Guam national football team

Football in Guam began in the 1960s, on the initiative of two pioneers: an Irish priest, Tony Gillespie, and an owner of a construction company, Charles Whang, who settled in Guam and created the Guam Soccer Cup before becoming the first president of the Guam Football Association in 1975.

Guam played its first international match at the 1975 Pacific Games against Solomon Islands, losing 5–1. This result was followed by an 11–0 loss to Fiji, eliminating them from the competition. In the 1979 Games, Guam again lost twice to New Caledonia 11–1 and New Hebrides 5–0. Progressing to the Consolation Tournament, Guam registered their first victories, beating Western Samoa 4–2, and Tuvalu 7–2 before losing again to New Hebrides, 5–1.

Despite being considered part of Oceania, and having never faced an Asian team to that point, Guam became an associate member of the AFC in 1991 but continued to participate in the Pacific Games.{{cite web |title=HISTORY OF GFA |url=https://guamfa.com/contact-us/history-of-gfa/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220415204416/https://guamfa.com/contact-us/history-of-gfa/ |archive-date=15 April 2022 |access-date=4 February 2022 |website=Guam FA}} In 1996, Guam became both a full member of the AFC and of FIFA.

As a full member of the AFC and FIFA, Guam played its first matches against Asian teams as part of the 1996 AFC Asian Cup qualification losing all three matches against South Korea (9–0), Vietnam (9–0), and Chinese Taipei (9–2).

In 1998, Guam played in the Micronesian Games, though the tournament was a 9-a-side competition with 80 minute matches. Guam finished top of the group stage but lost 3–0 to Northern Mariana Islands in the final.{{cite web |last1=Cruickshank |first1=Mark |title=Micronesian Games 1998 |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesm/micronesia98.html |website=RSSSF |access-date=2 February 2023 |archive-date=13 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220713075238/https://www.rsssf.org/tablesm/micronesia98.html |url-status=live }} Guam entered the 2000 Asian Cup qualification but finished last in their group again, losing to Vietnam (11–0), China (19–0), and Philippines (2–0).

Guam became one of the founding members of the East Asian Football Federation in 2002 and participated in the qualifiers for the inaugural 2003 East Asian Football Championship, finishing last again without registering a goal. The same is true for the 2004 AFC Asian Cup qualification, beaten by Bhutan and Mongolia. For the 2006 World Cup qualifiers, Guam entered and was scheduled to face Nepal in the first round but both Nepal and Guam withdrew for financial reasons before their first match.

In the 2005 East Asian Football Championship qualifiers, Guam lost all four matches heavily, against Chinese Taipei (9–0), Hong Kong (15–0), Mongolia (4–1), and North Korea (21–0). Following these defeats, Guam entered the 2006 AFC Challenge Cup, a competition designed for emerging nations to help develop their football. Guam again lost all three matches to Palestine (11–0), Bangladesh (3–0), and Cambodia (3–0).

Guam advanced to the second stage of qualifying in the 2008 East Asian Football Championship by beating Northern Marianas 12–2 over two legs but they were eliminated in the next round by Chinese Taipei (10–0), and Hong Kong (15–1). In the 2010 East Asian Football Championship qualifiers, Guam managed to get its first victory over a FIFA member, beating Mongolia 1–0. They would go on to top the group before being eliminated at the next stage. Guam returned to the 2011 Pacific Games after a sixteen-year absence, but only managed to beat American Samoa 2–0, finishing second last and failing to advance to the knock-out stages.

Gary White became Guam's manager in 2012 and called-up players of Guamanian origin based in the United States like Ryan Guy and A. J. DeLaGarza to improve the level of his team. In the 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup, Matao managed to advance past the first round by beating Northern Marianas (3–1) and Macao (3–0). Guam then participated in the 2012 Philippine Peace Cup, replacing Hong Kong, losing against Philippines (1–0) and Chinese Taipei (2–0) but beat Macao (3–0) in its final group game to finish third. Guam advanced to the second qualifying stage of both the 2015 and 2017 EAFF Championship finishing third and fourth respectively and failing to advance the final competition.

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In 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, Guam beat Turkmenistan (1–0) and India (2–1), finishing fourth in their group and qualifying for the 2019 Asian Cup third round qualifiers, although Guam withdrew before the draw took place. Guam then failed to progress past the first qualifying round for the 2019 EAFF Championship.

