After a very bad start in 2019-20 Papua New Guinea National Soccer League, Star Mountain finally found the right path in the tournament as the team coached by Selan Elizah has won two matches since the league’s resumption last month.
Star Mountain’s last match was a 1-0 win over Tusbab Stallions with a goal scored by William Yumb. This important victory helped them to reach the sixth position in the table with fifteen points. Star Mountain is the third team with most points since returning from the league after the COVID-19 pandemic, behind Lae City and Vitiaz United.
It is clear that the team improved a lot in the second half of the season and head coach Selan Elizah agrees with that: “The players’ mentality have changed. Their approach and attitude towards both training and playing helped the team. Also the inclusion of new players during the transfer window helped the team as well. We struggled in the first round, but I thought that they needed that to change their minds for the second round,” he said.
Star Mountain’s starting eleven against Vitiaz United – PNGFA Media
Currently four points behind fourth placed team Gulf Komara, it is obvious that Star Mountain can fight for a spot in the top four to play National Soccer League’s semi-finals. Despite the past results, Elizah keeps his feet on the ground: “I do not want to put the players under pressure. When we entered the league, I made a statement that it will take two to three years for the team to achieve its goal by being more competitive. This is our second year and I do not expect results yet, but if the opportunity arises it will be a bonus for the team,” he stated – “Some other teams are also fighting for this spot […] My players are focused on each game and I trust they will complete the job. We are motivated by the results achieved in our last games and this is driving the team through the last four remaining games,” he added.
The team’s last four matches in the PNG National Soccer League regular season will be against Morobe United, Kutubu, Lae City and Gulf Komara respectively. The upcoming clash is against Morobe United and winning this match is very important: “Morobe United lost two games in row but we cannot underestimate them. We will stick to our game plan by being more disciplined[…] The preparation this week was good despite having some injured players. We are hoping for a good game against them and a win will be good,” revealed Elizah.
Star Mountain and Morobe United will clash at Sir Ignatius Kilage Stadium in Lae. The match is scheduled to kick-off at 11am (local time) on Saturday. You can check National Soccer League’s standings, results and top scorers by clicking here.
Football in Cook Islands resumed last month when the local leagues kicked-off. Now, after three weeks, it is possible to point which teams are going to fight for the title and which teams are going to have a tough season full of losses.
Current league champions Tupapa Maraerenga had a marvelous start in the league as they won all their three matches in the league. Well known forward Paavo Mustonen is living a big moment as he scored five goals so far in the season, including a hat-trick against Avatiu in the second matchweek.
Tupapa Maraerenga (in black and white) are currently leading the league – Cook Islands FA Media
After finishing the last season in the second position, Nikao Sokattak are having a tough start with two losses in three matches. On the other hand, Puaikura are still unbeaten in the league. They are currently in the second position with seven points. The biggest surprise is surely Titikaveka that are in the third position with six points.
Avatiu and Matavera have not won in the season yet and all indications are that both teams will remain on bottom of the table until the end. You can check the current Vans Premiership standings by clicking here.
As the 2020 edition of the most important football league of Solomon Islands, the Telekom S-League, is being livestreamed in social media, the fans are being able to have deep analysis from the games – watching every movement of the league so far.
Not only the players and coaches are highlighted, but as well the referees. Recently, a number of Solomon Islands’ football supporters raised their concerns about level of refereeing in some of the recent matches of the national league. The fans argue many harsh tackles went unnoticed by the referees, including some potential red card offenses that in some cases were not even awarded as free kicks.
Referees for Kossa vs Marist – TSL Media
According to some fans, possible assaults in the pitch also went unnoticed by the refs – something that certainly is not good for the development of the game. The arguments of the fans were most concentrated on restraining violence in the game and keep the players’ nerves under control.
It is also very important to remember that the referees are humans – and there is no Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in Oceania at the moment – so it is expected to make mistakes. However, the complaining of the certain member of the community is understandable and correct, it is always important to pursue a better level in all areas of the game.
Some fans raised their voices to remember football has the same rules it does not matter where it is played and urged the referees to follow the same criteria, the same instructions that we have at top-level football as these fans observe certain happenings in the national league so far were not acceptable if happened in other countries.
Certainly, the governing football body in Solomon Islands can be effective in this area; making new courses to update their referee and assistants often can be valuable for them and, of course, to attend the calls of the fans that expect to see a better refeering level in the next matches of the Telekom S-League.
