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


******

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!

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.

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!!