Guam national football team

Guam

Nickname(s)	Matao
Association	Guam Football Association
Sub-confederation	EAFF (East Asia)
Confederation	AFC (Asia)
Head coach	Gary White
Top scorer	Jason Cunlife (13)
Home stadium	Guam National Football Stadium
FIFA code	GUM
FIFA ranking	182
Highest FIFA ranking	178 (October 2012)
Lowest FIFA ranking	205 (November 2004 - February 2005)
Elo ranking	213
Highest Elo ranking	213 (6 March 2013)
Lowest Elo ranking	227 (Early 2007)
First colours Second colours
First international
Fiji 11–0 Guam (Guam; August 24, 1975)
Biggest win
Guam 16–1 Pohnpei (Koror, Palau; July, 1998; Not full FIFA international) Guam 3–0 Macau (Yona, Guam; 22 July 2012) Guam 3–0 Macau (Manila, Philippines; 29 September 2012) Guam 3–0 Chinese Taipei (Yangon, Myanmar; 6 March 2013)
Biggest defeat
North Korea 21–0 Guam (Taipei, Republic of China; March 11, 2005)

The Guam national football team is the national association football team for the United States territory of Guam and is controlled by the Guam Football Association. They are affiliated to the Asian Football Confederation's East Asian Football Federation region.

The team was founded in 1975 and joined FIFA in 1996. It is among the weakest national teams in the world, its highest FIFA ranking was 178th in October 2012 by joining the federation. Since 2012 they have been managed by Gary White.

Guam has competed in World Cup qualification on one occasion. It was eliminated in the first round of Asian qualification for the 2002 FIFA World Cup after losing against Iran and Tajikistan, conceding 35 goals in two games and scoring none.

Victories over FIFA opposition

Guam registered its first victory over a member of FIFA on 11 March 2009, 35 years after making its debut. They beat Mongolia, by 1-0 in the 2010 East Asian Cup Preliminary Competition, at home in Yona. Christopher Mendiola scored the only goal after 9 minutes.

The second victory was a 2-0 against American Samoa on 1 September 2011, in Group A at the 2011 Pacific Games in Noumea, New Caledonia. Dylan Naputi and Elias Merfalen scored in the second half.

Guam has beaten its nearest neighbour, the Northern Mariana Islands on four occasions from 2007 to 2009. Although a member of the East Asia Football Federation since 2006, the islands are not FIFA members.

History

1975 South Pacific Games

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
Fiji	3	2	1	1	0	12	1	+11
Solomon Islands	3	2	1	1	0	6	2	+4
Guam	0	2	0	0	2	1	16	-15

Guam first competed in football at the 1975 South Pacific Games which it hosted in August of that year. They lost their first ever game 11-0 to Fiji and then lost 5-1 to the Solomon Islands to finish bottom of Group 2. Fiji and the Solomons lost their semi-finals and Fiji's conqueror Tahiti beat New Caledonia 2-1 after extra-time in the final.

1979 South Pacific Games

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
New Caledonia	4	2	2	0	0	14	0	+14
New Hebrides	2	2	1	0	1	5	3	+2
Guam	0	2	0	0	2	0	16	-16

Guam competed in football at the 1979 South Pacific Games in Fiji and was placed in Group 4 alongside New Caledonia and the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu). During the tournament, held in September 1979, Guam lost 11-0 to New Caledonia and 5-0 to the New Hebrides as both of the other teams advanced.

1991 South Pacific Games

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
Fiji	6	3	3	0	0	20	1	+19
New Caledonia	4	3	2	0	1	9	3	+6
Tahiti	2	3	1	0	2	15	5	+10
Guam	0	3	0	0	3	2	37	-35

The 1991 South Pacific Games saw Guam's first matches since the 1979 tournament, twelve years previous. In Papua New Guinea, Guam were in Group 2 and lost their opener 14-0 to Tahiti on 9 September 1991. On 12 September they lost 15-1 to Fiji before losing 8-0 on 15 September to New Caledonia.

2002 World Cup Qualification

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Iran	2	2	0	0	21	0	+21	6
Tajikistan	2	1	0	1	16	2	+14	3
Guam	2	0	0	2	0	35	−35	0

Guam entered World Cup qualification for the first time for the 2002 tournament in Japan and South Korea. They were put in Group B of the first qualifying round, against Iran (qualifiers in 1998) and Tajikistan. Each team played each other once in the Takhti Stadium in the city of Tabriz, Iran

Guam's first ever World Cup qualifier was against Iran, on 24 November 2000. Guam lost 19-0 in front of a crowd of 30,000. Iranian player Karim Bagheri scored seven times, and his team mate Ali Karimi four. Farhad Majidi and Ali Daei also scored hat-tricks, with one of Daei's from the penalty spot. Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh scored a further two for Iran with Alireza Nikbakht getting the other.

Two days later Guam lost 16-0 to Tajikistan, for whom nine different players scored. Rustam Khojaev and Sukhrob Khamidov each scored four for Tajikistan. Two days later Iran beat Tajikistan 2-0 to win the group and advance, but did not make the finals.

