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Northern Mariana Islands national football team facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
This page is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Northern Mariana Islands women's national football team.
Quick facts for kids
Northern Mariana Islands
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) Blue Ayuyu
Association Northern Mariana Islands Football Association
Confederation AFC (Asia)
Sub-confederation EAFF (East Asia)
Head coach Vacant
Captain Jireh Yobech
Most caps Nicolas Swaim (17)
Top scorer Joe Wang Miller (4)
Home stadium Oleai Sports Complex
FIFA code MNP
First colors
Second colors
FIFA ranking
Current N/R
Elo ranking
Current 237 Steady (3 March 2019)
Highest 214 (August 1998)
Lowest 238 (September 2018)
First international
Unofficial
 Northern Mariana Islands 8–0 Yap 
(Koror, Palau; 28 July 1998)
Official
 Northern Mariana Islands 2–3 Guam 
(Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands; 25 March 2007)
Biggest win
Unofficial
 Palau 1–12 Northern Mariana Islands 
(Koror, Palau; 31 July 1998)
Official
 Northern Mariana Islands 4–0 American Samoa 
(Honiara, Solomon Islands; 27 November 2023)
Biggest defeat
 Fiji 10–0 Northern Mariana Islands 
(Honiara, Solomon Islands; 18 November 2023)
Pacific Games
Appearances 1 (first in 2023)
Best result Tenth place (2023)
Micronesian Games/Micronesian Cup
Appearances 2 (first in 1998)
Best result Champions (1998)

The Northern Mariana Islands national football team plays for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in international men's football (soccer). The team is managed by the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association. This group is part of the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) and, since 2020, a full member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

However, the team is not a member of FIFA, the world's main football organization. This means they can't play in big global events like the FIFA World Cup. Because of this, they don't have an official FIFA ranking. The team is often seen as one of the lowest-ranked teams in the world based on Elo ratings.

The team has won only a few official matches. Their biggest success so far was winning an exhibition tournament at the Micronesian Games in 1998. They are a relatively new international team, having played their first game in 1998.

Team History

Early Games and a Break

The Northern Mariana Islands team first played in an exhibition football tournament at the 1998 Micronesia Games. This was their first time playing in an international event. The games were a bit different from normal football. They were 9-a-side, lasted only 80 minutes, and the field was smaller.

Despite this, the team did very well! They won their first two games 8–0 against Palau B and Yap. They lost 2–1 to Guam but then won big against Palau (12–1) and Pohnpei (11–2). They reached the final and beat Guam 3–0 to win the tournament. This was their first big success.

In 1999, the team played in the first Micronesian Soccer Cup. They lost their first game 7–0 to the Federated States of Micronesia. After this, the original football group in the country stopped working. The team didn't play any international games for several years.

Coming Back to the Field

A new football group, the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association (NMIFA), was started in 2005. In 2006, the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) accepted the Northern Mariana Islands as a temporary member. This helped them get money to grow football in the country. They became full members of the EAFF in 2008.

Playing for the Marianas Cup

After joining the EAFF, the team started playing in the East Asian Football Championship. Their first games were against Guam in 2007. They lost the first game 3–2, but people were impressed by their effort. The second game was tougher, and they lost 9–0. These games were also part of the first Marianas Cup, a special trophy played between the two nations.

The teams played again in 2008. Guam won again, 3–2, but the Northern Mariana Islands showed great improvement.

Joining the AFC and First Wins

In 2009, the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association became an associate member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). This was a big step for them.

In 2010, they played Guam again in the Marianas Cup and got their first draw, 1–1. This was a good result for the team.

The team kept trying to qualify for the EAFF East Asian Cup. In 2012, they had a new coach and brought in younger players. They scored against Guam but still lost. They also lost to Macau.

In 2013, they played in the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers for the first time. They faced strong teams like Palestine, Bangladesh, and Nepal. They lost all three matches.

