Although the senior team had been competing on the international stage sporadically for a number of years, the nation lacked any junior teams until the under-23 team was founded in 2014. Having never played together as a full squad until a training camp in Guam, and traveling to the games with kit donated by their hosts, they made their competitive debut in international football at the 2015 Pacific Games with a view to using the tournament as both a development opportunity for young players in the country and also as the first steps towards gaining official recognition from and membership of FIFA.[1]
Their performance was the worst recorded in international football as they lost all three games, conceding 114 goals (an average of 38 goals each game) in the process without scoring themselves. On two occasions, against Fiji and Vanuatu, they conceded a record number of goals in international competition. However, although these matches count as official records for the Pacific Games, they are not recognized by FIFA as official world records, as the games did not involve senior teams. Despite the unofficial nature of their record defeats, numerous international media outlets have branded them the worst football team on the planet.
History
Background
The four states of the Federated States of Micronesia: Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae are spread out over six hundred islands in an isolated area of the Pacific Ocean.[2] Many of the islands, although touched by western influences, have had very little contact with modern media, stone money is still used symbolically on occasions[2] and many of the team selected for the 2015 Pacific Games still live in huts in small villages, lacking hot water and modern conveniences.[2] There are only two full-sized football pitches in the country,[2] both of which are on Yap, the multi-use Yap Sports Complex and the dedicated football pitch at the Yap State Soccer field.[3] In regions such as Chuuk, the lack of facilities means that all football played is street football.[2]
Foundation
Previously the senior team had entered the 2003 South Pacific Games, performing poorly, losing all four games and conceding 52 goals without reply.[4] This was the last recorded time that any Micronesian team had played against full international sides,[5] although individual islands of Micronesia competed in the 2014 Micronesia Games.[6] However, before the tournament, Kiribati withdrew, Guam chose not to send a team and the Northern Mariana Islands were unable to send a team as their regular squad was playing in the EAFF East Asian Cup, leaving non-FIFA member Palau as the only international representative and Micronesia competing as separate states.[6]
Under the auspices of manager Stan Foster[7] and assistant manager Curtis Graham,[8] The Federated States of Micronesia under-23 team, nicknamed the Four Stars,[9] began training in the second half of 2014 in unusual circumstances.[10] Due to the scattered nature of the islands, it was impossible for the team to get together initially to train as a full squad and instead individuals had to train in small groups on their islands of origin.[10] Although this method of selection meant the team was not able to get together as a single unit until their pre-tournament camp in Guam, it was a method that met with the approval of the football association President Jim Wuthel as being one that allowed the selection of a squad that was truly representative of the islands despite an almost complete lack of money or sponsorship.[10]
The two-week extended pre-tournament camp in Guam, funded by the football association,[11] allowed the team to train together for the first time, make use of the significantly better facilities offered by the Guam Football Association and gave them the chance to test themselves against a number of teams in the Guam Men's Soccer League prior to their departure for Papua New Guinea.[10] The training camp also allowed the team to take possession of an away kit for the first time courtesy of the Guam Football Association[12] and were it not for a meeting with a local restaurateur during their training camp, some of the players would have travelled to the games without boots.[2]
2015 Pacific Games
The Federated States of Micronesia national under-23 football team had never taken part in a tournament until 2015 when they entered the Pacific Games,[10] competing in the 14th edition of the men's football tournament, which was held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea between 3 and 17 July 2015. The Micronesian National Olympic Committee stated that the reason they entered the competition was to try to enhance their chances of membership of FIFA,[11] although they had tentatively begun their application process back in 2001,[13] and the national Olympic committee, via the International Olympic Committee provided a $50,000 grant to cover airfares, insurance and accommodation costs while in Port Moresby to enable the team to compete.[8]
The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) used this tournament as the OFC Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament for the 2016 Summer Olympic men's tournament.[14] A separate qualifying tournament was initially set to take place at Tonga between 2–12 December 2015[15] however, it was later decided to absorb the qualifying tournament into the Pacific Games, leading to the New Zealand team participating for the first time in the Pacific Games men's football tournament.[16][17] As a result of this, the Federated States of Micronesia Football Association sent their under-23 team to make their debut on the international stage. Despite initial claims that the team should not be underestimated and that they were not simply there to make up the numbers,[18] their performance was to be the worst on record for international competition.
