Misunderstood US territory Guam aim to educate at home and abroad

HONG KONG : Guam captain Jason Cunliffe will lead his team out for the second leg of their World Cup qualifier against Singapore on Tuesday aiming to pull off a win he hopes will resonate far beyond the sports fields of the United States protectorate.

Located more than 11,500 kilometres west of the mainland United States and home to 170,000 people as well as two military bases, the Micronesian island hosts the former Southeast Asian champions with the prospect of a shock in the air.

Trailing 2-1 after the first leg in Singapore on Thursday, the 201st ranked outfit will be looking to rekindle the spirit of the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign when they pulled off surprise wins over India and Turkmenistan.

But beyond achieving success on the pitch, Cunliffe believes progress to the next round would enhance the profile of a federation and a squad that rarely gain air time.

"We're a U.S. territory and people are always confused," says Cunliffe, whose late freekick ensures Guam trail by only a goal ahead of the second leg. "People still don't understand Guam and our political relationship and how it works.

"So many of those people who don't know where Guam is are Americans.

"But Indian football fans know who we are, Turkmenistan football fans know who we are, so getting those opportunities to play against other nations and maybe catch a result here and there, that educates people real quick.

"Getting out there and doing that is the fun part, proving people wrong."

The opening leg against Singapore was Guam's first international in two years due to the pandemic and the challenges brought by the island's distance from the other members associations of the Asian Football Confederation.

"You can train until you're blue in the face but