After holding first-placed side Rewa to an 1-1 draw in the last weekend, the Men in Black will have another clash against a team in the top of the table of Vodafone Premier League: Suva. The team coached by Ronil Kumar will travel to the capital city to take on the good side of Suva, led by the in form striker Sairusi Nalaubu that scored a hattrick in the latest win of his side over Labasa.
For this match, the current national champions will be missing one of the most important players of the season so far the team: Sanaila Waqanicakau. The former Dreketi striker is being vital for Ba in the season, Waqanicakau scored a brace in a hard fought win of Ba against Labasa before the break for Battle of Giants tournament – win that started the recovery of Ba that is now ranked second in the most important football league of Fiji.
Sanaila Waqanicakau – Sanjay Goundar
The tall striker will be certainly an important miss for Ronil Kumar in this match against Suva as Ba expects to a grab in order to overcome Rewa at the top of the table. While the tall striker will be unable to contribute to serve a suspension due yellow cards accumulation, Ba will hope to see Samuela Drudru back to his goalscoring days and the young Solomon Islander Darold Kakasi to continue in his good form for the team.
The match will be played on Sunday (06th Sep) at ANZ Stadium, Suva. The game is set to kick-off at 3pm FJT.
Hekari United’s star Raymond Gunemba was forced to leave early in the latest match of his team in the PNG National Soccer League. Gunemba could not play the decisive stages of the game against Vitiaz United – match that ended up in a 1-1 draw.
The player fell down with his back in the pitch, the injury was serious enough to take RG7 out of the match and also imposes doubts of the presence of the attacker against Gulf Komara this Saturday in Port Moresby for another very important match for Hekari United – “I will work with our physio and see how it goes,” said the Papua New Guinean international.
Raymond Gunemba leaving the match against Vitiaz after injury – PNGFA Media
The possible absence of Gunemba might be huge for Hekari – not counting on a player of the caliber of the experienced striker would be a big miss for any team in the national league. The opponents of the weekend just got an important win over Morobe Wawens in their last match and overtook the 4th place of Tusbab Stallions in the process.
The match between Hekari United and Gulf Komara is set to kick-off at 11pm, this Saturday at PNG Football Stadium, Port Moresby.
Labasa is not having a good season so far – What’s wrong with Labasa? The situation for the team coached by Ronil Lal can get even worse when they take on Navua this weekend for the Vodafone Premier League as they will not be counting on three regular starters: Lekima Gonerau, Ilisoni Lolaivalu and the star Antonio Tuivuna.
After a disappointing 3-1 defeat against Suva, Labasa is now ranked only 7th in the league – just three points away the ranked-bottom Navua, their opponent in the round. The importance of the game is obvious for the Babasiga Lions: a defeat for Navua can put them in serious danger to relegation to Vodafone Senior League, the second tier of Fijian football, something unthinkable for the Lions‘ fans after a fantastic 2019 season.
Antonio Tuivuna – FFA Media
The three usual starters of Labasa will be missing this match due yellow card accumulation, according to Fiji FA. Tuivuna was recently suspended for the first two matches of Battle of Giants, competition where Labasa also disappointed. Since his return, the star player played only matches and now will be serving suspension once again.
Gonerau is an important member of squad being a regular starter for the Babasiga Lions in the recent important glories of the team. Lolaivalu was the goalscorer of Labasa against Suva, the midfielder has been recently in a good goalscoring for the team despite the bad moment of the current Inter-Disitrict Championship title holders.
The match will be played this Saturday (05th Sep) in Navua at Uprising Sports Centre. The kick-off is set to be at 7pm FJT.
Hekari United is currently five points away Lae City FC in the top of the table of the PNG National Soccer League; the team coached by Eric Komeng will be looking for an important win this weekend when they take on Gulf Komara in Port Moresby.
Since the restart of the competition, Hekari lost a match to Lae City and recently draw against Vitiaz United in two top-table clashes, but in none of those matches the forward Patrick Aisa was involved – neither in the other two matches against Kutubu and Bougainville.
The addition of the powerful duo Nigel Dabinyaba and Raymond Gunemba certainly reduced the game time of Aisa in the first team of Hekari, but the player is still to have a chance under the guidance of Eric Komeng. Aisa was let out of all the four matchday squads since the league resumption and no recent news state about a possible injury of the player; what makes us to wonder: is Patrick Aisa out of Hekari United plans?
Patrick Aisa – PNGFA Media
The Papua New Guinean international was a regular starter for Hekari in the first part of the season, including the participation at OFC Champions League. Aisa already has experienced of playing overseas, as he spent a season in New Zealand playing for Hamilton Wanderers.
