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Guam national football team facts for kids

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Guam
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) Matao (The Noblemen)
Association Guam Football Association (GFA)
Confederation AFC (Asia)
Sub-confederation EAFF (East Asia)
Head coach Ross Awa
Captain Jason Cunliffe
Most caps Jason Cunliffe (68)
Top scorer Jason Cunliffe (26)
Home stadium GFA National Training Center
FIFA code GUM
First colors
Second colors
FIFA ranking
Current 192 Steady (7 February 2019)
Highest 146 (August–September 2015)
Lowest 207 (March 2022)
Elo ranking
Current 207 Steady (3 March 2019)
Highest 96 (June 2015)
Lowest 108 (March 2007)
First international
 Guam 1–5 Solomon Islands 
(Tumon, Guam; 2 August 1975)
Biggest win
Unofficial
 Guam 16–1 Pohnpei 
(Koror City, Palau; 27 July 1998)
 Guam 15–0 Yap 
(Koror City, Palau; 31 July 1998)
Official
 Guam 9–0 Northern Mariana Islands 
(Hagåtña, Guam; 1 April 2007)
Biggest defeat
 North Korea 21–0 Guam 
(Taipei, Taiwan; 11 March 2005)
Pacific Games
Appearances 5 (first in 1975)
Best result Sixth place (1979)
Micronesian Games
Appearances 1 (first in 1998)
Best result Runners-up (1998)

The Guam national football team plays for Guam in men's international football games. Guam is an overseas territory of the United States. The team is managed by the Guam Football Association. Guam joined FIFA in 1996 and the AFC in 1991.

In 2015, Guam reached its highest ever spot in the FIFA World Ranking, placing 146th. This happened after they won games against Turkmenistan and India. Guam's first ever FIFA World Cup qualification match was played against Iran national football team in Tabriz.

History of Guam Football

How it All Started (1960s–1990s)

Football in Guam began in the 1960s. Two important people helped start it: Tony Gillespie, an Irish priest, and Charles Whang, who owned a construction company. Charles Whang moved to Guam and created the Guam Soccer Cup. He later became the first president of the Guam Football Association in 1975.

Guam played its first international game at the 1975 Pacific Games. They lost 5–1 to the Solomon Islands. After that, they lost 11–0 to Fiji and were out of the competition. In the 1979 Games, Guam lost again to New Caledonia (11–1) and New Hebrides (5–0).

However, in a special tournament called the Consolation Tournament, Guam got their first wins! They beat Western Samoa 4–2 and Tuvalu 7–2. They then lost to New Hebrides again, 5–1.

Joining AFC and FIFA (1991–2011)

Even though Guam was seen as part of Oceania, they joined the AFC in 1991. They still played in the Pacific Games. In 1996, Guam became a full member of both the AFC and FIFA. This was a big step for their football team.

As a full member, Guam played its first games against Asian teams in the 1996 AFC Asian Cup qualification. They lost all three matches. They lost to South Korea (9–0), Vietnam (9–0), and Chinese Taipei (9–2).

In 1998, Guam played in the Micronesian Games. This was a special 9-a-side tournament with shorter matches. Guam finished first in their group but lost 3–0 to Northern Mariana Islands in the final game. Guam also played in the 2000 AFC Asian Cup qualification. They finished last in their group, losing to Vietnam (11–0), China (19–0), and Philippines (2–0).

In 2002, Guam helped start the East Asian Football Federation. They played in the first 2003 East Asian Football Championship qualifiers but finished last without scoring any goals. The same happened in the 2004 AFC Asian Cup qualification, where they lost to Bhutan and Mongolia. For the 2006 World Cup qualifiers, Guam was supposed to play Nepal. However, both teams pulled out because of money problems.

In the 2005 East Asian Football Championship qualifiers, Guam lost all four games by a lot. They lost to Chinese Taipei (9–0), Hong Kong (15–0), Mongolia (4–1), and North Korea (21–0). After these losses, Guam joined the 2006 AFC Challenge Cup. This competition was made to help "emerging nations" improve their football. Guam lost all three matches there too, to Palestine (11–0), Bangladesh (3–0), and Cambodia (3–0).

Guam moved to the second stage of qualifying in the 2008 East Asian Football Championship. They beat Northern Marianas 12–2 over two games. But they were then knocked out by Chinese Taipei (10–0) and Hong Kong (15–1). In the 2010 East Asian Football Championship qualifiers, Guam got its first win against a FIFA member team, beating Mongolia 1–0. They finished first in their group but were eliminated in the next stage. Guam returned to the 2011 Pacific Games after 16 years. They only managed to beat American Samoa 2–0, finishing second to last and not moving to the next round.

Building the Team (2012–Present)

Gary White became Guam's manager in 2012. He brought in players of Guamanian background who lived in the United States, like Ryan Guy and A. J. DeLaGarza. This helped make the team stronger. In the 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup, the Matao team moved past the first round. They beat Northern Marianas (3–1) and Macao (3–0). Guam also played in the 2012 Philippine Peace Cup. They lost to Philippines (1–0) and Chinese Taipei (2–0). However, they beat Macao (3–0) in their last group game and finished third. Guam also reached the second qualifying stage of both the 2015 and 2017 EAFF Championship. They finished third and fourth, so they did not reach the final competition.