A Historic First Victory

On July 23, 2014, the Northern Mariana Islands made history! They won their first-ever official international match against Macau with a score of 2–1. Nicolas Swaim and Kirk Schuler scored the goals. This was a huge moment for the team and showed how much their hard work was paying off.

After this big win, they continued to play in qualifying tournaments. In 2016, the Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands promised a new football pitch for the team.

Aiming for FIFA Membership

In December 2020, the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association became a full member of the AFC. This was another important step. In 2021, they officially applied to join FIFA. If they become a FIFA member, they will be able to play in the World Cup qualifiers.

Playing in the Pacific Games

In 2023, the Northern Mariana Islands team played in the Pacific Games for the first time. They faced teams from the Oceania Football Confederation. On November 27, 2023, they achieved another big win, beating American Samoa 4–0. This was their first victory in the Pacific Games, with Captain Jireh Yobech scoring the team's first goal in the tournament.

Home Stadium

The Northern Mariana Islands play their home matches at the Oleai Sports Complex in Saipan. This stadium is mainly used for football games and can hold 2,000 people. It has a grass field and a running track around it.

Team Look

Colors and Kits

The team's home uniform is all sky blue shirts, shorts, and socks, with a white design on the shirt. Their away uniform is the opposite: all white shirts, shorts, and socks with a sky blue design.

Kit History

The team's logo is the same as the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association. It features a Latte stone in the background. Latte stones are ancient pillars used by the Chamorro people and are a symbol of their identity. On top of the latte stone, there's a football and a two-tone wave. The wave's colors match the national flag.

Team Nickname

The team is called the "Blue Ayuyu." An Ayuyu is the local name for the Coconut crab, also known as the Robber crab, found in the Mariana Islands.

Recent Games

Here are some of the team's recent match results and upcoming games.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2023 Matches

2024 Matches

Coaching History

Here are the coaches who have led the Northern Mariana Islands national football team:

Head coach Dates Pld W D L Win % Competitions
Northern Mariana Islands Stefan Bossler 1998–1999 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02 &&&&&&&&&&&&&071.40000071.4 1998 Micronesian Games
1999 Micronesian Cup
United States Korytoski, JeffJeff Korytoski 2007 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02 &0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00.0 2008 East Asian Football Championship
Northern Mariana Islands Swaim, NicolasNicolas Swaim 2008 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00.0 Marianas Cup
Japan Kambe, SugaoSugao Kambe 2009 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03 &0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00.0 2010 East Asian Football Championship
Northern Mariana Islands Swaim, NicolasNicolas Swaim 2010 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00.0 Marianas Cup
Japan Suzuki, ChikashiChikashi Suzuki 2012 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03 &0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00.0 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup
Malaysia Khen, Koo LuamKoo Luam Khen 2013 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03 &0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00.0 2014 AFC Challenge Cup
Japan Sekiguchi, KiyoshiKiyoshi Sekiguchi 2014–2017 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05 &&&&&&&&&&&&&016.70000016.7 2015 EAFF East Asian Cup
2017 EAFF East Asian Cup
Japan Mita, MichiteruMichiteru Mita 2017–2023 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04 &0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00.0 2019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship

Current Players

Here are the players who were recently called up for the 2024 Marianas Cup.

