Oceania Football Center

Vanuatu international Lency Philip set to move to Australian football

Vanuatu international Lency Philip is set to join Australian side Gawler Eagles FC, leaving behind his former club Galaxy FC. The 25-year-old defender, who has represented his country three times internationally, will be joining the same team as former Galaxy and national team member Jeffrey Tasso. Eagles play in the South Australia State League 2.

Galaxy FC stated in a press release: “We have released Lency to the Australian Club and Lency is set to arrive at his new club today from Port Vila. We have brought Lency to the club from (Espiritu) Santo and Lency has become an important member of the squad ever since. We thank him for the his contribution to the success of the club over the years and wish him the very with his new club.”

Philip started his career playing for Vaum United and Malampa Revivors in the Luganville Premier League, before making the move to Galaxy FC. During his time at Galaxy, he established himself as one of the top defenders in Vanuatu’s top-flight league, and caught the attention of the Gawler Eagles FC.

Lency Philip in action for Galaxy – *Galaxy FC Media*

The move to Australia will offer Philip a chance to challenge himself against a higher level of competition, and to further develop his skills as a defender. He will be joining a Gawler Eagles FC side that is looking to improve on their performance from the previous season and Phillip will be hoping to make an impact and help the team achieve their goals.

With his experience playing for both club and country, Philip will be a valuable addition to the Gawler Eagles FC squad. His defensive abilities and work rate will help to bolster the team’s backline and provide them with a solid foundation to build on.

Overall, this move represents an exciting opportunity for Lency Philip to take his career to the next level, and for Gawler Eagles FC to add a talented and experienced player to their ranks.

Raphael Lea’i has his first assist in European football as he puts another good performance

Solomon Islands international, Raphael Lea’i, showcased his impressive skills for FK Velež Mostar in their recent match against FK Tuzla City in the m:tel Premier League. Despite coming off the bench at the 61st minute of play, the 19-year-old striker made an immediate impact and helped his side take the lead with a well-placed assist to Nermin Haskić at the 82nd minute. You can watch the fantastic play of Lea’i and his assist by clicking here.

Lea’i’s performance was even more remarkable considering that this was only his fifth match for FK Velež Mostar since signing his professional deal in Europe. The young footballer has already made history by becoming the first player from Solomon Islands to sign a professional contract in Europe, and he is clearly proving his worth on the pitch.

Lea’i in a training session – *Anadolija*

Velež Mostar may have been disappointed with the equalizing goal scored by Tuzla City at injury time, but Lea’i’s performance provided a silver lining to the match. The team currently sits in the 3rd position in the top-tier league of Bosnia and Herzegovina and they will surely be looking to build on Lea’i’s promising performance in the upcoming matches.

Lea’i showed that he can make a significant impact on the pitch despite his young age and relative lack of experience in European football. With more matches under his belt, Lea’i could become a key player for FK Velež Mostar and a rising star in European football – showing there’s real talent in the South Pacific.

New Caledonia’s Jekob Jeno returns to action in France

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Jekob Jeno is currently the only New Caledonian-born player to be playing in the top-two leagues of the French football system; although Jeno this season he has experienced ups and downs – has not been able to play as many minutes as he did last season – where despite injury problems that did not allow him to progress through the season.

After ten matches absent between injuries and coach’s choice, Jeno returned to the field last March 13th when he played just one minute in the defeat against Sochaux. He had already appeared in a French Cup match but his last Ligue 2 match had been on 30th December, 2022 in the 1-0 loss to Metz when he was a starter.

Jekob Jeno got good minutes again last Saturday (08th April) when Grenoble beat Laval 1-0 continuing their fight for a place in the Ligue 2 playoffs, with the New-Caledonian midfielder coming on in the 59th minute. Grenoble is currently sixth in Ligue 2, and is in the playoff zone for a place in Ligue 1, the top-tier league of French football.

Australian-based brothers set to join Junior Bula Boys for U-20 World Cup

Marcus and Lachlan Lal, the sons of former national football player Jason Lal, are set to make their mark on the international stage as they prepare to represent Fiji at the U-20 World Cup in May. The young footballers are currently part of the Fiji U-20 team that is set to play friendly matches in Gold Coast in Australia. The duo will join the squad when the Fijian team arrives in the country.

The journey for the Lal brothers has not been without its challenges, with visa and passport issues initially causing some concern. However, Fiji Football Association Technical Director Timo Jankowski confirmed to local media that these issues have now been resolved, paving the way for the brothers to represent their country at the upcoming tournament.

