][8]

During their first qualifying campaign for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in April 2001, American Samoa was involved in a match which set the record for the largest margin of victory in international football when they lost 31–0 to Australia.[9] The outcome of the match led to debates about the format of qualification tournaments, with the Australian manager Frank Farina and striker Archie Thompson – who scored 13 times in the match – feeling that preliminary rounds should be introduced to avoid such unbalanced matches, views shared by the international footballing body FIFA. It eventually led to the introduction of a preliminary round in the Oceanian zone qualification for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.[10]

Since joining FIFA, the team has been regarded as one of the world's weakest teams[11] and were, until November 2011, the joint-lowest ranked national team in the FIFA World ranking.[12]

On November 23, 2011, American Samoa recorded their second and first FIFA-recognized win when they defeated Tonga 2–1 in the first round of qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. It was also the team's first victory after 38 consecutive defeats.[5][11][13]

The team's efforts to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup were chronicled in a 2014 British documentary, Next Goal Wins, directed by Mike Brett and Steve Jamison.[14][15]

In October 2015, the territory achieved its highest position in the FIFA World Rankings when they reached 164th following back-to-back wins against Tonga and the Cook Islands in qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[5][16]

Home stadium

Pago Park Soccer Stadium

American Samoa's home ground is the Pago Park Soccer Stadium in Pago Pago, however, the team has never played a home match in its history.[5] The stadium featured in the highly rated 2014 film Next Goal Wins and was used as the national team's training ground in the build-up to the 2011 Pacific Games and the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.[17]

Coaching staff

As of July 4, 2019
Position Name
Head coach American Samoa Tunoa Lui
Assistant coach American Samoa Travis Pita Sinapati
Team manager American Samoa Silasila Samuelu
Assistant team manager American Samoa Tavita Taumua
Trainer American Samoa Talalelei Faalavaau
Equipment curator American Samoa Christopher Taimovai

Coaching history

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2019 Pacific Games.[18]

Caps and goals updated as of July 18, 2019, after the game against Tahiti.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Nicky Salapu (captain) (1980-09-13) September 13, 1980 (age 43) 22 0 American Samoa PanSa East FC
18 1GK Hengihengi Ikuvalu (2002-12-02) December 2, 2002 (age 21) 1 0 American Samoa Pago Youth
2 2DF Takai Pouli (2000-07-18) July 18, 2000 (age 23) 4 0 American Samoa Vaiala Tongan
3 2DF Jaiyah Saelua (1988-07-19) July 19, 1988 (age 35) 15 0 American Samoa Ilaoa and To'omata
4 2DF Ryan Samuelu (1991-02-19) February 19, 1991 (age 33) 9 0 American Samoa Utulei Youth
5 2DF Ueli Tualaulelei (1999-08-02) 2 August 1999 (age 24) 5 0 American Samoa Pago Youth
13 2DF Matthew Taga'i (2002-03-28) March 28, 2002 (age 22) 2 0 American Samoa Ilaoa and To'omata
19 2DF Tuaki Latu (2000-07-15) July 15, 2000 (age 23) 2 0 American Samoa Vaiala Tongan
20 2DF Uasila'a Heleta (1987-02-27) February 27, 1987 (age 37) 17 0 American Samoa Lion Heart
6 3MF Kuresa Taga'i (2000-08-04) August 4, 2000 (age 23) 5 0 American Samoa Ilaoa and To'omata
7 3MF Austin Kaleopa (2001-11-24) November 24, 2001 (age 22) 5 0 American Samoa Utulei Youth
8 3MF Roy Ledoux (2000-06-26) June 26, 2000 (age 23) 5 0 American Samoa Pago Youth
11 3MF Milo Tiatia (2002-02-18) February 18, 2002 (age 22) 5 0 American Samoa Pago Youth
12 3MF Mark Taga'i (2002-03-28) March 28, 2002 (age 22) 2 0 American Samoa Ilaoa and To'omata
15 3MF Chris Faamoana (2001-08-02) August 2, 2001 (age 22) 5 1 American Samoa Pago Youth
21 3MF Puni Samuelu (1996-08-16) August 16, 1996 (age 27) 4 0 American Samoa Pago Youth
9 4FW Walter Pati (2002-03-31) March 31, 2002 (age 22) 5 1 American Samoa Pago Youth
10 4FW MJ Faoa-Danielson (2000-04-13) April 13, 2000 (age 24) 3 0 American Samoa Vaiala Tongan
14 4FW Palauni Tapusoa (1994-02-01) February 1, 1994 (age 30) 0 0 American Samoa Utulei Youth
16 4FW Junior Teoni (2001-02-06) February 6, 2001 (age 23) 1 0
17 4FW King Moe (2002-01-21) January 21, 2002 (age 22) 1 0