During the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, Guam beat Bhutan 5–1 over two legs but lost all eight of their second round matches and finished bottom of their group, scoring two goals and conceding 32.

After nearly not playing an international match for a year, Guam participated in the first round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification against Singapore, where they would ultimately lose 3–1 on aggregate.

Until 2011, the nickname of the Guamanian selection was Chamorros, in reference to the local population of Guam. When Gary White took charge of Guam, the team has changed their nickname to Matao, referring to highest social class in ancient Chamorro society in the Chamorro language. White also promoted the use of the Guam pledge before each match of the selection, referred to as the Inifresi.{{cite web |last1=Vénétitay |first1=Guillaume |title=Interview with Gary White |url=https://www.sofoot.com/on-a-cree-cette-culture-du-football-a-guam-219494.html |website=So Foot |date=March 24, 2016 |access-date=4 February 2022 |archive-date=4 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204113137/https://www.sofoot.com/on-a-cree-cette-culture-du-football-a-guam-219494.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Bate |first1=Adam |title=Gary White: Life in Guam, coaching in Japan and dreams of England |url=https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/10215535/gary-white-life-in-guam-coaching-in-japan-and-dreams-of-england |website=Sky Sports |access-date=4 February 2022 |archive-date=4 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204113137/https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/10215535/gary-white-life-in-guam-coaching-in-japan-and-dreams-of-england |url-status=live }}

{{Main|Guam national football team results}}

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

{{legend2|#CCFFCC|Win|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}

{{legend2|#FFFFCC|Draw|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}

{{legend2|#FFCCCC|Loss|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}

{{legend2|#FFFFFF|Fixture|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}

{{Football box collapsible

|format = 1

|round = 2024 Marianas Cup

|date = 6 April 2024

|time = {{UTZ||11}}

|team1 = {{fb-rt|MNP}}

|score = 2–2

|team2 = {{fb|GUM}}

|goals1 =

• M. Toves {{goal|8}}
• ??? {{goal|71|o.g.}}

|goals2 =

• Manibusan {{goal|48}}
• Stenson {{goal|60}}

|stadium =

|location =

|attendance =

|referee =

|report = https://www.mvariety.com/sports/localsports/nmi-men-edge-guam-2-1/article_3a90fa10-f5ad-11ee-9446-c386f4818a14.html

|result = D

}}

{{Football box collapsible

|format = 1

|round = 2024 Marianas Cup

|date = 7 April 2024

|time = {{UTZ||11}}

|team1 = {{fb-rt|MNP}}

|score = 2–1

|team2 = {{fb|GUM}}

|goals1 =

• Narvaez Jr. {{goal|6}}
• Lizama {{goal|68}}

|goals2 =

• Harmon {{goal|74}}

|stadium =

|location =

|attendance =

|referee =

|report = https://www.mvariety.com/sports/localsports/nmi-men-edge-guam-2-1/article_3a90fa10-f5ad-11ee-9446-c386f4818a14.html

|result = l

}}

{{football box collapsible

| format = 1

| round = 2025 EAFF E-1 preliminary

| date = 14 December 2024

| time = {{UTZ|14:00|8}}

| team1 = {{fb-rt|MAC}}

| score = 1–2

| report = https://eaff.com/competitions/eaff2024pre/result862.html

| team2 = {{fb|GUM}}

|goals1 =

• Cheng {{goal|41|pen.}}

|goals2 =

• Morimoto {{goal|31}}
• Taitague {{goal|73}}

| stadium = Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground

| location = {{nobr|Kowloon, Hong Kong}}

| attendance = 534

| referee = Tam Ping Wun (Hong Kong)

| result = W

}}

{{football box collapsible

| format = 1

| round = 2025 EAFF E-1 preliminary

| date = 17 December 2024

| time = {{UTZ|20:00|8}}

| team1 = {{fb-rt|GUM}}

| score = 0–5

| report = https://eaff.com/competitions/eaff2024pre/result866_c.html

| team2 = {{fb|HKG}}

| goals1 =

| goals2 =

• Philip {{goal|2||53}}
• Benavides {{goal|12}}
• Everton {{goal|50}}
• Dudu {{goal|78}}

| stadium = Hong Kong Stadium

| location = {{nobr|So Kon Po, Hong Kong}}

| attendance = 8,236

| referee = Wiwat Jumpaoon (Thailand)

