Monday, July 30, 2007

Wild Bill's: Great Team or Greatest Team Ever?

From an NMIFA Press Release:

Fiesta Stays Perfect; Wild Bill's Impresses

Fiesta Inter pushed past a stubborn FC Arirang club, 3 to 1, to remain unbeaten thru the second week of the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association Men's Summer Open League yesterday at Ada Field. In the other match, Wild Bill's took the pitch for the first time and showed the talent needed to compete at the top with a rousing 7 to 1 victory over PTI.

Fiesta Inter took a 2-0 lead into the halftime with a spectacular header from Chris Guerrero at the ten minute mark and a goal from newcomer, Zhu Song Gen, in the 31st minute.

FC Arirang came back within a goal soon after the break when Chong Koo Gil found the back of the net. Masatoshi Otsuka ended the scoring for the contest with a strike at the 60th minute mark.

After being idle last week, Wild Bill's ignited for seven goals against PTI.

Jetsada Phonsutjit and Ben Wood each had a pair of goals and Chris McKagan and Jason Schroeder each chipped in one a piece. PTI enjoyed a early goal from Kanghyin Shin and suffered an own goal late in the match to complete the scoring.

Next week will showcase two visiting Over-35 Master teams from Hong Kong and Guam in a series of matches on Saturday August 4th with the Women's Allstar Team and FC Arirang and the Saipan Scramble Tourney on Sunday August 5th.

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Women All Stars Named

Captain: Morgan Rose
Captain: Brenda Schultz
Alleny Tenorio
Lovelle D'Lonsod
Tara Kenny
Nicolette Seckeler
Lindsay Davis
Patty Coleman
Vince Asanuma
Tawny Barcinas
Zoe Jewel
Divya Sharma
Francine Sablan
Cathy Anderson
Roxie Lamar
Nikki Gabaldon
Maria Ornes
ThinThin Conlon
Becca Newman
Emily Gries
Noi Horey
EJ Lee

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Wild Bills and Pirates match up on Tuesday/ Taya and Pika match up on Wednesday

Tuesday night's 5:15 game at Airport is sure to be interesting. The last time Wild Bill's took on the Fiesta Pirates, Wild Bill's came out ahead by 1 goal.

The Pirates will still be looking to pillage the pitch without the help of Divya "The Destroyer" Sharma and Michael Thomas. Mafi's status is still with question. The fitness of Dale "Dread Pirate" and Maria "The Warrior" Ornes is still up in the air for the match as well. Wild Bill's will be without the talent of Wesley Bogdan on the field but they have rounded up some of their teammates for this rodeo of sorts. Joining Wild Bills on the field will be Lindsay "high scoring" Davis and none other than Jerry Tan! The question is...will Becca "The Wall" Newman be back for this game or not...

Wednesday nights adventure in COED soccer continues as Taya Talent plays Pika Raiders. These two teams tied last time and share a brother and sister like rivalry. Taya will be without the help of Newcomer Evan and possibly Tara as well as high scorer Chris Nelson. Pika Raiders will be without Dr. Allison "Hard Core" Livingston.

Game on! Have fun!

Thursday, July 26, 2007

I'm seeing yellow!!!

This week was full of firsts!
During the Pika Raiders verses Wild Bill's game, Patty Coleman started the whole thing off by FINALLY getting women on the score board for COED soccer! Next year we have to try and keep track of assists too. She kicked one in for Pika off a beautiful assist from Morgan Rose. Way to go Patty!!!
Another first this week was John Ravell as Center referee during the Taya Talent and Pirate game. This was his first time at center. Thanks to people like him who come out and give up their free time we get well organized games. I have tried to referee before and I am telling you that it is a lot harder than it looks. John did a great job! He kept composure, had a great sense of humor and maintained professionalism.
The image “http://www.thesonsofscotland.co.uk/images/about%20us/Yellow%20Card.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors.
Last but not least we had our first yellow cards of COED soccer. Two players received these cards for fouls. One for Taya Talent and one for Pirates. The crowd could not help noticing that the yellow cards did bear a close resemblance to green but we all understood that they were yellow. Where are the green cards?

Play hard, play well, and love the game!

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Pirates Suck

In the second half EJ made a beautiful pass to Evan, who went on to score a goal.

We're not going to talk about the rest of the game.

Go Taya Talent!

East Asian Football Federation places Two in Semi-Finals of 2007 Asian Cup!

The East Asian Football Federation (of which the Northern Mariana Islands is a member) saw two of its most powerful squads emerge into the semi-fianls of the Asian Cup 2007 over the past week.