Player records

Goalkeeper Nicky Salapu holds the record for the most appearances for American Samoa.[19] Since his debut against Fiji on April 7, 2001, he has made 22 appearances for the national team – including the world record defeat to Australia and American Samoa's first FIFA-recognized victory against Tonga in November 2011.[20] Ramin Ott holds the record for most goals for American Samoa after scoring three times in 15 appearances between 2004 and 2015.[21] In total, 10 different players have scored a goal in a FIFA-recognized match for American Samoa.[19]

As of July 18, 2019.[19]

First goal

Most goals in a match

  • Demetrius Beauchamp – 2 vs. Samoa on 31 August 2015[25]

Team records

  • Biggest victory – 3–0 vs. Wallis and Futuna on 22 August 1983
  • Heaviest defeat – 0–31 vs. Australia on 11 April 2001[26]
  • Most consecutive victories – 2; achieved September 2015
  • Most consecutive matches without defeats – 2; achieved November 2011 and September 2015
  • Most consecutive matches without victory – 37 between 24 August 1983 and 5 September 2011
  • Most consecutive matches without scoring – 7 between 27 August 2007 and 5 September 2011

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

Following FIFA affiliation in 1998,[7] American Samoa first entered the qualifying competition for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. They have entered the qualifiers for each subsequent edition but have never made it beyond the first stage. The closest they came to reaching the second phase was in qualifying for the 2018 edition when they won two of their three matches and narrowly missed out on progressing on goal difference.[16]

FIFA World Cup Qualification
Year Host Round Pld W D L F A Pos. Pld W D L F A Source
1930 to 1998 Did not enter Did not enter
2002  Japan
 South Korea		 Did not qualify Group – 5th 4 0 0 4 0 57 [27]
2006  Germany First round group – 5th[A] 4 0 0 4 1 34 [28]
2010  South Africa First round group – 5th[B] 4 0 0 4 1 38 [29]
2014  Brazil First round group – 3rd[C] 3 1 1 1 3 3 [30]
2018  Russia First round group – 2nd[D] 3 2 0 1 6 4 [16]
2022  Qatar Withdrew Withdrew
2026  Canada
 Mexico
 United States		 To be determined To be determined
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 3 1 14 11 136
Notes
  1. ^
    A: The Oceanian qualifiers for the 2006 FIFA World Cup doubled as qualifiers for the 2004 OFC Nations Cup.
  2. ^
    B: The men's football tournament at the 2007 South Pacific Games doubled as qualifiers for the 2008 OFC Nations Cup and the first round of qualifiers for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
  3. ^
    C: The Oceanian qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup doubled as qualifiers for the 2012 OFC Nations Cup.
  4. ^
    D: The Oceanian qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup doubled as qualifiers for the 2016 OFC Nations Cup.

OFC Nations Cup

Before becoming full members of OFC in 1998,[7] American Samoa entered the 1994 Polynesia Cup which acted as the qualifying round for Polynesian national teams for the 1996 OFC Nations Cup. This was the territory's first time competing for a place in OFC's flagship competition for senior men's national teams.[8]

The OFC Nations Cup has often acted as part of the FIFA World Cup qualification process for Oceanian national teams and, as a result, American Samoa have competed in the qualifiers for both competitions in every edition since 1998. They have yet to qualify for either competition.

Oceania Cup / OFC Nations Cup Qualification
Year Host Round Pld W D L F A Pos. Pld W D L F A Source
1973 to 1980 Did not enter Did not enter
1996 —[E] Did not qualify Group – 4th[F] 3 0 0 3 3 7 [31]
1998  Australia Group – 5th[G] 4 0 0 4 3 23 [8]
2000  Tahiti Group – 5th[H] 4 0 0 4 2 29 [32]
2002  New Zealand Group – 5th 4 0 0 4 2 29 [33]
2004  Australia Group – 5th[I] 4 0 0 4 1 34 [28]
2008 —[E] Group – 5th[J] 4 0 0 4 1 38 [29]
2012  Solomon Islands Group – 3rd[K] 3 1 1 1 3 3 [30]
2016  Papua New Guinea Group – 2nd[L] 3 2 0 1 6 4 [16]
2020  New Zealand Cancelled Cancelled
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 29 3 1 25 21 167
Notes
  1. ^
    E: There was no fixed host for the 1996 OFC Nations Cup or the 2008 OFC Nations Cup.
  2. ^
    F: The 1994 Polynesia Cup doubled as qualifiers for the 1996 OFC Nations Cup.
  3. ^
    G: The 1998 Polynesia Cup doubled as qualifiers for the 1998 OFC Nations Cup.
  4. ^
    H: The 2000 Polynesia Cup doubled as qualifiers for the 2000 OFC Nations Cup.
  5. ^
    I: The Oceanian qualifiers for the 2006 FIFA World Cup doubled as qualifiers for the 2004 OFC Nations Cup.
  6. ^
    J: The men's football tournament at the 2007 South Pacific Games doubled as qualifiers for the 2008 OFC Nations Cup and the first round of qualifiers for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
  7. ^
    K: The Oceanian qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup doubled as qualifiers for the 2012 OFC Nations Cup.
  8. ^
    L: The Oceanian qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup doubled as qualifiers for the 2016 OFC Nations Cup.

