American Samoa national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
American Samoa

Nickname(s)	The Boys from the Territory
Association	Football Federation American Samoa
Confederation	OFC (Oceania)
Head coach	Shani Simpson
Captain	Justin Manao
Most caps	Nicky Salapu (24)
Top scorer	Ramin Ott (3)
Home stadium	Pago Park Soccer Stadium
FIFA code	ASA
First colors Second colors
FIFA ranking
Current	190 (February 7, 2019)
Highest	164 (October 2015)
Lowest	205 (May 2006)
Elo ranking
Current	236 (3 March 2019)
Highest	188 (August 22, 1983)
Lowest	238 (August 27, 2015)
First international
Samoa 3–1 American Samoa  (Apia, Western Samoa; August 20, 1983) FIFA recognized  Tonga 3–0 American Samoa  (Avarua, Cook Islands; September 2, 1998)
Biggest win
Wallis and Futuna 0–3 American Samoa  (Apia, Western Samoa; August 22, 1983) FIFA recognized  American Samoa 2–0 Cook Islands  (Nuku'alofa, Tonga; September 4, 2015)
Biggest defeat
Australia 31–0 American Samoa  (Coffs Harbour, Australia; April 11, 2001) (World record for senior international matches)
Pacific Games
Appearances	6 (first in 1983)
Best result	Sixth place (1987)
Polynesia Cup
Appearances	3 (first in 1994)
Best result	Fourth place (1994)

The American Samoa men's national football team (Samoan: Au soka Amerika Sāmoa) plays for American Samoa in international association football (soccer). The team is managed by the Football Federation American Samoa. Their home field is the Pago Park Soccer Stadium in Pago Pago.

Team History

First Games and FIFA Membership

American Samoa first played in the 1983 South Pacific Games. Their very first match was on August 20, 1983, against Western Samoa. They lost that game 3–1. Two days later, they won their first game, beating Wallis and Futuna 3–0.

In 1984, the American Samoa Football Association (now FFAS) was created. This group took charge of the national team. Later, they became full members of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) and FIFA. This meant they could play in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Their first FIFA-recognized game was a 3–0 loss to Tonga in 1998.

World Record Loss

In April 2001, American Samoa played in their first World Cup qualifying campaign. They played against Australia and lost 31–0. This game set a world record for the biggest loss in international football.

This huge score made people talk about how qualifying tournaments were set up. Even Australia's coach and a player thought there should be early rounds to avoid such uneven matches. FIFA agreed, and a preliminary round was added for the 2006 World Cup qualifiers.

Recent Team Progress

For a long time, American Samoa was known as one of the weakest teams in the world. They were often at the very bottom of the FIFA World ranking.

However, on November 23, 2011, they made history. They won their first FIFA-recognized game, beating Tonga 2–1 in a World Cup qualifier. This was their first win after 38 losses in a row!

A British movie called Next Goal Wins was made in 2014 about their journey to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. In October 2015, the team reached their highest ever FIFA World Rankings spot, ranking 164th. This happened after they won two games in a row against Tonga and the Cook Islands.

After playing in the 2019 Pacific Games, American Samoa was removed from the FIFA World Rankings. This was because they had not played a match for over four years. The COVID-19 pandemic caused many delays. The team finally played again at the 2023 Pacific Games.

Finding Players

American Samoa faces challenges because it has a small population. Many talented players move away for school or work. Also, some choose to play other sports like baseball. International rules often require players to be citizens of the country they play for. People born in American Samoa are United States nationals. However, people who move to American Samoa from other countries cannot easily become U.S. nationals. This makes it hard to find enough eligible players.

Team Home Ground

The Pago Park Soccer Stadium is where the team trains.

The team's home ground is the Pago Park Soccer Stadium. However, the senior national team has never played an official home match there. The stadium was shown in the 2023 movie Next Goal Wins. It is used as a training ground for the national team.

Matches at the stadium must finish before 6:30 PM. This is because of a village rule that limits noise. It also means they cannot install bright lights for night games. Because of this, the football association started planning a new stadium in Tafuna in 2023. The head of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, promised $5 million for this new project.

Recent Games

2024 Matches

American Samoa  v  Samoa

6 September 2024 (2024-09-06) 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	American Samoa	0–2	Samoa	Apia, Samoa
15:00 UTC+13			Tumua  59' (pen.) Vaai  90+8'	Stadium: FFS Football Stadium Field 1 Referee: Norbert Hauata (Tahiti)

Cook Islands  v  American Samoa

9 September Friendly	Cook Islands	1–2	American Samoa	Apia, Samoa
11:00 UTC+13	Kaufononga  83'		Mitchell  44' Stefanon  50'	Stadium: FFS Football Stadium Attendance: 400 Referee: Kavitesh Behari (Fiji)

Team Coaches

Thomas Rongen was a manager for the American Samoa national football team.