Japan got thru their group play and nudged Australia out in one quarter-finals with a 1-1, (4-3 PK) victory. This avenges the JFA loss to the Socceroos in last summer's World Cup in Germany. This marks the Australians first contest in the Asian Football Congress. Previously, they had been part of Oceania in the FIFA world.

Japan will play Saudia Arabia tonight in one semi-final at 20:20 local time in Hanoi, Vietnam. The Saudis defeated Uzbekistan, 2-1, in their semi-final.

South Korea is also in the semi-finals after surviving their group and defeating powerful Iran (0-0, 4-2 PK). They will face surprise semi-finalist, Iraq, in the other semi-fianl tonight in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at 18:20 local time.

Go EAFF! Good luck in the semi-fianls!

Taya Talent takes on Fiesta Pirates tonight!


That's all I'm saying.

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Wild Bill's 4, Pika Raiders 1

I was hoping for a Pika Raiders win tonight, but it didn't happen.

Dang it!

Even though the final score was 4-1, Wild Bill's scored two of their goals pretty late in the game. Most of the game was a pretty close matchup. Pika Raiders just sloppy and tired in the end.

Jason Schroeder scored the first two goals of the game. Pattie Coleman answered back with a goal for Pika Raiders to make it 2-1 at the half.

The two teams went back and forth for most of the second half, but Arkie and Jersh eventually found the back of the net.

Tomorrow's game is Guns n Roses Taya Talent vs. the Dread Pirates at 5:15 PM at CPA Airport Field.

Monday, July 23, 2007

NMIFA in the News

The women are looking for some players:

Saipan Tribune, Monday, July 23, 2007

Women's national team needs new members
By Jon Perez
Reporter

The CNMI National Women’s Football Team is looking for additional members that would complete their roster in time for next month's tune-up games against off-island teams.

Co-captains Morgan Rose and Brenda Schultz is calling on all interested female players to join in an eight-day tryout, which started last Saturday at the Commonwealth Ports Authority Field.

Schultz and Rose are forming a Women's All-Star team to play in a tune-up match between local and off-island men's teams on Aug. 4 and 5.

A men's 35-and-over team from Hong Kong will be arriving on Aug. 3 to play several goodwill matches against local squads.

The CNMI All-Stars co-captains of the women's team wanted to take this opportunity to hone their skills by going up against the Hong Kong squad.

Nationality and age will not be a factor for selection and the co-captains only need for those who wish to try out is being fearless and their dedication.

Only six slots are left in the All-Star women's squad. The practice/training sessions, which started at 8am on Saturday, will be held at the Airport Field.

The schedule of the tryouts from Sunday to Thursday is 5pm, while sessions start at 8am every Saturday. The tryout will run from July 21 to 24, July 28 to 30, and Aug. 2.

Early this year, the CNMI women's team played against the Guam National Women’s squad in the inaugural Marianas Cup, which served as a preparation of the Guam women’s for the East Asian Football Federation Women’s Championship.

The CNMI has also met the Guam women’s team in several friendly tournaments.
The Northern Mariana Island Football Association credits Marcos Alonso for starting the women’s program. NMIFA has twice organized a Women's League, which is one of their programs of promoting the sport in the CNMI.

NMIFA also organizes the men's, youth, and co-ed leagues.

Men's League, Week 1 Photos

The Korean Football Club and the Bangladeshi Sports Club opened up this year's Men's League.

The score was still 0-0 at the half. KFC scored twice in the second half, once off a cross and once on the rebound from a penalty kick.

The Bangladeshi Sports Club had multiple chances to score in the second half, but couldn't put the ball in the back of the net.

I hope we don't have to play too many 2:30 PM games. It was frickin' hot.

The second game between Fiesta Inter and PTI was a total blowout, which Fiesta Inter winning 8-2. It looked like it was going to be an even match.

Fiesta scored first, followed by PTI a few minutes later. They went into the half with Inter up by only 3-1.

Then Inter scored three goals in the first few minutes of the second half. PTI pretty much gave up after that.

Brad RuszalaA few of us watched the game from behind the Ada Field fence. This allowed us to BBQ and enjoy adult beverages. The fence also put a physical barrier between us and the players, allowing us to heckle them.

NMIFA Press Release: Men's League, Week 1

OTSUKA HATRICK HIGHLIGHTS OPENING WEEK

Matsatoshi Otsuka netted a hatrick in leading Fiesta Inter to a convincing win over PTI, 8-2, in the opening weekend of the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association Summer Men's League. In the other match, the Korean Football Club got past the Bangladeshi Sports Club, 2-0, in a tight contest at Oleai Sports Complex.