2006 AFC Challenge Cup

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Palestine	3	2	1	0	16	1	+15	7
Bangladesh	3	2	1	0	6	2	+4	7
Cambodia	3	1	0	2	4	6	−2	3
Guam	3	0	0	3	0	17	−17	0

The first-ever 2006 AFC Challenge Cup was held in Bangladesh in April 2006. As a competition for Asia's weakest teams, there was no qualification scheme. Guam were put in Group C alongside the hosts, Palestine and Cambodia.

Guam played their first game at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka, on 1 April, in front of 3,000 people and were defeated 11-0 by Palestine, for whom Fahed Attal scored six times. Bangladesh then defeated Guam 3-0 on 3 April, with two late goals from Mohammed Abul. The match was watched by 18,000. Three days later 550 people watched Cambodia defeat Guam 3-0 at the Bangladesh Army Stadium.

Tournament record

Main article: Guam national football team results

World Cup

• 1930 to 1974 – Did not exist
• 1978 to 1994 – Not FIFA member
• 1998 – Did not enter
• 2002 – Did not qualify
• 2006 to 2010 – Withdrew
• 2014 – Did not enter

Asian Cup

• 1956 to 1992 – Did not enter
• 1996 to 2004 – Did not qualify
• 2007 – Did not enter
• 2011 – Did not enter

East Asian Football Championship

• 2003 – Did not qualify (5th place in qualifiers)
• 2005 – Did not qualify (5th place in qualifiers)
• 2008 – Did not qualify (6th place in qualifiers)
• 2010 – Qualified to Round 2 (Preliminary Competition winners)
• 2013 – Qualified to Round 2 (Preliminary Competition winners)

AFC Challenge Cup

• 2006 – Round 1
• 2008 – Did not qualify, 4th in qualifying group
• 2010 – Did not enter
• 2012 – Did not enter
• 2014 – Did not qualify

South Pacific Games

• 1963 to 1971 – Did not enter
• 1975 – Round 1
• 1979 – Round 1
• 1983 – Did not enter
• 1987 – Did not enter
• 1991 – Round 1
• 1995 – Round 1
• 2003 – Did not enter
• 2007 – Did not enter
• 2011 – Round 1

Micronesia Games

• 1998 – Champions
• 2001 – Did not enter

Philippine Peace Cup

• 2012 - Third Place

Squad

Current squad

The following 22 players were called up to the squad for 2014 AFC Challenge Cup qualification scheduled to take place from 2 March to 6 March 2013 in Yangon, Myanmar.
Caps and goals updated as of 27 February 2013.

0#0 Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club 1 1GK Doug Herrick (1989-06-02) 2 June 1989 8 0 Seattle Sounders FC U-23 22 1GK Dallas Jaye (1993-06-19) 19 June 1993 3 0 University of South Florida 2 2DF Jonahan Romero (1988-03-17) 17 March 1988 11 0 Kaya 3 2DF Christian Schweizer (1995-01-06) 6 January 1995 15 0 Table 35 Espada 4 2DF Shawn Nicklaw (1989-04-15) 15 April 1989 7 0 Wilmington Hammerheads 5 2DF Micah Paulino (1992-11-16) 16 November 1992 19 0 Niagara University 15 2DF Scott Leon Guerrero (1990-08-22) 22 August 1990 22 0 Quality Distributors 18 2DF Dominic Gadia (1986-01-18) 18 January 1986 28 0 Cars Plus 21 2DF David Nussbaum 0 0 23 2DF Sean Navarro 0 0 25 2DF Mark Chargualaf (1991-01-03) 3 January 1991 21 0 Table 35 Espada 6 3MF Travis Nicklaw (1993-12-21) 21 December 1993 6 0 San Diego State University 7 3MF Ian Adamos (1988-04-03) 3 April 1988 11 0 SoCal Elite 10 3MF Jason Cunliffe(captain) (1983-10-23) 23 October 1983 25 13 Pachanga 13 3MF Ryan Guy (1985-09-05) 5 September 1985 7 0 New England Revolution 14 3MF Ian Mariano (1990-10-07) 7 October 1990 24 2 Pachanga 16 3MF Thaddeus Atalig (1995-05-07) 7 May 1995 4 0 Table 35 Espada 19 3MF Marcus Lopez (1992-02-09) 9 February 1992 9 3 Pachanga 9 4FW John Matkin (1986-04-20) 20 April 1986 3 0 United Sikkim 11 4FW Zachary DeVille (1993-03-23) 23 March 1993 10 2 California State University, Northridge 12 4FW Jorge Valenzo 0 0 17 4FW Dylan Naputi (1995-01-04) 4 January 1995 14 3 Table 35 Espada

Coaches

• Willie McFaul (????–2003)
• Sugao Kambe (2003–2005)
• Norio Tsukitate (2005–2009)

• Kazuo Uchida (2011)
• Gary White (2012–)

External links

• Guam Football Association
• Fan Club