The battle aiming to be the top of East Asia has now started. The Preliminary Competition Round 1 of the EAFF East Asian Cup 2015 and the EAFF Women’s East Asian Cup 2015 took place from the 21st to the 25th of July. The finals of both competitions will be held in China during July 2015.

Attended by Guam, Macau, Mongolia and Northern Mariana Islands, the Preliminary Competition Round 1 was played in a round-robin format. Only the top team could advance to Round 2; In the past two competitions, it was Guam who won Round 1.

Composed of players who play for Pilipino, Indian or other clubs or college teams in the mainland U.S., the current Guam squad is again blessed with individual quality.



Guam lived up to the hype under English coach Gary White, who has been in charge since 2012. After playing out a scoreless draw in the first match against Macau, they beat Mongolia 2-0 before enjoying a comfortable 5-0 win against Northern Mariana Islands to earn a place in the next round.

Northern Mariana Islands earned their first win in the qualifiers

Other than Guam, Northern Mariana Islands showed a notable performance. They defeated Macau 2-1 in their second game to register their first win in their fourth attempt at the qualifiers.



“Technically and physically, the other three teams are better than us, so we played defensive football. Furthermore, our players carried out my plan in a disciplined manner. As planned, we converted the few chances we had by making the most of set pieces,” said coach Kiyoshi Sekiguchi, who took charge just before these qualifiers.

It arguably helped them earn the historic win as the Japanese coach also led the team from 2010 to 2011 and knows “the characters of most of the players.”

Guam will embark on their challenge in the Preliminary Competition Round 2 in November, where they will face Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong and DPR Korea.

Their coach White looks forward to the adventure, saying: “We want to show our quality in a game against internationally recognised teams such as DPR Korea.”

According to Northern Mariana Islands’ coach Sekiguchi, “Among the four gradually improving teams, Guam were outstanding both in individual skills and collective tactics. They can potentially be a surprise package in Round 2.” Guam will continue to attract special attention in the next stage.


Guam women’s team also in impressive form

Guam also went through the Preliminary Competition Round 1 of the EAFF Women’s East Asian Cup 2015. They eased past Northern Mariana Islands 7-0 and then Macau 11-0, demonstrating their impressive strength.



Coach Kim Sang-Hoon explained after Round 1: “Our players have good quality and understand my strategy and philosophy. We played as a team with high motivation to win the games. That is why we were able to survive.”

Asked about the changes in the team over the past several years, the Korea Republican coach promptly replied, feeling steady development of his players.

“Some of our members play in the U.S. and have made a significant improvement not only technically but also mentally. I think that is also the reason for our triumph.”

Competitive teams in the form of Korea Republic, Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong await Guam in the next round in November. “The matches will be a great experience for us,” said coach Kim. “We will reinforce our defence to get ready for the games against opponents better than the Round 1 competitors and we have to play at a higher tempo. Additionally, I want to ensure that my strategy will further prevail in the squad.”

Finally, he added: “It will be a big challenge for us.”