Caps (games played) and goals are correct as of April 7, 2024, after the match against Guam.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Christopher Aninzo (2000-01-06) 6 January 2000 (age 25) 6 0 Northern Mariana Islands MP United
12 1GK John Bucayo (2001-03-10) 10 March 2001 (age 24) 1 0 Northern Mariana Islands MP United
25 1GK Toves Merrick (2004-12-01) 1 December 2004 (age 20) 4 0 Northern Mariana Islands Kanoa
2 2DF Kohtaro Goto (2004-05-23) 23 May 2004 (age 21) 2 0 United States Park University
3 2DF Jerald Aquino (2004-10-25) 25 October 2004 (age 20) 5 0 Philippines Tuloy
4 2DF Ocanada Ronnel (2001-02-26) 26 February 2001 (age 24) 6 0 Northern Mariana Islands MP United
5 2DF Jehn Joyner (1997-10-09) 9 October 1997 (age 27) 10 0 Guam Bank of Guam Strykers
6 2DF Lucas Knecht (1993-03-30) 30 March 1993 (age 32) 11 0 United States Georgia Southwestern State University
14 2DF Enrico del Rosario (1997-03-21) 21 March 1997 (age 28) 6 0 United States Northern Kentucky Nitro
16 2DF Dai Podziewski (2001-08-31) 31 August 2001 (age 23) 2 0 United States Suffolk University
20 2DF Euly Ermitanio (2000-03-30) 30 March 2000 (age 25) 3 0 Guam University of Guam
21 2DF Jeremiah Diaz (2004-01-12) 12 January 2004 (age 21) 1 0 United States Park University
7 3MF Anthony Fruit (2001-01-10) 10 January 2001 (age 24) 2 0 Germany SG Aumund-Vegesack
8 3MF Michael Barry (1995-11-10) 10 November 1995 (age 29) 10 0 United States Saint Leo University
10 3MF Ryu Tanzawa (1998-03-04) 4 March 1998 (age 27) 3 0 Japan Nihon University
13 3MF Jireh Yobech (1996-07-08) 8 July 1996 (age 28) 12 1 Northern Mariana Islands Inter Godfather's
17 3MF Ariel Narvaez Jr. unknown 5 1 Northern Mariana Islands Eleven Tiger
18 3MF Dev Bachani (2005-05-04) 4 May 2005 (age 20) 6 0 Philippines Tuloy
25 3MF Markus Toves (2007-05-27) 27 May 2007 (age 18) 6 2 Northern Mariana Islands Kanoa
9 4FW Nolan Ngewakl (2008-07-08) 8 July 2008 (age 16) 4 1 Northern Mariana Islands Latte
11 4FW Taka Borja (2003-11-20) 20 November 2003 (age 21) 2 1 Northern Mariana Islands Teen Ayuyu
15 4FW Sunjoon Tenorio (2001-05-20) 20 May 2001 (age 24) 3 1 United States Warner Pacific Knights
19 4FW Michah Griffin (1997-10-26) 26 October 1997 (age 27) 3 1 Northern Mariana Islands MP United
22 4FW Ruben Guerrero unknown 4 2 Northern Mariana Islands Kanoa
23 4FW Richard Steele (2004-03-30) 30 March 2004 (age 21) 1 0 United States Park–Gilbert Buccaneers
24 4FW Joe Wang Miller (1989-02-03) 3 February 1989 (age 36) 17 4 Guam Guam Shipyard

Player Records

Players in bold are still active with Northern Mariana Islands.

Most Games Played

Rank Player Caps Goals Period
1 Nicolas Swaim 17 2 2009–2018
2 Joe Wang Miller 15 4 2008–2016
3 Jireh Yobech 12 1 2012–present
4 Lucas Knecht 11 0 2007–2014
5 Michael Barry 10 0 2012–2018
Trey Dunn 10 0 2012–2016
Joel Fruit 10 0 2012–2018
Jehn Joyner 10 0 2013–2018
Steven McKagen 10 1 2009–2013
10 Peter Loken 9 1 2009–2016
Johann Neutzel 9 0 2012–2016
Jonathan Takano 9 0 2014–2020
Kirk Schuler 9 3 2010–2016

Top Goalscorers

Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Period
1 Joe Wang Miller 4 15 0.27 2009–2016
2 Kirk Schuler 3 9 0.33 2010–2016
3 Mark McDonald 2 2 1 2007
Ruben Guerrero 2 4 0.5 2023–present
Nicolas Swaim 2 17 0.12 2009–2018

Youngest Players to Play

The Northern Mariana Islands team has given many young players, under 16 years old, their first chance to play international football.

Three players from the Northern Mariana Islands are among the nine youngest players globally to make their international debuts before their fifteenth birthdays. Lucas Knecht was the youngest ever male player to play in an international match at just 14 years and 2 days old in 2007! Joel Fruit and Kennedy Izuka also made their debuts when they were 14.