Micronesia 0–30 Tahiti
Their debut at the 2015 Pacific Games was an inauspicious start for the team, losing 0–30 to Tahiti, having arrived at the tournament with a squad of only 18 players.[7] Michel Maihi opened the scoring in the second minute with a fluke goal which he later admitted was intended to be a cross.[19] Maihi went on to score a further four goals in the match, but he was beaten to the title of top scorer by Fred Tissot, who scored six.[19]Manuarii Hauata, Tevairoa Tehuritaua, Mauarii Tehina, Yohan Tihoni and Raiamanu Tauira scored three or more each to complete the scoring.[20] This was the second time that Tahiti had recorded a 30–0 victory in the Pacific Games, matching the scoreline in a game against the Cook Islands in 1971.[20] As Tahiti's onslaught went on, the crowd began to cheer for the Micronesians and nicknaming their number 10, Roger Nakasone, "Messi". Immediately following the match, the Tahitian team performed a post-match haka towards their opponents, inflicting on them additional embarrassment.[19]
Their next match produced an even more one-sided result, indeed to that point the most one-sided result in international football history, as they lost Fiji 0–38,[21] with goalkeeper Walter Pengelbew conceding 21 goals in the first half[21] before being replaced in goal by erstwhile midfielder Dominic Gadad,[22] who himself went on to concede a further 17 goals as Micronesia eclipsed the former world record for number of goals conceded in official competition set by American Samoa when they conceded 31 against Australia in 2001.[23] However, this result did not replace the American Samoa match in the record books firstly as Micronesia are not affiliated to FIFA and secondly as the competition, since it is doubling up as a qualifying tournament for the 2016 Summer Olympics, is being contested by under-23 teams.[24] However, the scoreline was deemed an official record for the Pacific Games.[25] Tony Tuivuna scored ten goals for Fiji, narrowly beating Chris Wasasala, who scored nine goals on his international debut to top scorer.[26] Also scoring were Iosefo Verevou and Garish Prasad with five each, Napolioni Qasevakatini with four, Masana Nawakula with two, while Savenaca Nakalevu and Tevita Waranaivalu scored one each.[26]
The result of the match was not a surprise to the manager of the team, Stan Foster, who stated that the team were at the tournament for development purposes, to try as hard as they could and to take any information they could glean from their experiences home with them to aid their progression.[27] Fiji manager, Juan Carlos Buzzetti was apologetic after the match, acknowledging the inexperience and youth of the opposition,[27] and saying that they had little option but to finish with such a scoreline after Tahiti had set the benchmark in the previous match,[26] but was also critical of his own players for not always sticking to their game plan to play one-touch football.[27]
The reasons for the size of the defeat have been put down to the general lack of experience within the diminished squad as a whole, with most of the players only getting involved in the game at most eighteen months prior to the tournament starting.[22] Indeed, most of the players came from villages where they did not play the game at all and Gadad, who replaced Pengelbew in goal at half time, had only played as a goalkeeper for the first time three weeks prior.[22]
Having suffered one record defeat to Fiji, the fledgling Micronesia team lost even more heavily in their final group game, defeated 46–0 by Vanuatu, with Jean Kaltack scoring a record 16 goals.[29] With Micronesia having lost so heavily in their opening games, Vanuatu were faced with the seemingly difficult task of having to score a minimum of thirty goals in order to stand a chance of progressing to the next round of competition.[30] However, the team, ranked 200th in the world at the time,[30] found themselves 24–0 ahead at half time having scored three more goals by that stage than Fiji had managed in their game.[30]
Tony Kaltack opened the scoring in the second minute, but by the end of the game, Tafea striker Jean Kaltack was the top scorer in the match with 16 goals.[31] Tony Kaltack increased his tally by a further five goals in the match, Bill Nicholls and Barry Mansale scored ten and six goals respectively while Dalong Damalip's hat-trick, Abraham Roqara's two and one each for Brian Kaltack, Nemani Nikiau, Zicka Manuhi and Chris Andrews rounded out the scoring.[31]
The team finished the tournament with three heavy losses and no wins, scoring no goals whilst conceding 114 in total. They finished last in the group and did not progress to either knockout round (although they could not have progressed to the Olympic games qualifying rounds as they are not members of FIFA).
A bar chart illustrating the largest margins of victory in international football since 1997.
