Matao will play in Philippines

The Matao, the Guam men's national soccer team, will have another chance at improving its June performance against the Azkals, the Philippines' national team, at the Paulino Alcantara Cup in September in Bacolod City, Philippines.
With the Matao's recent 10-spot jump in the FIFA world rankings following its 3-0 victory over Macau in the East Asian Cup preliminary competition in July, the team received and accepted an invitation to compete in the tournament, formerly known as the Long Teng Cup, scheduled for Sept. 25-29.


"The invitation we received to play in this tournament is testament to all the hard work the team has put in to gain the respect on the pitch it deserves," said Matao head coach Gary White. "The steady improvement the Matao has displayed over the past few months has caught the attention of higher-ranked opponents in the region; however, there is still much more to gain.
"Competing in this tournament will be an excellent tune-up for the second round of the East Asian Cup in Hong Kong in December," White added.
A final 18-man traveling team roster will be released closer to the date of the tournament. The current squad has returned to training following the East Asian Cup preliminary competition last month.

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