Oceania Football Center

Promotions for Mobil Super Ligue set in New Caledonia

The last weekend in New Caledonia was the decisive moment for four teams that took part in the Relegation/Promotion playoffs for the most important football league in New Caledonia, the Mobil Super Ligue. In the previous season of the top tier, won by Hienghène Sport, the direct relegated side was ES Wacaele that could not establish themselves in the Super Ligue going back to the regional championship of the New Caledonian Islands. Trio Kedeigne ended 9th in the run and had still a chance to battle against relegation in a one-legged decisive match – Trio was draw against the champions of South Provincial Committee AS Kunié. In the other decisive match the champions of the North Provincial Committee JS Baco faced the champion of the Islands Qanono Sport.

The matches were held in neutral venue in Mont-Dore. The first match saw the known side JS Baco to grant their spot once again at the first tier of football in New Caledonia. The north team already took part in many occasions of the Mobil Super Ligue.

The dream to keep at the first division proved to be only an illusion for Trio Kedeigne – they lost their place against the South winners AS Kunié – a much celebrate win for everyone in the region of Kunié.

JS Baco and AS Kunié, the new teams in Mobil Super Ligue 2020 – *FCF Foot*

Both sides will have the chance to join themselves to the former finalists of the OFC Champions League AS Magenta and Hienghène Sport – the last side the winner of the continental glory that recently played at a major FIFA tournament, the FIFA Clubs World Cup.

Roy Krishna wins ‘Goal of the Week’ award in Indian Super League

The Fijian wonder Roy Krishna keeps proving he is one of the best ever player produced in Oceania. The forward is currently the top goalscorer of the 2019/20 season of Indian Super League for his side ATK. Despite suffering a 2-1 defeat last weekend against Goa and losing the 1st place in the standings, the Fijian was awarded the ‘Goal of the Week’ award due a fantastic goal scored scored against NorthEast United in the seventh matchweek in the league – you can watch the goal by clicking here.

A imagem pode conter: 1 pessoa, em pé, estádio e atividades ao ar livre — Krishna receives his award – *ISL*

The Fijian is still the at the top of the stats in the golden boot race in India with six goals scored in eight matches played. The Spaniard striker Sergio Castel of Jamshedpur comes just behind Krishna with five goals scored.

Pago Youth withdrew from 2020 Oceania Champions League

🇧🇷 Clique aqui para ler em português

Oceania Football Confederation recently released the 2020 OFC Champions League group stage draw and its venues. Now they released the Preliminary Round draw with a huge surprise: only three teams will play it.

The OFC Champions League Preliminary Round is usually played by four teams: one from American Samoa, one from Cook Islands, one from Samoa and one from Tonga. However the 2020 edition will have only three teams in this stage because Pago Youth (American Samoa representant) withdrew from the competition due to a measles outbreak that is ravaging the country. Tonga and Samoa are also suffering with this epidemic but Lupe o le Soaga (Samoa) and Veitongo (Tonga) will take part of the continental competition alongside with Tupapa Maraerenga from Cook Islands.

The qualifying tournament will take place across three match days at Ngahue Reserve in Auckland on January 25, 28, and 31.

The winner of the Qualifying Stage tournament will join Group D in the OFC Champions League 2020, alongside AS Venus (Tahiti), Ba FC (Fiji), and Auckland City FC (New Zealand). The runner-up in qualifying will enter Group C with AS Magenta (New Caledonia), the S-League winner from the Solomon Islands, and AS Tiare Tahiti (Tahiti).

Nawo and Kaua waiting for sponsorship for trialling in Europe

It was recently reported that Atkin Kaua and Joses Nawo are very close to have an opportunity as footballers at Europe. However it seems that there is a big problem behind good news: money.

According to reliable sources, Kaua and Nawo have the opportunity to trial at Tarxien Rainbows from Malta but they need to find someone to fund them otherwise they will not travel to Europe. They might be losing the biggest opportunity of their lives due to lack of sponsorship and funding.

Kaua (left) and Nawo (right) are waiting for someone to fund the trip to Malta

Malta’s transfer window closes on 31 January 2020.

Warriors and Eels draw, Isabel remains on third

Another gameweek is gone in the 2019-20 Telekom S-League with some important results that may be very decisive to the final league standings. Scroll down and check what happened during the weekend in the S-League!

HENDERSON EELS 2-2 SOLOMON WARRIORS

The most important match of the season ended drawn. Raphael Lea’i scored early in the beginning of the match to give Eels the lead but Benjamin Totori tied the game with a close-range finish in the first half for Warriors.