Youngest Players to Play
Name Age Birth date Debut date Competition Opponent Result
Lucas Knecht 14 years and 2 days 30 March 1993 1 April 2007 2008 EAFF Championship /
Marianas Cup		  Guam 0–9
Joel Fruit 14 years and 177 days 31 March 1998 24 November 2012 Friendly  Guam 0–8
Kennedy Izuka 14 years and 242 days 27 March 1998 24 November 2012 Friendly  Guam 0–8
Enrico del Rosario 15 years and 119 days 21 March 1997 18 July 2012 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup  Guam 1–3
Jehn Joyner 15 years and 144 days 9 October 1997 2 March 2013 2014 AFC Challenge Cup    Nepal 0–6
Scott Kim 15 years and 155 days 22 June 1997 24 November 2012 Friendly  Guam 0–8

Oldest Players to Play

The Northern Mariana Islands team has also had many players over 40 years old play for them. Out of 88 players worldwide who played international football after turning 40, 11 are from the Northern Mariana Islands. Wesley Bogdan was 48 years and 243 days old when he played his first international game in 2007.

Oldest Players to Play
Name Age Birth date Appearance date Competition Opponent Result
Wesley Bogdan 48 years and 243 days 1 August 1958 1 April 2007 2008 EAFF Championship /
Marianas Cup		  Guam 0–9
Vince Stravino 43 years and 320 days 16 May 1963 1 April 2007 2008 EAFF Championship /
Marianas Cup		  Guam 0–9
David Dueñas 43 years and 94 days 11 December 1965 15 March 2009 2010 EAFF Championship  Mongolia 1–4
Daniel Westphal 42 years and 355 days 5 April 1970 6 March 2013 2014 AFC Challenge Cup  Bangladesh 0–4
Bruce Berline 42 years and 176 days 7 October 1964 1 April 2007 2008 EAFF Championship /
Marianas Cup		  Guam 0–9
Dale Roberts 42 years and 144 days 22 October 1966 15 March 2009 2010 EAFF Championship  Mongolia 1–4
Christopher Guerrero 41 years and 301 days 1 July 1966 27 April 2008 2008 EAFF Championship /
Marianas Cup		  Guam 2–3
José Dueñas 41 years and 207 days 20 August 1967 15 March 2009 2010 EAFF Championship  Mongolia 1–4
Mike Hall 41 years and 106 days 16 December 1965 1 April 2007 2008 EAFF Championship /
Marianas Cup		  Guam 0–9
Greg Elliott 40 years and 247 days 15 October 1969 19 June 2010 Marianas Cup  Guam 1–1
Tyce Mister 40 years and 15 days 10 March 1967 25 March 2007 Marianas Cup  Guam 2–3

Tournament Records

The Northern Mariana Islands have played in a few international football competitions. They are not a FIFA member, so they can't enter the FIFA World Cup.

AFC Asian Cup

The team has not yet qualified for the AFC Asian Cup. They were not members of the AFC for many years. Even after joining, they have not been able to enter some qualifying rounds because they are not a FIFA member.

AFC Asian Cup AFC Asian Cup qualification
Year Result Position Pld W D* L GS GA Pld W D* L GF GA
Hong Kong 1956 Not a member of the AFC Not a member of the AFC
South Korea 1960
Israel 1964
Iran 1968
Thailand 1972
Iran 1976
Kuwait 1980
Singapore 1984
Qatar 1988
Japan 1992
United Arab Emirates 1996
Lebanon 2000
China 2004
Indonesia Malaysia Thailand Vietnam 2007
Qatar 2011 Did not enter Did not enter
Australia 2015 Did not qualify AFC Challenge Cup
United Arab Emirates 2019 Did not enter Did not enter
Qatar 2023
Saudi Arabia 2027 Excluded Excluded
Total — 0/18 – – – – – – 0 0 0 0 0 0

**: The first two rounds of qualifying for the 2019 and 2023 AFC Asian Cup were also World Cup qualifiers. Because the Northern Mariana Islands are not FIFA members, they could not join. They can only qualify for the Asian Cup starting with the 2027 qualifying playoff round.