The current head coach for the American Samoa team is Shani Simpson.

Job	Name
Head coach	Shani Simpson
Assistant coach	Vacant
Team manager	Vacant
Physiotherapist	Roland Jeffery
Goalkeeper coach	Vacant
International Scout	Alastair McLae
International Scout	Russ Gurr

Team Players

Current Squad

These players were chosen for the 2023 Pacific Games. Numbers for games played (caps) and goals scored are updated as of November 30, 2023, after the game against Tonga.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Penieli Atu	(2005-09-05) 5 September 2005 (age 19)	3	0	PanSa
21	1GK	Matthias Logologo	(2002-06-24) 24 June 2002 (age 23)	1	0	Pago Youth
3	2DF	Austin Kaleopa	(2001-04-24) 24 April 2001 (age 24)	8	0	Utulei Youth
4	2DF	Poasa Collins	(2004-01-12) 12 January 2004 (age 21)	2	0	Pago Youth
5	2DF	Leaga Lealuga		4	1	Black Roses
6	2DF	Robert Yarofalir		3	0	Green Bay
8	2DF	Lalofau Fe'a		4	0	Pago Youth
14	2DF	Misiona Fagapulea		2	0	Ilaoa and To'omata
15	2DF	Pela Scanlan	(2006-01-24) 24 January 2006 (age 19)	3	0	Pago Youth
2	3MF	Roy Ledoux	(2000-06-26) 26 June 2000 (age 25)	9	0	Pago Youth
10	3MF	Tia Silao		4	1	Pago Youth
11	3MF	Billjay Vaitoelau	(2002-04-13) 13 April 2002 (age 23)	4	1	Royal Puma
12	3MF	Kuresa Taga'i	(2000-08-04) 4 August 2000 (age 24)	7	0	Ilaoa and To'omata
13	3MF	Larry Silao		2	0	Pago Youth
16	3MF	Ben Tofaeono	(2006-03-18) 18 March 2006 (age 19)	3	0	Ilaoa and To'omata
17	3MF	Pago Isu	(2005-11-13) 13 November 2005 (age 19)	3	0	Black Roses
20	3MF	Puni Samuelu	(1996-08-16) 16 August 1996 (age 28)	7	0	Pago Youth
7	4FW	Petu Pouli	(2005-12-18) 18 December 2005 (age 19)	4	0	Vaiala Tongan
9	4FW	Daniel Lee	(2007-02-17)17 February 2007 (aged 16)	3	0	Royal Puma
18	4FW	Tala Fereti		4	0	Ilaoa and To'omata
19	4FW	Paneta Loke		0	0	Lion Heart

Player Records

The player with the most games for American Samoa is goalkeeper Nicky Salapu. He has played 24 games since 2001. This includes the famous 31-0 loss to Australia and American Samoa's first FIFA-recognized win in 2011. Ramin Ott has scored the most goals for the team, with three goals in 15 games.

Most Games Played

Youngest Player to Play

• Jaiyah Saelua was 15 years and 300 days old when she played against Fiji on May 15, 2004.

Oldest Player to Play

• Nicky Salapu was 43 years and 359 days old when he played against Samoa on September 6, 2024.

Top Goal Scorers

First Goal Scored

• Duane Atuelevao scored the team's first goal on March 12, 2002, against Tonga.

Most Goals in One Game

• Demetrius Beauchamp scored 2 goals against Samoa on August 31, 2015.

Team Records

• Biggest Win: 3–0 against Wallis and Futuna on August 22, 1983.
• Heaviest Loss: 0–31 against Australia on April 11, 2001.
• Most Wins in a Row: 2 wins, achieved in September 2015.
• Longest Time Without a Loss: 2 games, achieved in November 2011 and September 2015.
• Longest Time Without a Win: 37 games, from August 24, 1983, to September 5, 2011.
• Longest Time Without Scoring a Goal: 7 games, from August 27, 2007, to September 5, 2011.

Tournament History

FIFA World Cup Qualifiers

American Samoa joined FIFA in 1998. They first tried to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. They have tried to qualify for every World Cup since then. However, they have never made it past the first stage. Their best effort was for the 2018 World Cup. They won two out of three games but just missed moving on.