Otsuka scored in the tenth, 42nd and 46th minute to grab his natural hatrick to lead perrenial stalwart to a convincing win over the PTI club. Arkie Reusora had a pair of goals and the Duenas clan contributed a pair with John connecting on a golaza at the 49th minute and Jose nabbing another at the 80th mark. PTI was paced by a score each by Amrit Limbu and Tej Gurung.

The opening match was a tight affair with the KFC wearing down the Bangladeshi club, 2-0. Seung Bak Kim cemented his place as the most veteran scorer in the NMI FA Men's League books with a clean volley at the 62nd minute. Veteran star, Eui Suk Ko, bagged another off a saved penalty kick at the 69th minute to push the Korean Football Association into the win column.

Next week's contests feature KFC vs Fiesta Inter at 2:30 PM. The second match will be PTI taking on the idle Independents at 4:30 PM. Both matches will be at Oleai Sports Complex next Sunday. The Bangladeshi Sports Club will have a bye.

******

________1st 2nd Final
Bangladeshi Sports Club 0 0 0
Korean Football Club 0 2 2

Goals: KFC (Kim, 62; Ko, 69)
Cautions: BSC (Jahangir Hossein, 75,dissent)
Officals: Bogdan, Anderson, Ravell, Lo


________1st 2nd Final
Fiesta Inter 3 5 8
PTI 1 1 2

Goals: FI (Otsuka, 10, 42, 46; Reusora 40, 56; John Duenas, 49; Jose Duenas, 80), PTI (Limbu, 19; Own Goal, 47, Gurung, 89)
Cautions: PTI (Tej Gurung, 79, tripping)
Officials: Smith, Schultz, Ravell, Lo

******

STANDINGS
__________________W D L GF GA GD
Fiesta Inter.................1 0 0 8 2 +6
Korean Football Club.........1 0 0 2 0 +2
Independents.................0 0 0 0 0 0
Bangladeshi Sports Club......0 0 1 0 2 -2
Pacific Telecom Inc..........0 0 1 2 8 -6


******

Sunday, July 22, 2007

LA Galaxy VS Chelsea Live Feed Ch. 6

Good morning Saipan. LA Galaxy Vs. Chelsea is being broadcast LIVE on channel 6 this morning at 10:30. Sorry for the late notice. The pregame show is already on. Enjoy!

Also don't forget to come out and watch our local men play at Ada gym field for the season opener! The first game is Korean Football Club vs Bangladeshi Sports Club at 2:30 and the second game is Fiesta Inter vs Pacific Telecom at 4:30! I love today!

Friday, July 20, 2007

Looking For A Few Good Women

CNMI WOMEN ALL STARS

Captain Brenda and Captain Morgan are forming a women's All Star Squad to play the weekend of August 4th and 5th. We will be playing men's teams from Hong Kong and the CNMI. Their teams will be composed of men 35 and over (Master's Division). The women will not have any Nationality or Age requirements. They just need to be dedicated and fearless! Come join us for try-outs. There will be about 6 spots available on the roster to fill.

Please pass this information on to the women players you know.

Practice will be at:

CPA Field
Saturday July 21st 8AM
Sunday July 22nd 5PM
Monday July 23rd 5PM
Thursday July 24th 5PM
Saturday July28th 8AM
Sunday July 29th 5PM
Monday July 30th 5PM
Thursday August 2nd 5PM
Tournament August 3rd and 4th

NMIFA in the News

This was in the Saipan Tribune today:

Korea-Bangladesh tiff to kick off men's football league
By Jon Perez
Reporter


It will be Korea versus Bangladesh in the opener of the Men's Summer Open League Tapochao Derby, which kicks off its hostilities on Sunday at the Oleai Football Field inside the Susupe Sports Complex.

The Korean Football Association will face the Bangladeshi Sports Club in the 2:30pm first game followed by the 4:30pm match between Fiesta Inter and Pacific Telecom Inc.

All games will be held at the Oleai Sports Complex unless there is a sudden change of venue, which the organizers will notify the competing teams before the scheduled date of their match.

Two games will be played every Sunday with one team earning a bye. Standings will be kept where each team earns points based on the number of goals and their wins.

An intra-island derby between the top two teams after the season will be held to determine the champion of the season. Schedule of all matches are pending at this time but games will run from July 22 to mid September.

The Independents, the fifth team in the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association-organized league, will be on a bye and will play against PTI on July 29.