Hekari United also counts on the attacking force of players such as Ati Kepo, but the quality of Patrick Aisa is something that deserves to be explored by the Red Army staff. Despite not being a natural finisher, Aisa’s pace is valuable at the flanks and can help Hekari to break the deadlock of Gulf Komara that will surely come out with a more defensive strategy in both sides upcoming clash.
It is uncertain if Komeng will field the player on Saturday, but the credentials of Aisa make him more than capable to have an impact for Hekari. Aisa already scored in the season for his team and will be ready to step up if a new opportunity is to come. A player of the importance of Aisa – with already 12 international matches for his country – can not be let out of the team in these circumstances; if the situation stands as it was for the first month of football since the league resumption, we will not be surprised if Aisa moves elsewhere to get football time.
New Zealand is going through a great time in football as many talented players are emerging and moving into European football like Joe Bell, Liberato Cacace, Michael Woud, Nando Pijnaker and Sarpreet Singh. In addition, this generation still has many young players that must move abroad in a few years.
Many of these players have grown up training and playing at Wellington Phoenix Academy. The work done at this academy is of the highest quality since many players who trained there became professionals.
One of Wellington Phoenix Academy’s most talented players is certainly Henry Hamilton, an 18-year-old midfielder who played FIFA U-17 World Cup last year. Hamilton talked to Oceania Football Center about his experiences as a youth player and the next steps of his career. You can check the full interview below:
You were part of the New Zealand squad that won the OFC U-16 Championship and won a spot in the FIFA U-17 World Cup that was held in Brazil. How was this experience for you – winning a tournament for your country and representing them on the world stage?
The OFC U-16 Championship was a fantastic experience where I learned a lot. Obviously, in our second game we had a hard defeat to the Solomon Islands. It took a lot of courage and belief to then go out on top against them in the final. Overall it was a dream come true to make my international debut and even win the championship with the team.
Representing your country on the world stage is the dream of all young footballers. For me, it was a goal I had set myself a long time ago when I was very young. So, for all the hard work and sacrifices to finally pay off, it was a great feeling. I was lucky to have my family travelling to the Solomon Islands for the qualifiers and to Brazil to watch my matches during the U-17 World Cup, for which I will be eternally grateful, because without them none of these dreams or goals of mine would have come true, so having them by my side when I got those goals was fantastic. Playing against Brazil in Brazil was a surreal opportunity, going toe to toe with some of the best players of our age from a country so crazy about football was an experience that I will never forget and playing in front of the Brazilian fans was amazing, the atmosphere was second to none.
Hamilton (left) fighting for the ball against Brazil’s youngster Talles Magno
How is it being your development as a player in Wellington Phoenix academy so far?
I have been with Wellington Phoenix football academy for over six years, making me the longest serving member of the academy. I first came to the academy at the age of 12 when Jess Ibrom was the head coach of the academy. I was obviously very young compared to most other players at this time, but that meant I could learn every day from players who have now gone on to do great things in their careers, such as Joe Bell, James McGarry and Calvin Harris. And a player who is the same age as me who I was very close to during his time at the academy, Eugenio Pizzuto, who recently signed a professional contract in France with Ligue 1 Lille. Eugenio and I played against each other years later during a friendly between New Zealand and Mexico before the U-17 World Cup.
After my first two years at the academy, Jess left his position as head coach and gave way to the current head coach of the academy, Paul Temple. Paul came up with a different idea of how he wanted the academy to group players by age and ability rather than all the training as one group. Since Paul arrived four years ago, I have developed immensely. Over the last two years I have gone from striker to defensive midfielder, which is a big change, but fortunately I have had great coaches like Paul and Steve Coleman to help me understand the position better. I have now had about 50 games for the reserve team, both in the Central League and the New Zealand National League. At the Phoenix academy, we all work closely with a strength and condition coach, Weiji Lim. Weiji helps us with our fitness, our work in the gym, nutrition, recovery and much more.
So far, with my time at the Phoenix Academy, I have developed a lot as a football player, but also as a person, all this thanks to the great staff we have at the Academy, who all want to get the best out of every player. I look forward to developing more and more in the near future.
You recently revealed that you will play in the United States of America. What do you expect from this move, what impact can it have on your career?
I recently announced my commitment to the University of Maryland. I talked to many different coaches and programs from there that were all great programs but after talking to Sasho Cirovski (The head coach at Maryland) it was obvious to me and my family that Maryland would be the best place for me to call home. Different programs promised me a lot by saying that I would start every game for them, which made it tempting to choose those programs, but Sasho and the Maryland people were very honest and said that I would have to work for my place on the team every week.