FIFA World Cup										Qualification
Year	Host	Round	Pld	W	D	L	F	A		Pos.	Pld	W	D	L	F	A	Source
1930 to 1998		Not a FIFA member	Not a FIFA member
2002	Japan  South Korea	Did not qualify								Group – 5th	4	0	0	4	0	57
2006	Germany	First round group – 5th	4	0	0	4	1	34
2010	South Africa	First round group – 5th	4	0	0	4	1	38
2014	Brazil	First round group – 3rd	3	1	1	1	3	3
2018	Russia	First round group – 2nd	3	2	0	1	6	4
2022	Qatar	Withdrew								Withdrew
2026	Canada  Mexico  United States	Did not qualify								First round	1	0	0	1	0	2
2030	Morocco  Portugal  Spain
2034	Saudi Arabia
Total			0	0	0	0	0	0		0/6	19	3	1	15	11	138	—

Notes

OFC Nations Cup Qualifiers

Before becoming full members of OFC in 1998, American Samoa played in the 1994 Polynesia Cup. This tournament helped Polynesian teams qualify for the 1996 OFC Nations Cup. This was the first time American Samoa tried to get into OFC's main competition for men's national teams.

The OFC Men's Nations Cup often serves as part of the FIFA World Cup qualification. Because of this, American Samoa has competed in the qualifiers for both tournaments since 1998. They have not yet qualified for either competition.

Oceania Cup / OFC Nations Cup										Qualification record
Year	Host	Round	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA		Pos.	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Source
1973	New Zealand	Did not enter								Did not enter
1980	New Caledonia
1996	N/A	Did not qualify								4th	3	0	0	3	3	7
1998	Australia	5th	4	0	0	4	3	23
2000	Tahiti	5th	4	0	0	4	2	29
2002	New Zealand	5th	4	0	0	4	2	29
2004	Australia	5th	4	0	0	4	1	34
2008	N/A	5th	4	0	0	4	1	38
2012	Solomon Islands	3rd	3	1	1	1	3	3
2016	Papua New Guinea	2nd	3	2	0	1	6	4
2024	Fiji  Vanuatu	Did not enter	Did not enter
Total			0	0	0	0	0	0			29	3	1	25	21	167	—

Notes

Pacific Games History

American Samoa first played in the South Pacific Games in 1983. This was their first time competing in soccer. They won one game out of three, beating Wallis and Futuna 3–0. This is their only win in this competition so far. They were eliminated in the group stage. In the 1987 games, they lost all four of their matches.

They did not play in the competition again for 20 years. The 2007 games were the last to be called the South Pacific Games. They also counted as qualifiers for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. American Samoa was again eliminated in the group stage, losing all four matches. The same happened in the 2011 Pacific Games, where they lost all five games.

In 2015, the Pacific Games was for younger players and also counted as an Olympic qualifier. American Samoa did not take part. Four years later, in 2019, they were again eliminated in the group stage. However, they had a 1–1 draw with Tuvalu. This ended a 32-year losing streak in the competition.

Pacific Games
Year	Host	Round	Pld	W	D	L	F	A	Source
1963 to 1979		Did not enter
1983	Western Samoa	Group stage	3	1	0	2	6	6
1987	New Caledonia		4	0	0	4	1	42
1991 to 2003		Did not enter
2007	Samoa	Group stage	4	0	0	4	1	38
2011	New Caledonia		5	0	0	5	0	26
2015	Papua New Guinea	Did not enter
2019	Samoa	Group stage	5	0	1	4	2	36
2023	Solomon Islands		4	0	0	4	2	31
Total			25	1	1	23	12	179

Notes

Team Statistics

American Samoa's first full international match was a 20–0 loss to Papua New Guinea. They also had the world's biggest international defeat, losing 31–0 to Australia. American Samoa has only won against Cook Islands, Tonga, and Wallis and Futuna. They have also lost to all these teams at least once.

Record Against Other Teams

The table below shows American Samoa's all-time international record. This includes games from the FIFA World Cup, OFC Nations Cup, Polynesia Cup, Pacific Games, and friendly matches. American Samoa national football team results

Performance in Competitions

Notes

Performance by Location

Images for kids

• 

  Thomas Rongen was a manager for the American Samoa national football team.

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Samoa Americana para niños

• American Samoa national under-23 football team
• American Samoa national under-20 football team
• American Samoa national under-17 football team
• American Samoa women's national football team
• American Samoa women's national under-17 football team