The KFA will open up the July 29 games when they take on Fiesta Inter at 2:30pm.

The league format will have each team earning three points for every win, one point for a draw, and no points for a loss.

In an event that two teams have the same number of points after the regular season, organizers will follow four ways of breaking the tie for the Tapochao derby.

NMIFA director Vince Stravino said they will break the tie based on goal differential for the whole season, total goals for the season, head to head outcome, and through a coin toss.

The league was originally scheduled to open on July 15, but organizers decided to reschedule the opening to give teams more time to prepare and complete their respective rosters.

The registration fee for players is $20 and each player is also required to provide their own shin guards for the games.

Stravino added players are also required to obtain photo identification from Quick Print along Middle Road in Garapan after they register. The cost of the photo identification is $5 and the identification card is a requirement for a player to participate in the game.

This will be the second men's soccer league after NMIFA opened the inaugural competition in November last year. A total of eight teams competed in the inaugural men's league where L&S Kyung/Seung defeated Real Mariana in the finals of the Marcos Alonso Cup.

After the league opening on Sunday, there will only be one more schedule, on July 29, before the games take a brief break to give way to tune-up matches against masters 35-and-up teams from Guam and Hong Kong.

The off-island teams will be on Saipan on Aug. 4 and 5 and will play against several local teams on island. The matches will not count in the standings for the Tapochao Derby and games will be held at the Oleai and Airport fields.

The final schedule, with the times, and format for the two-day tune-up games will be announced in a later date.

For more information, email Stravino at nmifa@yahoo.com.

NMIFA in the News

This was printed in the Marianas Variety today:

Koreans, Bangladeshis to kick off action in Men’s Summer Open League
By Roselyn B. Monroyo
Variety News Staff


THE 2007 NMIFA Men’s Summer Open League will start this Sunday with the Korean Football Association and Bangladeshi Sports Club opening the action at the Oleai Sports Complex Field.

KFA and the Bangladeshis will collide at 2:30 p.m., while Fiesta Inter and PTI duel in the second match at 4:30 p.m.

Completing the five-team field of the men’s summer soccer league is Independents, which drew a bye in the opener.

The league will have a single round robin format in the regular season with the top two teams after the preliminary games advancing to the winner-take-all finals.
Independents will debut next Sunday against PTI at 4:30 p.m. The first game on July 29 will have KFA challenging Fiesta Inter at 2:30 p.m.

All games will be played at the Oleai Field, unless organizers made last minute changes.

The league will not hold regular season games in the first Sunday of August, but teams will still be playing in a goodwill tournament against the visiting Guam and Hong Kong Masters.

The results of the tournament will not be counted in the team standings in the men’s league.

The goodwill meet will be held on Aug. 4 and 5 with the format and schedule to be announced later. Games will be played at the Oleai and CPA fields.

The regular season game will resume on Aug. 19 with PTI taking on BSC at 2:30 p.m. and Fiesta Inter meeting Independents in the second game.

On Aug. 26, Fiesta Inter will battle BSC in the first game, while KFA square off with Independents in the second match.

The last regular season game will have BSC facing Independents and KFA dueling PTI on Sept. 2.

The championship game or the Tapochao Derby is set for Sept. 9 at 4:30 p.m. A consolation match between the third and fourth-ranked teams is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.

Each team will be awarded three points for every win, one for a draw and none for a loss.

In case of a tie at the end of the regular season, the final rankings will be decided by the goal differential for the season, total goals, head to head results or a coin flip.

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Vince Asanuma of Fiesta Pirates

This is a part of the "Meet The NMIFA Women" series

"The Energizer Bunny"

After chasing children around all day as the Eco Camp Manager, Ms. Vince shows up to her games with more energy to burn. You will see her visiting on the sidelines, giggling, and playing with children. Caution...when Vince hits the field she is all intensity. She began playing when the women's league was formed in 2005. She has been known to frequent the shopping malls during soccer trips to Guam!!You will have to run to catch up to her and give her a high five or dog pile her or something. She is #1 on the Fiesta Pirates! She inspires young girls to come out and play!

Fedora Camacho of Pika Raiders

This is part of the "Meet the NMIFA Women" coed series

Fedora Camacho- The First Time's a Charm!

Fedora is part of a soccer family. Her baby comes to watch all of her games! Her husband Norman is a youth coach and player. We've been hoping to see Fedora on the field for a long time and here she is! We've heard from the grapevine that she is having a lot of fun. She is another player full of smiles!
When you see Fedora make sure to give her a high five, a big smile, and lots of encouragement! She wears a California shirt and black socks. Go Fedora!!