Lachlan Lal has already gained some experience on the international stage, having represented Fiji at the U-19 Oceania Championship. The team finished in 2nd place, after a 3-0 loss to New Zealand in the final. Marcus was unfortunately unable to join his brother at the tournament due to paperwork delays. However, he continued to support his brother from afar, and is now excited to join him in representing Fiji at the U-20 World Cup.

Both Marcus and Lachlan are attached to Manly United, a football club based in Australia. Their experience playing for the club has undoubtedly helped them develop their skills and prepare for the challenges of playing at the international level.

The U-20 World Cup is set to take place in May, and the Lal brothers will undoubtedly be eager to make their mark on the tournament. With their talent, dedication, and the support of their fellow teammates, they are sure to represent Fiji with pride and passion.

Solomon Islands’ head coach Vega-Arango gives strong statement: “No tolerance with addictions”

Unfortunately, it is still common in Oceania to come accross cases of football players involved in polemics around addictions; such as alcohol, drugs and different types of hallucinogen substances.

Felipe Vega-Arango, the Spanish head coach of Solomon Islands national team, gave a strong statement to local media about the culture of acceptance that is under these circumstances: “You will notice that professional players from New Zealand, Spain and Brazil don’t smoke and drink every day, and if we want to reach their level, we must also make sure we do the right thing and we have to go that way as well“, said the coach to Sun Sport.

“I talk to my players that we are human beings and if one-day the players have a really tough match at Lawson Tama and later the evening they want to have a beer; it’s up to them because nothing I can do about that. But the problem is the addiction,” said Vega-Arango – “I want the players to wake up in the morning and think about football and not smoking. I want the boys to wake up early in the morning and think about their next training session and requirements“, he added.

Vega-Arango (middle) during training session last month in Fiji with Solomon Islands national team – *Reinal Chand*

The Spaniard mentioned all these aspects will be taken as crucial ones to make the next selections for the national team: “But to me, the boys are positive and I don’t know maybe they are lying to me but I believe 99% of players of the national team are taking care of themselves. Like I say, maybe they drink one beer a day but not every day“, he told to Sun Sport.

The professionalisation of football in Oceania is a must in the upcoming years; the national federations, local communities and Oceania Football Confederation have to look forward and help the development of the local football – if the players are fully commited to the game, the standart of competition will certainly improve in the region. Although, it is too much to ask for the local-based players to take football as a priority while they can not live only from their sporting activities, this open the path of addictions as mentioned by Vega-Arango, as the players are not fully focused on only their football performances.

Actions taken towards elimination addiction from the game, as the ones mentioned by the Spanish head coach, are crucial: while the full-pro environment is not there for South Pacific footballers in their countries, it is important to bring the ‘best-possible’ professional mindset to the game and experienced and well-educated coaches as Vega-Arango can help to start to change how football is taken in the region.

Suva: Azariah Soromon set to return to action after picking up injury

Azariah Soromon, Vanuatu international striker, cameback from injury and is now training with his team Suva in Fiji. Soromon was in excellent form before he sustained an injury that was expected to keep him out of the game for at least four weeks. However, he has managed to recover in just 20 days of rehabilitation.

Soromon, who previously played for Tupuji Imere back in Vanuatu, has already scored this season in the Digicel Fiji Premier League, and he is eager to combine with his compatriot Alex Saniel upfront in their upcoming fixtures in the national league. Saniel scored a double in Suva’s last match, and Soromon is looking forward to playing alongside him – as stated by the striker in an interview to Oceania Football Center.

Unfortunately, due to his injury, Soromon missed the Tri-Nations friendly tournament where he was called up to represent his country. However, he is now fully fit and ready to help Suva in their upcoming matches.

Fans of Suva and Vanuatu will be eagerly awaiting Soromon’s return to the field and hoping that he can continue his excellent form from before his injury. Soromon has proven to be a vital player for his team, and his return will be a huge boost to Suva’s chances of success this season.

Solomon Warriors set to sign in-form striker Milton Taolo

Recently, Oceania Football Center confirmed new signings for the current Telekom S-League champions Solomon Warriors: Jaygray Sipakana, Don Keana and Alwin Hou. The traditional football team that is set to represent Solomon Islands in the upcoming OFC Champions League also is close to sign another player for their frontline: Milton Taolo, coming from Isabel United.

Despite Taolo and the new players will not be able to play for Warriors in the OFC Champions League due regulations of the competition, they are set to boost the squad for the upcoming Telekom S-League season in order to help Warriors to defend their title. “My dream is to represent Warriors in this OFC Champions League” said the player to Solomon Warriors media; Taolo also stated that this year unfortunately he will not be able to achieve his dream.