Following the game against Vanuatu, Foster expressed relief that the team would be allowed back at the next Pacific Games, fearing they would be refused entry due to the quality of their results, but they received assurances from the organizers that they were aware that the side that competed was a development side and that he hoped, despite receiving criticism before the start of the tournament for selecting a team of such young players, that a number of the players would be able to use the Pacific Games to enhance their development for the next eight years.[34] Though he noted that it would be difficult for the nation to improve the standard of their football until they were recognized by FIFA,[34] he said that he anticipated a FIFA delegation would be visiting the islands in the following week to carry out an inspection and with a view to affiliating them with the AFC.[34] This would then entitle them to funding and technical assistance that would enable the nation to improve the standard of football.[34] National media reported that membership would allow the nation to build new stadium and renovate existing facilities, bring professional coaches to the islands and purchase much-needed equipment.[8]
To put into context the series of defeats his team had suffered, Foster said that for many of his players this was the first time that they had played a game on a full-size 11-a-side pitch.[35] He also said that in general the players were simply overawed with the occasion, noting that many of them had never even left their villages, let alone their respective islands and that during the pre-tournament training camp in Guam a number of the players gained their first experience of an escalator or elevator.[35] Following these defeats, several members of the squad said to the manager that they wanted to train as goalkeepers.[36] Despite conceding a record number of goals, and with media outlets labelling them the worst team in the world,[2] many of the outfield players were heartened by the cheers their goalkeeper received every time he made a save.[36] The major stumbling block facing Micronesia is, if they do not gain FIFA affiliation, then their next scheduled international match will not be for another four years, when they will travel to Samoa for the 2019 Pacific Games.[36] Micronesia subsequently did not receive FIFA affiliation, nor did a football team from the nation contest the 2019 Pacific Games.
Despite the heavy defeats suffered by the team, national media was upbeat about the overall performances, remarking that despite the results, none of the athletes ever gave up, that they won the respect of the opposition in all three games they played and that the team as a whole could be very proud of their efforts.[8] It was noted that if, as a result of competing the nation could join FIFA that the benefits of membership would outweigh the losses in the tournament.[8] International media however was less complimentary, with numerous outlets focussing solely on the results and labelling the side the worst football team on earth.[37][38] Despite this, the players received a warm reception upon their return home. On Yap people were pleased simply because the players had had the chance to travel abroad and experience international competition, with such opportunities normally being limited to Guam if at all.[39] Indeed, as a result of their experiences, one player was looking to join a football club in Guam, with several others considering similar options.[39]
FIFA affiliation
The Oceania Football Confederation had dissuaded Micronesia from applying to their association, saying that they would have better developmental opportunities within the AFC,[12] although with FIFA having more Pacific members than the United Nations, affiliation with FIFA is also not assured; they have cancelled previous visits and rejected membership of other nations in the past due to the level of hotel facilities on offer.[12] A FIFA delegate visited the islands following the tournament to review the condition of facilities in the country and the level of football development, with a decision on potential FIFA affiliation due before the end of 2015.[40] Foster remarked that the initial report provided by the delegate was positive.[39]
The team has yet to play any home fixtures. There are only two full-sized football pitches in the country,[2] both of which are on Yap, the multi-use Yap Sports Complex and the dedicated football pitch at the Yap State Soccer field.[3]
Squad
The following players were called up to the squad for the 2015 Pacific Games from 3–17 July 2015.[41]
The OFC Men's Nations Cup, known as the OFC Nations Cup before the 2024 edition, is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), determining the continental champion of Oceania. The winning team became the champion of Oceania and until 2016 qualified for the FIFA Confederations Cup.
The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) is one of the six continental confederations of international association football. The OFC has 13 members, 11 of which are full members and two which are associate members not affiliated with FIFA. It promotes the game in Oceania and allows the member nations to qualify for the FIFA World Cup.
The Guam national football team represents Guam, an overseas territory of the United States, in international football and is controlled by the Guam Football Association. They are affiliated with the Asian Football Confederation's East Asian Football Federation region.
The Kiribati men's national football team is the national men's football team of Kiribati and is controlled by the Kiribati Islands Football Association. Kiribati is not a member of FIFA but is an associate member of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), and is therefore not eligible to enter the FIFA World Cup but may enter the OFC Nations Cup. It became a provisional member of the N.F.-Board on 10 December 2005.
Federated States of Micronesia men's national football team represents the Federated States of Micronesia in international football, and is controlled by the Federated States of Micronesia Football Association. The team is not a member of FIFA, or a regional confederation, and therefore cannot compete in the World Cup.