NMIFA in the News

This was in today's Marianas Variety:

NMI to have new soccer coach
By Roselyn B. Monroyo
Variety News Staff


IT looks like the NMI will have a new soccer coach in Southern Methodist University (Texas) assistant Jason Higgins.

In an unofficial NMIFA blog, Northern Mariana Islands Football Association vice president vice president David Khorram said Higgins’ arrival on Saipan “will be a leap forward for our football (and soccer) program in the Mariana Islands.”
Variety emailed NMIFA secretary general Peter Coleman to confirm Higgins’ appointment, but he has yet to respond at press time.

NMI team member Brenda Schultz declined to comment on Higgins’ appointment, but said the NMIFA officials, who are mostly off island, would meet on Aug. 2 or 3 to discuss the association’s plans for the remaining season.

If Higgins made the grade, he will replace Jeff “Ziggy” Korytoski, who coached the NMI men’s team during the East Asian Football Federation qualifier against Guam this year.

Korytoski left Saipan in mid May and returned to Wright State University, Ohio, where he is an assistant coach.

According to the blog, at SMU, Higgins is responsible for all team travel arrangements, scouting of opponents, game administration, and office administration. He also assists with recruiting, video and match analysis, on-field coaching, off-season conditioning, and summer camps.

Higgins was the former head coach at Schreiner University in Kerrville, Texas, for two seasons and holds a USSF “B” license and the advanced national coaching license.

Wild Bill’s 1, Taya Tent 1

Meanwhile, at the continuation of action in NMIFA’s Co-ed Summer Leaguer, the Wild Bill’s and Taya Talent game last Tuesday ended in a draw, 1-1.

Arkie Reusora of Wild Bill’s scored the first goal in the early part of the first half, while Chris Nelson tied the game with a goal a few minutes before the first half ended.

Neither team scored in the second half as goalies Glenn Smith and Peter Bonser held their ground.

The draw gave Wild Bill a 1-0-2 win-loss-draw record, while Taya Talent recorded its third straight draw.

Two other teams are playing in the co-ed league, namely the Pika Raiders (0-0-1) and Dread Pirates (0-1).

There are a few mistakes in the story, so go with the info in the blog, not the newspaper.

Week 2: Pirates 3, Pika Raiders 0

In our little Coed Football world, the Dread Pirates are the Yankees. They recruited the best players from the island before the other teams were even forming. Everyone hates the Yankees.
Go Pika Raiders!

It wasn't to be.

The Dread Pirates finished the first half up 1-0 and solidified their win with two more goals in the second half to win it 3-0.

We face them next week.

Yosh, are you scared?

Here are some pictures from the game:

headerPatty ColemanGoalJesse scored a goal in that last picture.

What is going on in these three pictures:

Brokeback PokeBrokeback CoedYosh Gabaldon

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Give ALL the refs a big Thank You!!!


Referee

He awakes to the sound of R.O.A.R.S.
He is utterly alone.
He never gets applause.
He stands aloof and apart.
The arbiter.
Decision-Maker.
Whose whistle speaks -
such that even loud-mouthed
Bastards shut-up.
He is dressed all in black.
The MatchMaker.
Who sensibly allows artists and ballplayers to become
Football Poets.
He makes the crowd jump.
Only whistles when absolutley necessary.
The game flows beautifully.
Both sides hate him! Managers often hate him.
And yet - each player knows that without him
The game is pure chaos, not an archy,
And who wants that?

OK , So maybe our referees don't wear black but they make it possible for us to play each week. Make sure to give them all a huge thank you!!! They do it because they love the game.

New CNMI Football Coach

Dr. David "the Destroyer" Khorram posted this on his blog:

Jason Higgins and his wife (who is from London) arrive on August 1. Jason is currently an Assistant Coach at SMU in Texas. Here is is bio from the SMU website. It sounds like this will be a leap forward for our football (and soccer) program in the Mariana Islands. Welcome, Jason!

***

Jason HigginsJason Higgins begins his third season on staff, having come to the Hilltop in the spring of 2005. At SMU, Jason is heavily involved in all aspects of the program. In particular, he is responsible for all team travel arrangements, scouting of opponents, game administration, and office administration. Jason also be assists with recruiting, video and match analysis, on-field coaching, off-season conditioning, and summer camps.