“This season will be an interesting one as I will play alongside the likes of Jaygray Sipakana, Alwin Hou and our frontline we got many options which will be a bonus for us“, stated the player to his new club media. Taolo, that during this youth days already donned the jersey of Warriors, is confindent he will make the final 25-men squad for the upcoming Telekom S-League and get confirmed in an already very strong squad.

Taolo had a remarkable season as an Isabel United player; the striker scored 15 goals in the league, coming behind only the likes of Gagame Feni, Bobby Leslie and Raphael Lea’i in the goalscoring race – this is the reason he was nicknamed “Isabel goalscoring machine”. The striker already impressed in the most recent friendly played against Honiara City, where Taolo scored a double in the Warriors 6-1 victory.

Alongside the champions’ squad of the last season, the additions of players of the caliber of Alwin Hou, for example, Taolo has everything to link up and turn himself into a key player for Solomon Warriors in the upcoming Telekom S-League, continuing his impressive goalscoring run.

New Zealand international Max Mata in excellent form for Sligo Rovers

Max Mata, the talented striker from Sligo Rovers and New Zealand national team, is currently experiencing a great moment in his career. His impressive form for his club in the top-tier league of Ireland has earned him a recall to the All Whites squad for the last two international friendly matches against China this March.

At only 22 years old, Max Mata has already become a vital player for Sligo Rovers. His performances on the pitch have been nothing short of outstanding, scoring six goals in eight matches played so far this season. His most notable performance came in the game against UCD where he scored a hattrick. You can watch all his goals for Sligo Rovers so far by clicking here.

Max Mata – *Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile*

Mata’s contribution has been crucial for Sligo Rovers, who currently sit third in the League of Ireland Premier Division. The young striker’s skills and ability to find the back of the net have been instrumental in the team’s success this season. His performances have also caught the attention of the New Zealand national team coach, who has rewarded him with a call-up to the squad.

Mata is already the top scorer of the Irish first-tier league after the eight rounds played; the player that already had experience of playing in Switzerland, Estonia and United States will be looking to guide his team, a very traditional side in Ireland, into winning the league and hopefully also taking the golden boot award of the season.

Matthew Garbett: assist, goal and man of the match performance in the Netherlands

New Zealand international Matthew Garbett delivered an excellent performance for his team, NAC Breda, against FC Den Bosch in the Eerste Divisie, the second-tier of football in the Netherlands. Garbett proved to be the star of the game, assisting for his team’s first goal and scoring the second just three minutes later.

This was a significant performance for Garbett, who joined NAC on loan from Torino FC earlier this year. It was also his first goal for his new club, which made the occasion even more memorable. Garbett’s contribution to the game earned him the man of the match award, and it was not difficult to see why.

Matthew Garbett – *Maurice Van Steen/NAC Breda Media*

NAC Breda is currently fighting for a spot in the next season Eredivisie, the first division of the country. Garbett’s performance against FC Den Bosch is a positive sign for the team, as they continue to battle for promotion to the top tier.

Garbett’s recent form is impressive, as he also scored a goal for New Zealand in their 2-1 win against China in the FIFA Window for international friendly matches. Garbett’s proving to be invaluable for both NAC Breda and the New Zealand national team.

All Whites’ member Ben Waine scores his first league goal in English football

Ben Waine, the 21-year-old New Zealand international, has had a remarkable start to his first season in English football. The former Wellington Phoenix player has been making waves for his new club, Plymouth Argyle, and recently made history by scoring his first league goal in the English Football League (EFL) One.

Waine’s debut goal came in a crucial match against Morecambe, where he came on as a substitute in the second half. With the match tied, Waine showed his goal-scoring prowess by finding the back of the net in the 86th minute of the game. His goal paved the way the victory for Argyle and propelled them to the top of the EFL One table. The final result of the match was a 3-1 away win for Argyle.

Ben Waine (middle) celebrating his goal – *Argyle Media*

This was not Waine’s first goal for Argyle, as he had previously scored in a match against Bristol Rovers in the EFL Trophy. However, his league goal was an important milestone for the young All Whites member, who is quickly adapating to European football.

With Argyle pushing for promotion to the Championship, Waine’s contributions could prove crucial in the weeks to come. The team will be back in action this Sunday (09th April) as they take on Lincoln City, and fans will be hoping to see Waine continue his goal-scoring form and help Argyle secure another important victory.