The Tuvalu national football team is the international football team of Tuvalu. Football in Tuvalu is played at the club and international level. The Tuvalu national team draws players from the Tuvalu A-Division and trains at the Tuvalu Sports Ground at Funafuti. The national team competes in the Pacific Games, and is controlled by the Tuvalu Islands Football Association, which is an associate member of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) but not a member of FIFA.
The Northern Mariana Islands national football team represents the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in international men's football. The team is controlled by the governing body for football in the Northern Mariana Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association, which is a member of the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) and since December 2020 a full member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The association is not a member of the world governing body FIFA, although it had applied for membership, and so while the national team is eligible to enter AFC and EAFF-run competitions, they are currently ineligible for global competitions such as the FIFA World Cup. As such, they do not have an official FIFA ranking. However, the team have been consistently ranked as one of the worst teams in the world on the Elo ratings and were in fact, in July 2016 rated as the worst men's senior international team in the world in a ratings system that also includes a number of other non-FIFA teams.
The Papua New Guinea women's national soccer team is controlled by the Papua New Guinea Football Association (PNGFA). Its nickname is the Lakatois, which is a Motuan sailing vessel. Their home ground is the Sir Hubert Murray Stadium, located in Port Moresby and their current manager is Peter Gunemba. Deslyn Siniu is the team's most capped player and top scorer.
The Vanuatu women's national football team represents Vanuatu in international women's association football. The team is controlled by the Vanuatu Football Federation (VFF). Vanuatu's home field is the Port Vila Municipal Stadium, located in the country's capital, Port Vila. The team is managed by Job Alwin.
The OFC qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup saw teams of the Oceania Football Confederation competing for a place in the finals held in Brazil.
The 2012 OFC Nations Cup was the ninth edition of the OFC Nations Cup organised by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC). The group stage of the tournament also doubled as the second round of the OFC qualification tournament for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The four semi-finalists advanced to the final round of OFC qualifying, where they would compete for the OFC spot in the inter-confederation play-offs. The qualifying tournament was to be the football competition at the 2011 Pacific Games in Nouméa, New Caledonia. However, in June 2011 the format was amended, and the Pacific Games were no longer part of the qualification process. The new structure saw four of the lowest ranked entrants play a single round-robin tournament from 22 to 26 November 2011 in Samoa. The winner of this qualifying stage joined the other seven teams that received a bye to the Nations Cup proper.
The 2011–12 OFC Champions League, also known as the 2012 O-League, was the 11th edition of the Oceanian Club Championship, Oceania's premier club football tournament organized by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), and the 6th season under the current OFC Champions League name. It was contested by eight teams from seven countries. The teams were split into two four-team pools, the winner of each pool contesting the title of O-League Champion and the right to represent the OFC at the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup.
Bertrand Patrice Charles Kaï is a New Caledonian international footballer who plays as a forward for Hienghène Sport and the New Caledonia national team. He is one of only two New Caledonians to be named Oceania Footballer of the Year.
The 2016 OFC Nations Cup was the tenth edition of the OFC Nations Cup, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Oceania organised by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC). The tournament was played between 28 May and 11 June 2016 in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. The winner qualified for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia.
The 2015 Pacific Games men's football tournament was the 14th edition of the Pacific Games men's football tournament. The men's football tournament was held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea between 3–17 July 2015 as part of the 2015 Pacific Games. The tournament was age-restricted and open to men's under-23 national teams only.
The 2015 Pacific Games women's football tournament was the fourth edition of the Pacific Games women's football tournament. The women's football tournament was held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea between 6–16 July 2015 as part of the 2015 Pacific Games. The tournament was open to full women's national teams.
Alwin Komolong is a Papua New Guinean footballer who plays for Lae City of the Papua New Guinea National Soccer League, and for the Papua New Guinea national football team. Alwin and his brother Felix have been called one of the strongest central defensive pairings in their region.
Tommy Semmy is a Papua New Guinean soccer player who plays as a striker for National Premier Leagues Victoria club Melbourne Knights and the Papua New Guinea national team.
Manuarii Hauata is a footballer playing for A.S. Central Sport and the Tahiti national football team.
The Fiji women's national under-20 football team is the second highest women's youth team of women's football in Fiji and is controlled by the Fiji Football Association.
↑ Cowling, James (1 July 2015). "Soccer at Port Moresby 2015". portmoresby2015.com. 2015 Pacific Games Limited. Archived from the original on 9 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
↑ "Pacific Games Men Team List". oceaniafootball.com. StayinFront inc. 2 Jul 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2015. Team listing at Oceania football
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Micronesia 0–30 Tahiti 