The standard Sasho seems to have for all his players seems to be very high, which is another reason why I felt that Maryland would be the best for me. Maryland has a fantastic programme with a lot of history, including four National Championships, the latest coming in 2018. I feel that this move to Maryland is the right step in terms of my career as it gives me the opportunity to continue pursuing my dreams of professional football as well as continuing my education. Many professionals left the programme in Maryland, which gives me great conviction and dedication to add my name to that list of players.
I am also very excited to be in a team with Jacen Russel-Rowe who represented Canada during the U-17 World Cup, we played against Canada in our last group game, so it is very exciting to be in a team with a top player like Jacen for the future. I am very excited about my future at the University of Maryland. I plan to go there in January 2021.
Henry is not the first player to leave New Zealand to play in the United States of America as dozens of Kiwis are currently playing in the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer – the major university football league in the country. Last year, New Zealand international Joe Bell reached the NCAA’s final with Virginia Cavaliers. His good performances helped him to join Viking FK, a professional club from Norway
Oceania Football Center would like to thank Henry for sharing his experiences in football. We wish him good luck in his journey to become a professional football player.
It is not that common to see Pacific Islanders playing in Europe, but it happens. Some known examples are David Browne and Nicho Prasad who are currently playing in Finland and Germany respectively. However there is another player that must be highlighted despite being a free agent at this moment: Scott Wara.
Born in Lautoka (Fiji), Wara moved to England with his parents when he was very young and started to play football seriously when he was 13. He spent many years playing for Stoke City’s youth teams until leaving the club earlier this year.
Oceania Football Center talked to the 20-year-old defender from Fiji about his career and his views on Fijian football. You can check the full interview below:
How is your development as a player in England? It is being amazing! I was able to train under some of the best coaches in the world and play with and against some players who played in the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Champions League. And, obviously, going on loan to Leek Town, which was a kind of other end of the scale, but still with great players, gave me the development I really needed in football.
You have already played for Fiji National Team and Fiji U23. How was the experience of being part of your National Team? I only have good memories! Being able to represent your country is always an honor. So it was obviously a great moment for me and my family. Not every player can say they were able to play for their national team.
What is your opinion about Fijian football? Is it developing in recent years? Do you see room for improvement? It is better than I expected, but as in any football level, there is always room for improvement. I think the path they are following with hiring experienced coaches who have experience in Europe is a step in the right direction. I think the next step is to get more Fijian players in professional leagues so that they can improve and play higher levels of football.
Have any clubs contacted you after you left Stoke City? I have some clubs at the moment, but I’m not sure where to sign at the moment because of the place where I feel most suitable for me and my family. Staying in England is my priority. If there are no opportunities here, then I will go elsewhere, but I want to prove myself first in the best league, hopefully. If this is not the case, then I am happy to play anywhere that offers me sufficient exposure and experience. I am working as hard as I can to come back from a small wound and, by God’s grace, I will soon be back.
You are a great example for Fijians and Pacific Islanders, as well as for players who wish to reach professional level. What message could you leave to your compatriots in Fiji who are currently pursuing a football career? I think the message I would like to leave is just to learn to fall in love with football first and foremost. I see many players who just love the idea of being a professional football player, but not the sport itself. I say this because at some point in your career you will face fights, but your love for the game will be the main factor that will stimulate you.
Oceania Football Center would like to thank Scott Wara for sharing his thoughts with us. We wish him good luck in his career as a professional footballer.
Marist FC and Kossa FC clashed at Lawson Tama Stadium on this Wednesday in the fourth matchweek of Telekom S-League – the major football league from Solomon Islands. Abraham Iniga had a marvelous performance to lead his side in a 3-0 win over Kossa.
Iniga pushed the ball into the net in the 16th minute after a cross from the left wing to open the scoreboard for Marist. The 41-year-old forward scored his second goal of the game in the 30th minute after receiving a pass from Bobby Lesley.
Iniga scored a brace for Marist against Kossa – Telekom S-League Media
After scoring twice in the first half, Marist still managed to score a third goal when Bobby Lesley found the net in the 72nd minute after a fast counter-attack. Kossa’s analyst Alex Waimora pointed that their defense was vulnerable during the game. On the other hand Marist FC head coach Patrick Miniti expressed his happiness with the result and praised veteran Abraham Iniga for being a role model for young players in a post-match interview.
It was Marist’s first win in the season while Kossa are in a bad streak as they have not won their last three matches. You can check the current Telekom S-League standings, results and top scorers by clicking here.
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