As the clock strikes 19:30 GMT on May 30, Suzhou Olympic Sports Center will be the venue for a key matchup. China's men's national soccer team will challenge Guam here for valuable points in Group A of the 2022 Qatar World Cup Asian Qualifying Round 40. Guam, the lowest-ranked team in the FIFA rankings with five rounds of losses, had undergone a coaching change a month ago. Despite suffering a 0-7 defeat to the national soccer team in the first round, Guam still expects to cause some trouble in this tournament. Our team, on the other hand, can lock up the $1 million prize money with a victory.
Looking back at Guam's World Cup qualifying history, they lost all five of their matches, scoring two goals and conceding nineteen, placing them at the bottom of Group A and the only team certain to miss out on the World Cup final round. They are ranked 198th in the latest FIFA Men's National Team Rankings, also at the bottom of Group A. The highest ranking ever for a Guam team is 198th. Guam's all-time high ranking of 146th and average ranking of 191st make them a weak team.
In the all-time meetings between the National Football Team (NFF) and the Guam team, the record of both encounters ended in a big win for the NFF.In the 2000 Asian Cup qualifier in Vietnam, the NFF won by a lopsided margin of 19-0, setting a record for the biggest win in the history of the tournament. And in the first round of the World Cup qualifier on October 10, 2019, the national football team thrashed Guam again by a score of 7-0 at the Tianhe Stadium in Guangzhou.
On April 16, Guam head coach Carl Dodd resigned due to a family emergency and returned to Australia. Just one week later, on April 25, the Guam Football Association announced that Korean coach Seo Dong-won had taken over to lead the team for the remainder of the tournament. Seo Dong-won has coached college teams in South Korea and has been selected as Coach of the Year. He was also a member of the KFA's World Cup Technical Study Group.
Due to the epidemic, Seo Dong-won did not travel to Guam in person after his appointment, but briefly communicated with team members via Zoom video. Guam's domestic training was handled by technical director and another South Korean, Kim Sang-hoon. Seo Dong-won asked the team to improve team awareness and tactical scoring, as well as zone defense and coordination on defense through a short training camp.
On May 14, the Guam Football Association announced its 24-player roster for the tournament. The roster has changed significantly from the last tournament, with only 11 players from the last roster. Among them, 16-year-old star Stenson dropped out, while players such as goalkeeper Jaye, Marlon Evans, Hale Hale and Justin Lee returned after missing the last match against the national soccer team.
Team Guam played an in-house instructional game at the National Team Training Facility on the evening of 18th local time, and while the game was not open to spectators, it was broadcast live over the internet. The Blue Team defeated the White Team 8-4, with the Blue Team utilizing a 5-4-1 formation in the first half.
As seen in the game, Guam's players were generally slow, not smooth enough to handle the ball, and some of them were not "lean" enough. It is worth noting that six players, including Hale Hale, play in the U.S., even though they play for large schools, and these U.S.-based players play mainly in the offense.
On the whole, Guam's players' love of soccer far outweighs their professionalism. However, players like 30-year-old midfielder Mark Chagualaf, who has earned his AFC B coaching certificate, show that they are not just "amateurs".
According to the Guam Football Association's itinerary, the Guam team left the country on the 20th and is scheduled to arrive in the country on the 23rd and train in the country for about a week before the match against the national soccer team. Seo Dong-won's request to the team is to face the challenge bravely, create problems for the opponents, and show Guam fans the spirit of never giving up! (Aoyo Cheuk)
With Guam's 24-man roster
Goalkeepers: Sean Evans, Dallas Jaye
Defensemen: Marlon Evans, Isiah Lagutang, Alexander Lee, Justin Lee, Nathaniel Lee, Morgan McKenna, Leon Morimoto, Ryan Kitugua Jr.
Forward: Sean Agee, Mark Chaguaraf, Jason Cunliffe, Kyle Halehale, Shane Healy, John Matkin, Devan Mendiolaan, Tony Moon, Travis Nicklaw, Eduardo Pedemont, Nathan Sablan,