Tutizama Tanito restored Eels’ lead with a stunning goal. Eels’ goalkeeper Anthony Talo brought down Totori in the box as referee George Time awarded a penalty for Warriors. Ni-Vanuatu midfielder John Alick netted the penalty kick to tie the match.

Warriors are leading the league with 35 points while Eels have 32 points with two matches left to play for each team.

Lea’i scored but it was not enough to beat Warriors. Source: S-League Media

LAUGU UNITED 9-0 REAL KAKAMORA

Laugu smashed Real Kakamora to take the fifth position in the league. Darold Kakasi netted four goals while Mathias Iani scored a hat-trick to bring Laugu back to the winning pathway. The other two goals were scored by Clayton Menapa and Leslie Ramo.

Real Kakamora is having an awful season. They lost all their matches so far.

Kakasi scored four goals against Real Kakamora. Source: S-League Media

ISABEL UNITED 12-0 GUADALCANAL

Just like Real Kakamora, Guadalcanal is having a very harsh season winning only one match so far (against Real Kakamora). They were thrashed by Isabel United this weekend with a heavy 12-0 loss. Unfortunately there is no reliable information about the goalscorers.

Isabel United keeps their good streak to remain on the third position with 25 points.

Players fighting for the ball. Source: S-League Media

KOSSA 6-2 MALAITA KINGS

Kossa won again to keep pursuing Isabel United for the third position in the league table. Harrison Mala scored his second straight hat-trick and he has now 12 goals scored in the league, half of them were netted in the last two matches. Robert Laua, Lore Fonaota and Barrie Limoki also scored for Kossa. Malaita Kings’ goals were scored by Papua New Guinea International Nigel Dabinyaba and good striker Edward Huniuehu.

Malaita Kings is in the sixth position with 18 points while Kossa is in fourth with 23 points.

You can check the league standings and the topscorers by clicking here.

Hekari United sign Portuguese and two Brazilians ahead of OFC campaign

Hekari United mean business this year. Hot on the heels of recent news that the side have secured the services of PNG Kapuls captain Michael Foster for the new season, it was revealed today that the club have also put pen to paper to secure the loan signings of three professionals: one from Portugal and two from Brazil.

Hekari United won their opening NSL match 3-0 against Star Mountain. Photo: PNGFA Media

The players – Portuguese Diego Andres Martins and Brazilians Jose Ricardo and Eric Joe – will join the club in January and be available for NSL and OFC matches.

Not a great deal is known about any of the players, although deeper research reveals that Andres Martins, 31, most recently played for Police United FC of Belize, and plays as an attacker. It’s possible he may have been a member of the Police United side that took part in the 2016/17 CONCACAF Champions League, in which case he would bring a wealth of experience to the club.

Franchise owner Vonnie Kapi Natto said the process of convincing the players to come to the club took four months.

Kapi Natto also revealed that three players from the Solomon Islands would also be joining the club in the next couple of weeks.

More information about the 2019/20 NSL squads will be revealed when we have it.

Hekari United signs Kapuls captain Michael Foster

The hot news from Papua New Guinea comes from Port Moresby at this start of week: the Kapuls international Michael Foster made his way from Solomon Islands to reinforce the current runners-up of PNG National Soccer League Hekari United.

It was already reported by Oceania Football Center that Foster was not going to be back for Lae City for this season in his home country, but his future was still uncertain. The 34-year old midfielder has played 25 times for his national team scoring six times. He was the captain of the Kapuls in the latest Pacific Games held in Samoa where his side ended the competition in the 4th place.

Image result for Michael Foster png — Michael Foster with his nation colours – *OFC Media*

Foster is one of the most celebrated footballers of Papua New Guinea history and will now join national football idols as David Muta in the most known football club of Papua New Guinea.

Foster already played his club football in Solomon Islands and Australia and recently he was at Telekom S-League – the top tier of football in Solomon Islands, defending Malaita Kings. Michael was instrumental for the team in the league scoring five goals.

A imagem pode conter: 2 pessoas, pessoas praticando esportes e atividades ao ar livre — Foster when played of Toti City – *OFC Media*

Foster helped Lae City to win the last edition of PNG National Soccer League where his former club beat in the penalty shooutout his new side, Hekari United. Foster also represented Lae in the 2019 OFC Champions League where the team played the current winners of the continental tournament Hienghène Sport and were knocked-out of the competition after a 4-0 defeat in New Zealand against powerhouse Auckland City.

The midfielder will be facing again Hienghène Sport as Hekari United is grouped alongside the New Caledonians in the 2020 OFC Champions League edition, that marks the comeback of Hekari at international stage.

Foster might be already available for Hekari United in their second game in the competition that will be played next Saturday against FC Bougainville.