Prior to his involvement with SMU, Jason served as the head assistant men's soccer coach at the University of Dayton in 2004-2005. During that season, Dayton compiled a 11-7-1 record, making a trip to the Atlantic 10 conference semi-finals. His responsibilities included but were not limited to: recruiting coordinator, scouting of opponents, practice and game management and travel arrangements. During his tenure in Ohio, Jason also was involved with the Olympic Development Program for the `86' Boys team.

Prior to his Dayton experience, Jason served as the Director of Operations at Rutgers University in 2003-04 when the Scarlet Knights were consistently ranked in the Top 25 in the nation. He was involved with all aspects of the program and enjoyed a trip to the second round of the NCAA Soccer Tournament His major responsibilities included but were not limited to: travel coordinator, film editing, game and practice management, and day to day office administration.

Higgins has also held the position of Head Coach at Schreiner University in Kerrville, Texas, for two seasons. There, he recruited and coached the American Southwest Conference Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year. His initial season ended with a 4-15 record, but his squad rebounded to post an 11-5-2 mark in his second year, while consistently starting eight of his 17 recruited freshmen.

From 1999 to 2001, he was the assistant men's varsity soccer coach at his alma mater, Springfield College in Springfield, Mass. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Springfield in May 1999, and obtained his Master's degree in Education from the same college in May 2001.

Higgins holds a USSF "B" license and the Advanced National Coaching License.

Summer Men's League Schedule

All games at Ada Field at Oleai Sports Complex unless otherwise noted.

Sunday, July 22

2:30 PM FC Arirang (FCA) (2) vs Bangladeshi Sports Club (BSC) (0)
4:30 PM PTI (2)vs Fiesta Inter (FI) (8)

Sunday, July 29

2:30 PM FCA (1) vs FI (3)
4:30 PM PTI (1) vs Independents (7)

Sunday, August 19

2:30 PM FI (0) vs Independents (3)
4:30 PM PTI (1) vs BSC (4)

Sunday, August 26

2:30 PM FI (6) vs BSC (1)
4:30 PM KFC (3) vs Independents (2)

Sunday, September 2

2:30 PM BSC (3) vs Independents (3)
4:30 PM KFC (4) vs PTI (1)

Sunday, September 9

2:30 PM Third Place Independants vs Fourth Place BSC in standing Consolation Match
4:30 PM First Place FI and Second Place KFC in Tapachao Derby Championship.

Teams get three (3) points for a victory and one (1) point for a draw in the standings for the Tapachao Derby Championship.

If teams are tied at the season end, tiebreakers are as follows:

1.) Goal differential
2.) Total goals
3.) Head to head competition
4.) Coin flip

Current Standings:

1. Fiesta Inter 4-0
2. FC Arirang 3-1
3. Independants 1-2-1
4. Bangladeshi Sports Club 1-2-1
5. PTI 0-4

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Lovelle D'Lonsod of Guns-N-Roses

This is part of the "meet the NMIFA Women" COED series.

Lovelle the Quiet Lion

Lovelle comes to the COED league bringing one Spring women's League season and 3 years of experience from the Philippines (and her sister Kathy Pagapular). She has a reputation of being a passionate player who likes to see her team do well. She has a sweet smile and kind words but has also shown no fear in taking on player threats such as Wesley Bogdan and Jason Schroeder.




When you see Lovelle quietly pass you by don't forget she's a lion on the field so give her a smile and a growl! She is Number 23 and wears a PIC uniform.
Go Lovelle!

Toi Malaiwam Punperm of Wild Bills

This is part of the "Get to know the NMIFA women" COED series.

"Toi the Smiler"

Toi began playing with the Women's League this past Spring. She played on the Fiesta Fuerza which was the Championship team last season! She is enthusiastic, friendly, and always has great sportsmanship. Toi is an active player who is as quick getting to the ball as she is to smile!



So, when you see #9 of Wild Bills be sure and give her a big cheer and smile!
Go Toi!

Still Undefeated

If you want to play in the Coed League, you have to bring your NMIFA ID card. Guess who was the only player who forgot theirs?

That's right: me.

I was already running late, was almost to the field, and realized that I forgot my card at home. Dang it! I had to run home and get it.

I didn't get back to the field in time to start. No big deal.

Tonight's game was amazing.

Wild Bill's drew blood first, with Arkie Ruosora scoring early in the game. Taya Talent answered his goal about 15 minutes later, when Chris Nelson scored off of a beautiful pass from....me!

We ended the half in a 1-1 draw.

In the second half both teams had several opportunities to score, with Wild Bill's having several more chances than Taya Talent.

If it wasn't for the previously unknown skills of Taya Talent's rookie Canadian keeper, Pete Bosner, we would have lost the game.