In the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Guam won against Turkmenistan (1–0) and India (2–1). They finished fourth in their group. This meant they qualified for the 2019 Asian Cup third round qualifiers. However, Guam decided to withdraw before the draw for those games happened. Guam then did not get past the first qualifying round for the 2019 EAFF Championship.

During the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, Guam beat Bhutan 5–1 over two games. But they lost all eight of their second-round matches. They finished last in their group, scoring two goals and letting in 32.

After almost a year without playing an international match, Guam took part in the first round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification. They played against Singapore and lost 3–1 overall.

Team Nickname

Before 2011, the Guam team was called Chamorros. This name referred to the local people of Guam. When Gary White became the coach, the team changed its nickname to Matao. Matao means the highest social class in the old Chamorro society. Coach White also encouraged the team to say the Guam pledge, called the Inifresi, before each game.

Recent Games and Schedule

Here are the results of matches played in the last year, and any games that are planned.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2024 Matches

6 April 2024 Friendly Northern Mariana Islands  2–2  Guam
--:-- UTC+11
  • M. Toves Goal 8'
  • ??? Goal 71' (o.g.)
  • Manibusan Goal 48'
  • Stenson Goal 60'
7 April 2024 Friendly Northern Mariana Islands  2–1  Guam
--:-- UTC+11
  • Narvaez Jr. Goal 6'
  • Lizama Goal 68'
  • Harmon Goal 74'
14 December 2024 2025 EAFF E-1 preliminary Macau  1–2  Guam Kowloon, Hong Kong
14:00 UTC+8
  • Cheng Goal 41' (pen.)
  • Morimoto Goal 31'
  • Taitague Goal 73'
Stadium: Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground
Attendance: 534
Referee: Tam Ping Wun (Hong Kong)
17 December 2024 2025 EAFF E-1 preliminary Guam  0–5  Hong Kong So Kon Po, Hong Kong
20:00 UTC+8
  • Philip Goal 2'53'
  • Benavides Goal 12'
  • Everton Goal 50'
  • Dudu Goal 78'
Stadium: Hong Kong Stadium
Attendance: 8,236
Referee: Wiwat Jumpaoon (Thailand)
21 December 2024 Friendly Northern Mariana Islands  1–2  Guam Koblerville, Northern Mariana Islands
  • Bechani Goal 72'
  • Suzuki Goal 53'
  • Casteneda Goal 60'
Stadium: NMI Soccer Training Center
22 December 2024 Friendly Northern Mariana Islands  0–8  Guam Koblerville, Northern Mariana Islands
  • Lopez Goal 7'
  • Gomez Goal 18'70'72'
  • Manibusan Goal 47'61'
  • Cruz Goal 74'
  • Castaneda Goal 88'
Stadium: NMI Soccer Training Center

Team Staff

Current Coaching Staff

Position Name
Head coach GuamPhilippines Ross Awa
Assistant coach United States Christopher Malenab
Assistant coach Austria Manfred Preschern
Goalkeeper coach Netherlands Jeroen Bos
Video Analyst United States Christopher Malenab
Team Doctor Guam Dr. Luis Cruz
Physiotherapist United States Dr. Jon Thompson
Physiotherapist Philippines Walfred Javier
Team Manager Guam Vance Manibusan
High Performance Manager Russia Pavel Gubenko
Media Officer Guam Jill Espiritu
Equipment Director Guam Thomas Castro

Coaching History

  • Northern Ireland Willie McFaul (1999–2003)
  • Japan Sugao Kambe (2003–2005)
  • Japan Norio Tsukitate (2005–2009)
  • Japan Kazuo Uchida (2011–2012)
  • England Gary White (2012–2016)
  • United States Darren Sawatzky (2016–2017)
  • Australia Karl Dodd (2017–2021)
  • South Korea Seo Dong-won (2021)
  • South Korea Kim Sang-hoon (2021–2023)
  • Guam Ross Awa (2023–present)

Players

Current Squad

These players were chosen for the 2025 EAFF E-1 Football Championship preliminary competition.

Caps (games played) and goals are correct as of December 14, 2024, after the match against Macau.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK John-Michael Guidroz (2004-01-01) January 1, 2004 (age 21) 1 0 United States University of West Florida
18 1GK Josiah Jones (2006-11-28) November 28, 2006 (age 18) 1 0 Guam Bank of Guam Strykers FC
21 1GK Dallas Jaye (1993-06-19) June 19, 1993 (age 32) 22 0 free agent
1GK Zaine Rocca (2007-06-28) June 28, 2007 (age 18) 0 0 United States Total Futbol Academy