Pacific Games

American Samoa first entered the South Pacific Games in 1983. This was the first time a team representing the territory had competed in association football and they recorded one win from their three games in the group stage by beating Wallis and Futuna 3–0 – the only time American Samoa have recorded a win in the competition – but that wasn't enough to progress to the next round.[4] American Samoa would go onto enter the 1987 edition where they were again eliminated in the group stage, losing all four of their matches.[34]

It would be another 20 years before they again entered the competition. The 2007 edition was the last known as the South Pacific Games before becoming the Pacific Games four years later and it was also part of the qualification process for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In their third appearance in the competition, American Samoa were again eliminated at the group stage, losing all four matches.[29] The same fate befell American Samoa in the 2011 Pacific Games as they lost all five games to finish bottom of their group.[35]

In 2015, the Pacific Games was an age-restricted tournament that doubled as the OFC Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament and no team representing American Samoa took part. Four years later, they were again eliminated at the group stage however, a 1–1 draw with Tuvalu ended a 32-year losing streak in the competition.[36]

Pacific Games
Year Host Round Pld W D L F A Source
1963 to 1979 Did not enter
1983  Western Samoa Group stage 3 1 0 2 6 6 [4]
1987  New Caledonia 4 0 0 4 1 42 [34]
1991 to 2003 Did not enter
2007[M]  Samoa Group stage 4 0 0 4 1 38 [29]
2011  New Caledonia 5 0 0 5 0 26 [35]
2015  Papua New Guinea Did not enter[N]
2019  Samoa Group stage 5 0 1 4 2 36 [36]
Total 21 1 1 19 10 148
Notes
  1. ^
    M: The men's football tournament at the 2007 South Pacific Games doubled as qualifiers for the 2008 OFC Nations Cup and the first round of qualifiers for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
  2. ^
    N: The men's football tournament at the 2015 Pacific Games was an age-restricted competition that doubled as the OFC Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

Records and statistics

Main article: American Samoa national football team results

American Samoa played their first full international match against Papua New Guinea, which ended in a 20–0 loss. Their national team have suffered the world's biggest international defeat, by losing to Australia 31–0. American Samoa have only won against Cook Islands and Tonga. American Samoa have by far lost to all of these teams at least once.

Head-to-head record

The following table shows the American Samoa national football team's all-time international record. The statistics are composed of FIFA World Cup, OFC Nations Cup, Polynesia Cup and Pacific Games matches, as well as international friendlies.

Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD WPCT
 Australia 1 0 0 1 0 31 −31 0.00
 Cook Islands 4 1 1 2 6 8 −2 25.00
 Fiji 4 0 0 4 0 39 −39 0.00
 Guam 1 0 0 1 0 2 −2 0.00
 Northern Mariana Islands 1 0 0 1 0 4 −4 0.00
 New Caledonia 4 0 0 4 0 33 −33 0.00
 Papua New Guinea 3 0 0 3 0 37 −37 0.00
 Samoa[a] 11 0 0 11 5 54 −49 0.00
 Solomon Islands 4 0 0 4 1 40 −39 0.00
 Tahiti 4 0 0 4 2 40 −38 0.00
 Tonga 10 2 0 8 12 34 −22 20.00
 Tuvalu 2 0 1 1 1 5 −4 0.00
 Vanuatu 4 0 0 4 1 39 −38 0.00
 Wallis and Futuna 2 1 0 1 4 5 −1 50.00
Total 55 4 2 49 32 371 −339 7.27
Source: Results
Notes:
  1. ^ Includes results as Western Samoa.

Performance by competition

Up to matches played on 18 July 2019.

Competition Pld W D L GF GA GD WPCT
FIFA World Cup qualification[N] 18 3 1 14 11 136 −125 16.67
OFC Nations Cup qualification[N] 29 3 1 25 21 167 −146 10.34
Polynesia Cup[N] 11 0 0 11 8 59 −51 0.00
Pacific Games[N] 21 1 1 19 10 148 −138 4.76
Source: [37][19]
Competition Pld W D L GF GA GD WPCT
Competitive 50 4 2 44 30 334 −304 8.00
Friendlies 1 0 0 1 0 6 −6 0.00
Total 51 4 2 45 30 340 −310 7.84
Source: [37][19]
Notes
  1. ^
    N: A number of matches in the Polynesia Cup and the Pacific Games doubled as qualifiers for the ONC Nations Cup and the FIFA World Cup. For full details, see American Samoa national football team results.