Pete gets the MVP for the day!

The game ended in a 1-1 draw. Wild Bill's remains in first place and Taya Talent moves out of their tie for second to take second.

Tomorrow's game is between the third place Pika Raiders and THE LAST PLACE Pirates at 5:20 at the CPA airport field. Come out and cheer them on!

Pika Raiders can move into second place with a win; the Pirates can move into third with a win.

Thought this was apropos...


...given the current rift among the bloggers, I thought this might patch up a few wounds.

Good Game Tonight

Dust off your lawn chairs and pack your coolers because tonight should be a great game at the Airport CPA field! COED Point leader Wild Bill's will take on 2nd place Guns and Roses AKA Taya Talent. See you at the Field Tonight (Tuesday) at 5:15!

Monday, July 16, 2007

ID Cards


Just a reminder for all of you Coed League players to make sure you have your official NMIFA ID cards with you for this week's games. If you've already paid and registered for the league (which you should've done by now) your ID Card is ready for you at Quick Print on Middle Road.

If you need directions, call Quick Print at 233-7678. It's across the street from Mobil and to the right of Poon's Restaurant (what a name). It's just $5 to get it done and you need it to play so get off your duff and get your stuff.

Sunday, July 15, 2007

NMIFA in the News

Saipan Tribune, Sunday, July 15, 2007

NMIFA keeps interest in soccer going
By Jon Perez
Reporter


The Northern Mariana Islands Football Association kept the interest of football going especially to its new players by opening a Co-ed Recreational League last Tuesday at the Airport Field.

NMIFA director Vince Stravino said they opened the co-ed recreational league to generate interest in the sport and to attract more new players for the upcoming leagues.

Stravino said the co-ed league attracted a lot of new players that joined the veterans in the four competing teams, namely: the Fiesta Pirates, the Wild Bill's, Pika Raiders, and Guns 'N Roses.

Stravino said the league was conceptualized to give the players a venue to practice their skills and for them to have something to do after work. “It also gives the new players the chance to learn the game and at the same time play against veteran players who already knew the game.”

Stravino said they will not keep track of the scores and standings of each game. “This league is only created to let the players have fun playing.”

Stravino added that next month, two 35-and-over teams from Hong Kong and Macau are going to visit Saipan and play against local teams. The teams are due to arrive on Saipan on Aug. 4.

A new football coach is also due to arrive late this year who will work with the youth, women's, and men's teams for one year.

NMIFA is also set to open the Summer Men's Open League on July 22. The league was originally scheduled to open on July 15 but organizers decided to postpone the start to give teams more time to prepare for the upcoming season.

The NMIFA held the inaugural Marcos Alonso Cup in February where eight teams competed. The season opened in November last year.

The Inaugural Marcos Alonso Cup ended its season in February with L&S Kyune/Seung defeating Real Mariana in the finals. The league was named in honor of former CNMI coach Marcos Alonso, who moved back to Argentina late last year.

The competing teams in the summer league are squads from the Korean Football Association, the Bangladeshi community, the traditionally strong Inter squad, Team Independent, and a newly formed team composed of internationals from the previous PTI team.

Two games will be played every Sunday with one team earning a bye. The standings will be kept where each team earns points based on the number of goals and their wins.

An intra-island derby between the top two teams after the season will be held to determine the champion of the season. Schedule of all matches are pending at this time but games will run from July 22 to mid September.

The registration fee for players is $20 and each player is also required to provide their own shin guards for the games.

Stravino added players are also required to obtain photo identification from Quick Print at Middle Road in Garapan after they register. The cost of the photo identification is $5 and the identification card is a requirement for a player to participate in the game.

Interested teams, players, or volunteering as a referee or official can contact Stravino at nmifa@yahoo.com for more information.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Coed Summer League Schedule

Pika Raiders (PR)
Captain: Morgan Rose

Guns and Roses (GNR)
Captains: Brad Ruszala and Angelo Villagomez

Pirates (PIR)
Captains: Dale Roberts and Yosh Gabaldon

Wild Bill's (WB)
Captains: Lindsay Davis and Glenn Smith

All matches are at CPA Field at the Airport and begin at 5:15 PM.

