The Guam guys’ football team will face Bhutan within the first spherical of qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup.
The Matao will travel to the Bhutanese capital Thimphu for the primary leg at the Changlimithang Stadium on 6 June. The return in shape five days later at the Guam National Football Stadium in Hagåtña.
The US Territory has no longer played a competitive suit considering that September, once they completed third of 4 teams within the first round of the East Asian Cup in Mongolia.
Head train Karl Dodd said he turned into searching forward to seeing his gamers in movement again.
“Boys have were given a bigger spark at education now that we recognize we’ve got two video games developing, so it, in reality, receives matters going at education,” he stated.
Guam is currently 193rd within the FIFA world ratings, seven places beneath their upcoming opponents who’re set to have a huge gain in the first leg.
“There’s a big India have an effect on there – four in their gamers are gambling in the department, and their striker could be very distinctly regarded. They’ve simply changed coaches as properly,” Dodd said.
“We’re simply doing our research, and it’s the best stadium inside the world – 2300m above sea level – so it really is going to be an interesting undertaking, and it’s going to take us approximately days to get there after which two days lower back, so there is an honest bit of journey worried at the side of the altitude you are managing.
“So it’s now not going to be a smooth fixture, placed it that manner, so it really is something in Asia it’s very tough – there are quite a few tours from A to B, and there’s now not a large sufficient turnaround.”
The East Asian Cup marked Dodd’s first time in charge of the countrywide team, and the former Scottish Premier League defender stated the Matao found out to be braver on the pitch.
“It changed into the primary time we implemented our new gambling fashion, and there are lots more decisions to be made now, and that adds a chunk of fatigue so there were some times we have been complacent or switched off and that hurt us,” he stated.
“But I become pleased in the manner they performed and ruled, but we need to be a bit greater courageous, and that is what we’ve got been operating on. I assume it was a bit of a check where the gamers had been trying out me – does this work – and I’m seeing if the players can do it. You’ve got to discover the balance.
“Then inside the meantime, we’ve got been education 3 to four instances every week with the Matao, looking to keep healthy, preserve stages, due to the fact on the island with the golf equipment they do not teach so we have to teach the boys full-time or attempt to make it full-time.”
Guam received goodbye to the second spherical throughout the previous qualifying cycle and beat Turkmenistan and India to report their first-ever wins in the Asian World Cup qualifying.
But the current Matao gamers are determined to create their personal records, Dodd said.
“It’s a brand new era of gamers, a new segment, a transition, a new gambling fashion, but the most important part is that they have got had fulfillment inside the past that allows you to beat teams,” he said.
“That’s a huge challenge from a mindset point of view, and I think from time to time we’re too respectful when we cross into video games or have an inferiority complex; however, they don’t lower back themselves enough.
“You can always draw on previous successes, but I assume you must be a gift: what are we doing these days? How tough are we running nowadays? Because this is going to get us via. Not resting on our laurels on something that befell four years in the past. You’ve were given to preserve present-day and hold evolving, so it’s key.”