Cam Devlin impresses but Phoenix just draw with 10-men in Melbourne

Wellington Phoenix could not keep their good run in Australian top tier – the Hyundai A-League – despite facing a Melbourne Victory in a bad moment in the league. Cameron Devlin took place as starter in the midfield, for the first time in the season the young Australian started for his new side due an injury for the regular Alex Rufer in the position.

Phoenix had won their previous three matches in the competition, against Brisbane Roar, Adelaide United and Western Sydney Wanderers. The New Zealand side travelled to Melbourne to face Victory that won just two matches in the league so far. The first half saw Phoenix having full control, forcing the goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas to make various stops, as in the lob finish of the prolific midfielder Ulises Davila.

A imagem pode conter: 1 pessoa, sorrindo, em pé — Devlin impressed and was select for the ‘Team of the Week’ of A-League – *Phoenix Media*

The most important chances were created by Phoenix, but Melbourne was also dangerous in the first half. Stefan Marinovic made a fantastic defense to deny Victory a goal in one of their rare goal scoring opportunities. The Austrian playmaker Kristjian Dobras found the bottom right-corner of Marinovic in the ending of the first-half but the ball hit the post, unfortunately for Dobras and Victory.

The referee Stephen Lucas yellow-carded many players during the game and the same Dobras who hit the post of Marinovic was sent off after a harsh challenge with Cam Devlin. The VAR did not call the attention for Lucas to possible review the play and the Austrian let his team with 10-men for more than 20 minutes in the second half.

The introduction of offensive players as Ben Waine, Callum McCowatt and Gary Hooper was not enough for Phoenix to find a goal. The closest they got was in hearder of the defender Luke DeVere that hit the bar and kicked in the goal line.

The highlights of the match

Despite wasting an opportunity to have their fourth straight win in the season, Phoenix is now five matches without a defeat – having a much better run in the league than their starting matches in the season. The team sits now inside the qualifying playoff-zone with 11 points – 6th in the ladder.

Phoenix will be back to Wellington next Sunday to play the current leaders of the standings that just lost once in the season – Sydney FC.

Joe Bell scores but Virginia Cavaliers loses in NCAA College Cup Final

Virginia Cavaliers was beaten by Georgetown Hoyas in the shootout in NCAA Men’s Soccer College Cup. Despite ending the tournament as runners-up, an Oceanian player wrote his name in Cavaliers’ history: Joe Bell.

Bell was a key player for Cavs during the whole season and he was also an important player in the final against Hoyas by scoring the opening goal of the match to give Cavaliers the 1-0 lead.

Bell opened the scoreboard with a right footed shot

However, Georgetown Hoyas managed to net twice to take the 2-1 advantage to the dressing room in the halftime. Virginia’s draw came later when Daniel Steedman scored in the middle of the second half. The two goals scored by Cavaliers were not enough – Hoyas scored a third goal in the 80th minute but Daryl Dike pushed hard to score for Cavs in the 85th minute to tie the match at three and take the final to the Extra Time.

Players celebrating Cavaliers’ third goal

The tie remained throughout the extra time full of emotions so the NCAA College Cup final was decided in the shootout. After several shots, Hoyas won by 7-6 in the Penalty Kicks to win the NCAA College Cup for the first time ever.

Bell scored seven goals and delievered four assists throughout the season. He is on of the three finalists for 2019 MAC Hermann Trophy, an award given to the best player of NCAA Division I men’s soccer season. The winner of Hermann Trophy will be announced on January 3rd.

Galaxy FC faces Tafea in a friendly match to decide final squad for Champions League

Galaxy FC is getting ready for 2020 OFC Champions League. Currently in the third position in 2019-20 Port Vila Premier League, the Blues are strengthening their squad to play he continental championship with some new players like Solomon Islander Gagame Feni.

The group stage of OFC Champions League is scheduled to begin in February. However Galaxy is already deciding the final squad. The friendly match against Tafea on 18 December is going to be the last opportunity for new players to join the final squad that will travel to Papua New Guinea to play Group A against current ISPS Handa Premiership champions Eastern Suburbs, hosts Hekari United and current Champions League winners Hienghène Sport from New Caledonia.

This friendly is being called “Champion vs Champions” because current PVFA Premier League champions Tafea is going to face current PVFA Top Four champions Galaxy FC. It is expected that six players will have an opportunity to fight for places in the final squad: Gagame Feni that recently arrived from Suva, Alphonse Lency (Ifira Black Bird), Franck Reuben (Yatel), Malakai Makito (Yatel), Roger Marcel (Erakor Golden Star) and Edisson Stephens (Tafea).

Galaxy FC squad to face Tafea on Wednesday. Source: Galaxy FC Media

The game is scheduled to be played at Korman Stadium on Wednesday 18 December at 4pm.