FINAL MATAO ROSTER RELEASED FOR FIFA QUALIFIERS

PRESS RELEASE – Guam National Team Head Coach Ross Awa officially released the names of the 23 players called up to represent Guam in this month’s FIFA World Cup 26™ and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ Joint Preliminary Qualification Round 1 against Singapore.

Leading the team are Asian Qualifiers veterans Jason Cunliffe, Kyle Halehale, Shane Healy, Takumi Ito, Dallas Jaye, Isiah Lagutang, Nathaniel Lee, Marcus Lopez, John Matkin, Leon Morimoto, Eddie Na, Travis Nicklaw, Jonahan Romero, and Alec Taitague. First-time call-ups for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers are Dane Agustin, Levi Berg, Jude Bischoff, Jason Castro, Ka’eo Gonsalves, John-Michael Guidroz, Anthony Quidachay, Oz Rocca, and Zaine Rocca.

“The Matao has a well-balanced team with a mix of experienced players and young talent,” Awa said. “This gives them a good advantage as the experience of the veterans is complemented by the energy and enthusiasm of the younger players. This balance of experience and new talent bodes well for the Matao’s future success, as they can draw from a myriad of perspectives and skill sets. With this kind of diversity and teamwork, the Matao is well on their way to reaching its goals and achieving success in its upcoming matches.”

Guam will first play against Singapore on Oct. 12 at the National Stadium in Singapore in its away leg of Round 1. The team will return to Guam to play against Singapore again Oct. 17. The Oct. 17 match will kick off at 2:45 p.m. at the Guam Football Association National Training Center.

Head-to-head, Guam and Singapore are tied, as the teams’ lone previous encounter resulted in a 2-2 draw at Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore in 2015. Jason Cunliffe and Shawn Nicklaw scored Guam’s goals in the 2015 friendly match against Singapore.

In Round 1 of the Asian Qualifiers, the winner will be determined by the most goals scored in both of this month’s matches. If the aggregate score is tied after regulation time at the Oct. 17 match in Guam, the match will go into extra time and potentially end with a penalty kick shootout.

The winner of the Guam-Singapore fixtures has been drawn into Group C of Round 2 of the Asian Qualifiers. Korea Republic, China PR, and Thailand await the results of the Guam-Singapore fixtures. Round 2 matches will begin in November.

Tickets for the Oct. 17 match are now available for purchase online at https://secure.hafatickets.com/gfa/tickets/asian-qualifiers-oct2023

Show your support for the Guam National Team by purchasing merchandise including authentic custom kit Macron jerseys to wear to the match via its online shop at https://gufanshop.myshopify.com