AFC Challenge Cup

The team tried to qualify for the AFC Challenge Cup once in 2013. They lost all three matches and didn't score any goals. This tournament was later stopped by the AFC.

AFC Challenge Cup Qualification record
Year Result Position Pld W D* L GS GA Pld W D* L GF GA
Bangladesh 2006 Did not enter Did not enter
India 2008
Sri Lanka 2010
Nepal 2012
Maldives 2014 Did not qualify 3 0 0 3 0 19
Total — 0/5 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 3 0 19

EAFF E-1 Football Championship

This championship is the main competition for the Northern Mariana Islands since they joined the EAFF. They have tried to qualify for every tournament but haven't succeeded yet.

EAFF E-1 Football Championship Preliminary competition
Year Result Position Pld W D* L GS GA Pld W D* L GF GA
East Asian Football Championship
Japan 2003 Not a member of the EAFF Not a member of the EAFF
South Korea 2005
China 2008 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 2 12
Japan 2010 3 0 0 3 3 12
EAFF East Asian Cup
South Korea 2013 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 2 8
China 2015 3 1 0 2 2 10
EAFF E-1 Football Championship
Japan 2017 Did not qualify 3 0 0 3 2 19
South Korea 2019 3 0 1 2 1 14
Japan 2022 Did not participate Not held
South Korea 2024 To be determined To be determined
Total — 0/8 0 0 0 0 0 0 16 1 1 14 12 75

Micronesian Games

The Northern Mariana Islands first played in the 1998 Micronesia Games. Even though it was an exhibition tournament, they won it! They haven't entered since, as football isn't always part of the games.

Micronesian Games record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GS GA
Palau 1998 Champions 1st 6 5 0 1 43 5
Pohnpei State 2014 Did not enter
Yap State 2018
Marshall Islands 2024 To be determined
Total Champions 1/3 6 5 0 1 43 5

*Denotes draws includes knockout matches decided on penalty kicks. Red border indicates that the tournament was hosted on home soil. Gold, silver, bronze backgrounds indicates 1st, 2nd and 3rd finishes respectively. Bold text indicates best finish in tournament.

Micronesian Cup

Micronesian Cup record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
Federated States of Micronesia 1999 Runners-up 2nd 1 0 0 1 0 7
Total Runners-up 1/1 1 0 0 1 0 7

Marianas Cup

The Marianas Cup is a special trophy played between the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam whenever they meet.

Marianas Cup record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
Northern Mariana Islands Guam 2007 Runners-up 2nd 2 0 0 2 2 12
Northern Mariana Islands 2008 Runners-up 2nd 1 0 0 1 2 3
Northern Mariana Islands 2010 Champions 1st 1 0 1 0 1 1
Guam 2012 Runners-up 2nd 1 0 0 1 0 8
Northern Mariana Islands 2024 Champions 1st 2 1 1 0 4 3
Total 2 titles 5/5 7 1 2 5 9 27

Only tournaments where the main national teams played are counted.

World Rankings

FIFA Ranking

The Northern Mariana Islands are not members of FIFA, so they don't have an official FIFA ranking. They have been trying to join FIFA since 2021.

Elo Rating

Northern Mariana Islands National Football Team Historic Elo Ratings.

The team's Elo rating has generally gone down since their first official game in 1998. Their current Elo ranking of 238 shows they are one of the lowest-ranked international football teams in the world.

Honors and Achievements

As of 2021, the Northern Mariana Islands team has won one competition:

Regional Titles

  • 1998 Micronesian Games: 1st place
  • 2010 Marianas Cup (shared title)

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de las Islas Marianas del Norte para niños

  • Northern Mariana Islands women's national football team
  • Northern Mariana Islands national under-18 football team
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