| result = L

}}

{{div col|colwidth=25em}}

• {{flagicon|NIR}} Willie McFaul (1999–2003)
• {{flagicon|JPN}} Sugao Kambe (2003–2005)
• {{flagicon|JPN}} Norio Tsukitate (2005–2009)
• {{flagicon|JPN}} Kazuo Uchida (2011–2012)
• {{flagicon|ENG}} Gary White (2012–2016)
• {{flagicon|USA}} Darren Sawatzky (2016–2017)
• {{flagicon|AUS}} Karl Dodd (2017–2021)
• {{flagicon|KOR}} Seo Dong-won (2021)
• {{flagicon|KOR}} Kim Sang-hoon (2021–2023)
• {{flagicon|GUM}} Ross Awa (2023–present)

{{div col end}}

The following players were called up for the 2025 EAFF E-1 Football Championship preliminary competition.{{cite web |title=Head Coach Kim calls up 22 to Matao for AFC Asian Cup Playoff |url=https://guamfa.com/head-coach-kim-calls-up-22-to-matao-for-afc-playoff/ |website=GuamFA.com |publisher=Guam FA |access-date=9 October 2021 |archive-date=9 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211009111525/https://guamfa.com/head-coach-kim-calls-up-22-to-matao-for-afc-playoff/ |url-status=live }}

Caps and goals correct as of December 14, 2024, after the match against {{fb|Macau}}.

{{nat fs g start}}

{{nat fs g player|no=1|pos=GK|name=John-Michael Guidroz|age={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|2004|1|1}}|caps=1|goals=0|club=University of West Florida|clubnat=USA}}

{{nat fs g player|no=18|pos=GK|name=Josiah Jones|age={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|2006|11|28}}|caps=0|goals=0|club=Bank of Guam Strykers FC|clubnat=GUM}}

{{nat fs g player|no=|pos=GK|name=Dallas Jaye|age={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1993|6|19}}|caps=22|goals=0|club=free agent|clubnat=}}

{{nat fs g player|no=|pos=GK|name=Zaine Rocca|age={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|2007|6|28}}|caps=0|goals=0|club=Total Futbol Academy|clubnat=USA}}

{{nat fs g break}}

{{nat fs g player|no=2|pos=DF|name=Morgan McKenna|age={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|2003|1|16}}|caps=1|goals=0|club=Muskingum University|clubnat=USA}}

{{nat fs g player|no=3|pos=DF|name=Takumi Ito|age={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|2000|2|3}}|caps=4|goals=0|club=Ezra|clubnat=LAO}}

{{nat fs g player|no=4|pos=DF|name=Kyle Halehale|age={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|2002|6|3}}|caps=11|goals=0|club=Mercyhurst University|clubnat=USA}}

{{nat fs g player|no=5|pos=DF|name=Leon Morimoto|age={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|2001|12|18}}|caps=5|goals=1|club=Loyola|clubnat=PHI}}

{{nat fs g player|no=13|pos=DF|name=Anthony Quidachay|age={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|2002|6|11}}|caps=2|goals=0|club=Chatham Cougars|clubnat=USA}}

{{nat fs g player|no=15|pos=DF|name=Shane Healy|age={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1998|7|3}}|caps=3|goals=0|club=Bank of Guam Strykers FC|clubnat=GUM}}

{{nat fs g player|no=20|pos=DF|name=Levi Buckwalter|age={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|2004|12|29}}|caps=2|goals=0|club=Wings FC|clubnat=GUM}}

{{nat fs g player|no=|pos=DF|name=Isiah Lagutang|age={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1997|8|3}}|caps=13|goals=1|club=Bank of Guam Strykers FC|clubnat=GUM}}

{{nat fs g player|no=|pos=DF|name=Jonahan Romero|age={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1988|3|17}}|caps=34|goals=0|club=SYC United|clubnat=USA}}

{{nat fs g player|no=|pos=DF|name=Nate Lee|age={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1994|5|6}}|caps=11|goals=0|club=FC Frederick|clubnat=USA}}

{{nat fs g player|no=|pos=DF|name=Dane Agustin|age={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|2006|1|23}}|caps=2|goals=0|club=San Antonio FC Academy|clubnat=USA}}

{{nat fs g break}}

{{nat fs g player|no=6|pos=MF|name=Joey Ciochetto|age={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1996|10|22}}|caps=4|goals=0|club=Irvine Zeta|clubnat=USA}}

