Our Subway Australia Joeys begin their AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2023™ Qualifiers - Group G tonight!

🆚 Northern Mariana Islands
⚽ Kickoff 7.30pm AEDT
🖥️ Stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0xlOU0L5Sw
🏟️ Shepparton Sports City Precinct
🎟️ Free tickets: bit.ly/3UHMPV5

Greater Shepparton City Council

Predicting a 11-0 win 

If we cant win by at least 6 there is something seriously wrong.

China dismantling Cambodia 6-0 with 15 to go. Should be an intriguing game against China on Sunday.

STARTING XI 🗒️

Here is how the Subway Australia Joeys line-up against Northern Mariana Islands for our first game of the AFC U17 Asian Cup 2023 Qualifiers - Group G.

🖥️ Stream: https://www.youtube.com/c/myfootball/featured
🎟️ Free tickets: https://bit.ly/3UHMPV5

Is this Irankunda at Reims? 

Irankunda with two goals in opening 6 min

Now 3.

Need to see Irankunda vs China.

Credit to NMA getting out for this with their limited resources. 

This hately kid from wsw havin a shocker.

He's with Adelaide only just turned 16.
Yaya Dukuly is the lad at Riems.

Nice ground.  A lot more of these needed across country Australia.

That's right I keep mixing those two names up. Visually my eyes see the names as almost identical in how my brain processes them. Odd I know. 

10-0 before half time.

I'm not surprised that the Joeys are trouncing them.  The total population of the Northern Mariana Islands is 57,000 which is just a bit more than Shepparton.

A local team from Shepparton probably would have be more of a challenge tbh

23:0 Australia 

From the commentary, baseball and basketball are more popular in the North Mariana Islands.

Cambodia will be a better test.

That must be where all their tall kids are.

funny - geez they were small. Must have been some 12 year olds there...

I still want to see the highlights :D

Went to the game, such shit weather, hopefully the game on Sunday will be a better day for it. 

Felt bad for the NMI lads, they were that much smaller than our boys. 

there was a goal every 4 minutes, just watch the whole game lol.

Well done for braving that... looked like the rain was coming down sideways.....  Was good to see how hungry some of these Joeys are to get a goal, even the wing backs... Felt bad for the poor lads from Marianas though, that must have been so torturous.... 

FT China 10 v Northern Mariana Islands 0

Some sites are saying 11-0.

Our Subway Australia Joeys are back in action tonight for our second group game of the AFC U17 Asian Cup 2023™ Qualifiers!

🆚 Cambodia
⚽ Kickoff 7.30pm AEDT
🖥️ https://www.youtube.com/c/myfootball/featured
🏟️ Shepparton Sports City Precinct
🎟️ Free tickets: http://bit.ly/3UHMPV5

Australia 2 Cambodia 0 after 20mins.

Today, a Japanese coach called Michiteru Mita broke down in tears in front of journalists and cameramen at a post match press conference. Here’s why:

Mita is the head coach of the youth national teams of North Mariana Islands. NMI are a non-FIFA nation who compete in AFC tournaments. They have a total population of 57,000 with only 100 players to choose from for their national teams.

Following Wednesday’s 23-0 loss to the Joeys, many people online questioned why North Mariana Islands should be in the tournament.

Today, following their much-improved performance against tournament favourites, China (population: 1.4 billion), their Head Coach broke down into tears in the post-match press conference.

“I know we are very small and I saw all the Facebook comments saying we shouldn’t be here. The boys all saw that,” said Mita.

“These tournaments are very important for us. We know we are small and young, but we try to develop our football because we use football to develop our community.

“Young people need something to dream about and to be a national team player is one of the dreams of island people.

“But something needs to motivate them so that’s why this international tournament is a very important part of being able to motivate and to give the dream to our players."

The response was prompted by a question about goalkeeper Vicente Jose Reyes who was subbed-off in tears mid-way through the second half against Australia – but who was a hero for NMI in this match: clearly their player of the match.

“After the first game…,” started Mita before he himself broke down into tears.

“After the first game Vicente cried when he was subbed out, and today he wanted to show something for us. I am so proud. He was excellent.”

NMI have their best chance of a victory on Sunday when they take on Cambodia at 7:30pm (local time). Viewers across the world can watch the match live on YouTube.

Heartbreaking reading that. Remember Iceland were once pot 5 or 6 in uefa. Let them aspire to something on their own terms.

The European minnows have also improved remarkably and have their moments to shine. 

HT Aus 3 v Cam 0