Performance by venue

Up to matches played on 18 July 2019.

Venue Pld W D L GF GA GD WPCT
Home 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —
Away 1 0 0 1 0 6 −6 0.00
Neutral 50 4 2 44 30 334 −304 8.00
Total 51 4 2 45 30 340 −310 7.84
Source: [37][19]

See also

References

  1. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. April 4, 2024. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  2. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  3. ^ "American Samoa men's National Team ready to play". Football Federation American Samoa. July 4, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c Cruickshank, Mark; Morrison, Neil; Veroeveren, Pieter (October 17, 2016). "South Pacific Games 1983 (Western Samoa)". RSSSF. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d e "World Football Elo Ratings: Eastern Samoa". World Football Elo Ratings. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Courtney, Barrie (November 23, 2006). "American Samoa – List of international matches". RSSSF. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d "Member Association – American Samoa". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Archived from the original on September 3, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  8. ^ a b c Owsianski, Jarek; Pierrend, José Luis; Bobrowsky, Josef; Zlotkowski, Andre (March 21, 2004). "Polynesian Cup 1998". RSSSF. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  9. ^ Rookwood, Dan (April 11, 2001). "Aussie Rules as Socceroos smash world record again". The Guardian. Retrieved November 24, 2011.
  10. ^ "Road to SA 2010 starts in Samoa". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. June 21, 2007. Archived from the original on June 24, 2007. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
  11. ^ a b "American Samoa wins first ever football match after 30 straight defeats in 17 years". The Daily Telegraph. November 23, 2011. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
  12. ^ "FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA.com. November 23, 2011. Archived from the original on October 7, 2011. Retrieved November 24, 2011.
  13. ^ Lee, Ben (November 24, 2011). "American Samoa football team celebrate first win in 18 years". Digital Spy. Retrieved November 24, 2011.
  14. ^ Mitchell, Wendy (February 3, 2014). "Making Next Goal Wins". screendaily.com.
  15. ^ Geoghegan, Kev (May 6, 2014). "Next Goal Wins for 'world's worst football team'". BBC News. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
  16. ^ a b c d King, Ian; Stokkermans, Karel (July 5, 2018). "World Cup 2018 Qualifying". RSSSF. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  17. ^ Brett, Mike; Brodie, Kristian; Jamison, Steve (May 9, 2014). Next Goal Wins. Icon Productions.
  18. ^ Vitolio, Brian (July 4, 2019). "American Samoa men's National Team ready to play". Football Federation American Samoa. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  19. ^ a b c d e f "American Samoa". National Football Teams.
  20. ^ "Nicky Salapu". National Football Teams. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  21. ^ "Ramin Ott". National Football Teams. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  22. ^ "Statistics: American Samoa". National Football Teams. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  23. ^ "American Samoa national football team statistics and records: youngest players". 11v11.com. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  24. ^ "American Samoa national football team statistics and records: oldest players". 11v11.com. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  25. ^ "Samoa 3-2 American Samoa". August 31, 2015. Archived from the original on September 4, 2015.
  26. ^ "Australia 31-0 American Samoa: The loneliest game in history". FourFourTwo. April 9, 2021.
  27. ^ Stokkermans, Karel (September 13, 2018). "World Cup 2002 Qualifying". RSSSF. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  28. ^ a b Stokkermans, Karel; Aarhus, Lars; Goloboy, Jim; King, Ian; Owsianski, Jarek; Naveed, Malik Riaz Hai; Rubio, Julián Díaz; Tabeira, Martín; Zea, Antonio; Zlotkowski, Andre (November 26, 2009). "World Cup 2006 Qualifying". RSSSF. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  29. ^ a b c d Priadko, Aleks (August 20, 2015). "South Pacific Games 2007 (Samoa)". RSSSF. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  30. ^ a b Stokkermans, Karel; Andrés, Juan Pablo; Lugo, Erik Francisco (November 16, 2017). "World Cup 2014 Qualifying". RSSSF. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  31. ^ Morrison, Neil (October 20, 2001). "Polynesian Cup 1994". RSSSF. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  32. ^ Zlotkowski, Andre (March 21, 2004). "Polynesian Cup 2000". RSSSF. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  33. ^ Zlotkowski, Andre; Morrison, Neil (March 21, 2004). "Oceanian Nations Cup 2002". RSSSF. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  34. ^ a b Garin, Erik (January 19, 2017). "South Pacific Games 1987 (New Caledonia)". RSSSF. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  35. ^ a b Morrison, Neil; Schöggl, Hans (January 18, 2018). "Pacific Games 2011 (New Caledonia)". RSSSF. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  36. ^ a b Di Maggio, Roberto (August 21, 2019). "Pacific Games 2019 (Samoa)". RSSSF. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  37. ^ a b c "American Samoa – List of International Matches". RSSSF.

External links

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