Tuesday, July 10 WB (2) vs PIR (1)
Wednesday, July 11 GNR (1) vs PR (1)

Tuesday, July 17 GNR (1) vs WB (1)
Wednesday, July 18 PR (0) vs PIR (3)

Tuesday, July 24 PR (1) vs WB (4)
Wednesday, July 25 PIR (4) vs GNR (1)

Tuesday, July 31 WB (2) vs PIR (3)
Wednesday, Aug 1 GNR (0) vs PR (1)

Tuesday, Aug 7 GNR (o) vs WB (4)
Wednesday, Aug 8 PR (0) vs PIR (4)

Tuesday, Aug 14 PIR (4) vs GNR (2)
Wednesday, Aug 15 PR (1) vs WB (2)

Tuesday, Aug 21 WB (1) vs PIR (2)
Wednesday, Aug 22 GNR (0) vs PR (2)

Tuesday, Aug 28 PIR (2) vs PR (1)
***Wednesday, Aug 29 GNR (1) vs WB (5)

Current Standings:

1. Dread Pirates 7-1
2. Wild Bill's 5-2-1
3. Pika Raiders 2-5-1
4. Guns n Roses 0-6-2

We Got Game

Turns out Taya Talent had plenty talent in their first game of the season. Two great things about soccer.....
1. Not ashamed about a tied game!
2. Who knew running could be fun?

Taya TalentBrenda Schultz, David Khorram, Bree Reynolds and Angelo Villagomez also wrote about the game on their personal blogs.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

…And what a game it was

After much hullabaloo about what a superstar laden squad Captain Dale “Dread Pirate” Roberts put together before the season, the less talked about Wild Bill’s squad pulled out an upset victory on a damp day at the CPA Airport Field.

Jason Schroeder raised eyebrows on the sidelines and drew cheers from his teammates when he got Wild Bill’s on the board early in the first half with a shot that got past Mafi the Magnificent and set the stage for a wild 80 minutes of action on the soggy pitch.

Dig the facial tattoos

Some of the CNMI’s best men and women worked together for the first time under the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association’s watch and their teamwork was nothing short of inspirational to the crowd of their dedicated fans.

Players on both sides of the midfield stripe struggled to find solid footing throughout the match but the conditions helped to level the field between the league’s top talents and future stars. The weather could only hold Thailand’s Jetsada Phonsujit for so long as the yellow-footed phenom lofted the ball over keeper Glen Smith to even the game with five minutes remaining in the half.

The teams huddled together and discussed strategy during halftime and returned to the pitch with the same energy that they brought in the first 40 minutes. Both Wild Bill’s and the Pirates had several opportunities to find the back of the net but defense and sturdy work between the pipes proved to be the story of the day.

Smith twice robbed Phonsujit on breakaway opportunities when he ran out to cut down the angle, but his defense saved his Canadian bacon by never giving up on the play and sending the resulting rebounds out of bounds allowing Wild Bill’s to regroup for the next Black Attack.
Dale: "Does this hat make me look fat?"

While Schroeder and Phonsujit represented the league’s experienced players well, newcomer Butch Sublemente ran circles around the Pirates in his soccer debut with blazing speed akin to an Olympic sprinter.

It took a few whistles from the head referee to engrain the rules regarding offside violations into his head, but Sublemente proved a quick study and used his speed to give Wild Bill’s a 2-1 advantage midway through the second half—one that they enjoyed until the final whistle.

Wild Bill's takes down the Dreaded Pirates

In last night's Coed Soccer League game Wild Bill's downed the Dreaded Pirates 2-1.

The action continues tonight when Brad & Angelo's Guns n Roses takes on Morgan Rose's Pika Raiders. The game is at 5:20 at the airport field.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

We're coming for you Morgan...


Taya Talent (aka Guns N Roses) will face the face of Flame Tree TV and her motley crew of footballers known as the Pika Raiders at the CPA Airport Field on Wednesday, July 11, at 5:15pm. Be there to catch all of the action. Bring a grill, a chair, and your best spirits to cheer on the teams.

First Coed Game!

The first COED game organized by NMIFA will be tonight at 5:20 at the airport field.

The Fiesta Dread Pirates, captained by Yosh Gabaldon and Dale Roberts, will take the pitch against Wild Bill's, captained by the feared dynamic duo of Lindsay and Glen.

The second game is tomorrow night, same time; same place. Brad & Angelo's Guns & Roses will take on the Captain Morgan Team.

Monday, July 9, 2007

First Post!

This is the first post of the Unofficial NMIFA Blog. This is a blog published by the players, for the players....and anyone else who comes across it.

NMIFA is on a quest to become the next FIFA member. They are already a provisional member of the East Asian Football Association.

NMIFA has a Men's Leauge, a Women's League, and a Youth League. The Coed League starts tomorrow.

Stay tuned for more!