{{nat fs g player|no=8|pos=MF|name=Alec Taitague|age={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|2000|5|9}}|caps=31|goals=3|club=Roanoke Maroons|clubnat=USA}}

{{nat fs g player|no=10|pos=MF|name=Jason Cunliffe (captain)|age={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1983|10|23}}|caps=67|goals=26|club=Bank of Guam Strykers FC|clubnat=GUM}}

{{nat fs g player|no=11|pos=MF|name=Nainoa Norton|age={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|2004|4|3}}|caps=2|goals=0|club=Olivet Nazarene University|clubnat=USA}}

{{nat fs g player|no=12|pos=MF|name=Nathan Sablan|age={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1993|8|10}}|caps=0|goals=0|club=Rovers FC|clubnat=GUM}}

{{nat fs g player|no=14|pos=MF|name=Jason Castro|age={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|2007|7|6}}|caps=1|goals=0|club=Strikers FC Irvine|clubnat=USA}}

{{nat fs g player|no=|pos=MF|name=John Matkin|age={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1986|4|20}}|caps=30|goals=2|club=Free agent|clubnat=}}

{{nat fs g player|no=|pos=MF|name=Jude Bischoff|age={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1992|4|26}}|caps=1|goals=0|club=Guam Shipyard|clubnat=GUM}}

{{nat fs g player|no=|pos=MF|name=Travis Nicklaw|age={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1993|12|21}}|caps=36|goals=1|club=Free agent|clubnat=}}

{{nat fs g break}}

{{nat fs g player|no=7|pos=FW|name=James Gomez|age={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|2004|9|15}}|caps=3|goals=0|club=Claremont McKenna College|clubnat=USA}}

{{nat fs g player|no=9|pos=FW|name=Oz Rocca|age={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|2004|8|10}}|caps=3|goals=0|club=Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners|clubnat=USA}}

{{nat fs g player|no=16|pos=FW|name=Levi Berg|age={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|2008|4|15}}|caps=1|goals=0|club=Guam Shipyard|clubnat=GUM}}

{{nat fs g player|no=17|pos=FW|name=Shuntaro Suzuki|age={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|2005|10|21}}|caps=1|goals=0|club=Wings FC|clubnat=GUM}}

{{nat fs g player|no=19|pos=FW|name=Daniel Glasscock|age={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|2004|5|19}}|caps=1|goals=0|club=Manhoben Lalahi FC|clubnat=GUM}}

{{nat fs g player|no=|pos=FW|name=Marcus Lopez|age={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1992|2|9}}|caps=37|goals=6|club=Bank of Guam Strykers FC|clubnat=GUM}}

{{nat fs g player|no=|pos=FW|name=Eddie Na|age={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1996|2|12}}|caps=8|goals=0|club=Tacoma Stars|clubnat=USA}}

{{nat fs g player|no=|pos=FW|name=Ka'eo Gonsalves|age={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|2005|1|6}}|caps=2|goals=0|club=Richmond Kickers|clubnat=USA}}

{{nat fs end}}

The following players have also been called up to the Guam squad within last 12 months.

{{nat fs r start}}

{{nat fs break}}

{{nat fs break}}

{{nat fs break}}

{{nat fs break|background=#0B0B3F}}

^INJ Withdrew due to injury

^PRE Preliminary squad

^RET Retired from the national team

^SUS Serving suspension

{{nat fs end|background=#0B0B3F}}

{{Updated|December 22, 2024}}

:Players in bold are still active with Guam.

File:Jason Cunliffe.JPG is Guam's top goalscorer and their most-capped player]]

File:Ryan Guy.JPG scored four goals for Guam]]

{{Main|Guam national football team results}}

• 2019 – Withdrew from the third tournament due to financial constraints.

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{{col-break}}

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{{col-end}}

As of 14 December 2024

• Mariana Cup
• Champions (3): 2007, 2008, 2010

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category-inline}}

• {{official website|http://www.guamfa.com/}} {{in lang|en|es}}
• [https://www.the-afc.com/en/east/guam.html Guam] at AFC
• [https://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/associations/GUM Guam] at FIFA

{{Football in Guam}}

{{EAFF teams}}

{{AFC teams}}

{{National sports teams of Guam}}

Category:Asian national association football teams

Category:Football in Guam

Category:1975 establishments in Guam