The Samoan national team gearing up for the upcoming OFC Men’s Nations Cup in June is filled with familiar faces from New Zealand’s regional leagues. Head coach Ryan Stewart, also the director of football at Nelson Suburbs, has assembled a squad with players from various leagues in New Zealand, Australia, and beyond, in addition to Samoa itself. Among the 23 players on the squad, eleven play their club football in New Zealand.
Samoa’s Group B matches in the tournament will see them facing off against Tahiti, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea in Suva. Meanwhile, New Zealand will compete in Group A against Solomon Islands and Vanuatu in Port Moresby, Vanuatu.
Having secured their spot in the OFC Nations Cup after a successful qualification series against Tonga and the Cook Islands in March 2024, Samoa is now preparing to showcase their talent on an international stage. One player to watch is midfielder Jarvis Vaai, who honed his skills at the Fluminense Peru Academy after starting his career at Hastings Boys High School and Havelock North Wanderers.
Another standout player is forward Kyah Cahill, son of Australian football legend Tim Cahill. Despite his ties to Australia, Kyah has chosen to represent Samoa and has been training at the Lusail Academy in Doha, Qatar.
The team has been hard at work preparing for the tournament, holding a training camp in Auckland to fine-tune their skills and build team chemistry. Coach Stewart emphasized the importance of bringing experienced players into the squad to provide leadership and guidance.
The Samoa squad features a mix of young talent and seasoned players, including goalkeepers Joel Bartley, Kirk Auvele, and Paul Taupau, defenders like Luke Tolo-Kent and Harry Chote, midfielders Kaleb De Groot-Green and Jesse Vine, as well as forwards Juan Gobbi and Michael Tumua Leo.
With their eyes set on success in the upcoming matches, Samoa’s fixtures include a showdown against Tahiti on June 16, followed by matches against Fiji on June 19 and Papua New Guinea on June 22, all taking place at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva.
As the team prepares to represent their country on the international stage, fans can look forward to an exciting and competitive tournament as Samoa aims to make their mark in the OFC Men’s Nations Cup.