2 2DF Morgan McKenna (2003-01-16) January 16, 2003 (age 22) 3 0 United States Muskingum University
3 2DF Takumi Ito (2000-02-03) February 3, 2000 (age 25) 4 0 Laos Ezra
4 2DF Kyle Halehale (2002-06-03) June 3, 2002 (age 23) 13 0 United States Mercyhurst University
5 2DF Leon Morimoto (2001-12-18) December 18, 2001 (age 23) 5 1 Philippines Loyola
13 2DF Anthony Quidachay (2002-06-11) June 11, 2002 (age 23) 2 0 United States Chatham Cougars
15 2DF Shane Healy (1998-07-03) July 3, 1998 (age 27) 3 0 Guam Bank of Guam Strykers FC
20 2DF Levi Buckwalter (2004-12-29) December 29, 2004 (age 20) 2 0 Guam Wings FC
22 2DF Isiah Lagutang (1997-08-03) August 3, 1997 (age 27) 13 1 Guam Bank of Guam Strykers FC
23 2DF Jonahan Romero (1988-03-17) March 17, 1988 (age 37) 34 0 United States SYC United
2DF Nate Lee (1994-05-06) May 6, 1994 (age 31) 11 0 United States FC Frederick
2DF Dane Agustin (2006-01-23) January 23, 2006 (age 19) 2 0 United States San Antonio FC Academy

6 3MF Joey Ciochetto (1996-10-22) October 22, 1996 (age 28) 4 0 United States Irvine Zeta
8 3MF Alec Taitague (2000-05-09) May 9, 2000 (age 25) 31 3 United States Roanoke Maroons
10 3MF Jason Cunliffe (captain) (1983-10-23) October 23, 1983 (age 41) 69 26 Guam Bank of Guam Strykers FC
11 3MF Nainoa Norton (2004-04-03) April 3, 2004 (age 21) 2 0 United States Olivet Nazarene University
12 3MF Nathan Sablan (1993-08-10) August 10, 1993 (age 31) 2 0 Guam Rovers FC
14 3MF Jason Castro (2007-07-06) July 6, 2007 (age 18) 1 0 United States Strikers FC Irvine
3MF John Matkin (1986-04-20) April 20, 1986 (age 39) 30 2 Free agent
3MF Jude Bischoff (1992-04-26) April 26, 1992 (age 33) 2 0 Guam Guam Shipyard
3MF Travis Nicklaw (1993-12-21) December 21, 1993 (age 31) 36 1 Free agent

7 4FW James Gomez (2004-09-15) September 15, 2004 (age 20) 5 3 United States Claremont McKenna College
9 4FW Oz Rocca (2004-08-10) August 10, 2004 (age 20) 3 0 United States Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners
16 4FW Levi Berg (2008-04-15) April 15, 2008 (age 17) 1 0 Guam Guam Shipyard
17 4FW Shuntaro Suzuki (2005-10-21) October 21, 2005 (age 19) 3 1 Guam Wings FC
19 4FW Daniel Glasscock (2004-05-19) May 19, 2004 (age 21) 1 0 Guam Manhoben Lalahi FC
4FW Marcus Lopez (1992-02-09) February 9, 1992 (age 33) 39 7 Guam Bank of Guam Strykers FC
4FW Eddie Na (1996-02-12) February 12, 1996 (age 29) 8 0 United States Tacoma Stars
4FW Ka'eo Gonsalves (2005-01-06) January 6, 2005 (age 20) 2 0 United States Richmond Kickers

Recent Player Call-ups

These players have also been called to the Guam team in the last 12 months.


Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up




INJ Withdrew due to injury
PRE Preliminary squad
RET Retired from the national team
SUS Serving suspension

Player Records

Players in bold are still playing for Guam.

Most Games Played

Jason Cunliffe
Jason Cunliffe has played the most games and scored the most goals for Guam.
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Jason Cunliffe 68 26 2006–present
2 Marcus Lopez 43 7 2012–present
3 Ian Mariano 42 3 2007–2019
4 Dylan Naputi 40 4 2011–2019
5 Travis Nicklaw 39 1 2012–present
6 Dominic Gadia 36 0 2003–2019
Mark Chargualaf 36 0 2007–2021
Jonahan Romero 36 0 2012–present
9 Shawn Nicklaw 35 2 2012–2019
10 Ryan Guy 33 4 2012–2016
Micah Paulino 33 0 2008–2016

Top Goal Scorers

Ryan Guy
Ryan Guy scored four goals for Guam.
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Jason Cunliffe 26 68 0.38 2006–present
2 Matthew Naputi 13 1998–2005
3 Zachary Pangelinan 8 12 0.67 2005–2008
4 Marcus Lopez 7 43 0.16 2012–present
5 Joshua Borja 5 15 0.33 2009–2013
6 Christopher Mendiola 4 11 0.36 2007–2009
Shane Malcolm 4 29 0.14 2014–2019
Ryan Guy 4 33 0.12 2012–2016
Dylan Naputi 4 40 0.1 2011–2019
10 Elias Merfalen 3 19 0.16 2005–2012
Ian Mariano 3 42 0.07 2007–2019

Team Achievements

Friendly Cups

  • Marianas Cup (3): 2007, 2008, 2010

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Guam para niños

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