Photo Credit: OFC Media via Phototek
Their FIFA World Cup 26™ Oceania Qualifiers campaign may have ended at the first hurdle but American Samoa’s appearance in Apia for Round One was an important first step in the nation’s ambitions to become a prominent force in Pacific football.
The team’s opening match against neighbours Samoa was the first time they had participated in an OFC men’s senior international competition in almost a decade, having last set foot on the field in 2015 during qualifying for the OFC Men’s Nations Cup.
That campaign saw American Samoa exit at the group stage, despite two wins from three, including a 2-0 victory over Cook Islands in their final match in Nuku’alofa.
Goals from Ali’i Mitchell and Justin Mana’o proved the difference that day and both players were in the American Samoa squad in Apia earlier this month. Mitchell was on target again in their international friendly win against the Cooks on September 9, securing a first win for the men’s senior national team in 3,294 days.
Shani Simpson was the man tasked with taking charge in Samoa for World Cup qualifying, with Thomas Rongen a late withdrawal due to personal reasons.
Simpson was slated to be assistant to Rongen before the late change, so was well versed in what was expected from the team ahead of the qualifying campaign kicking off.
The squad was a complex mx of youth and experience, with the majority of the squad based in the United States. Goalkeeper Nicky Salapu is still going strong at the age of 43, whilst two 15-year-olds were selected – John-Kacey Ferreira-Sala and Kody Savelio.
Keeping the core of young players together and giving them more opportunities to experience international football is a key area of focus for American Samoa and something that Simpson is keen to stress the value of.
“I don’t see how you can develop a style play or a culture or consistency within the group if they’re not playing consistently and if they’re not consistently getting high pressure and high-quality situations,” Simpson said.
Achieving that consistency won’t come easily however, especially with the geographical issues that American Samoa faces.
“It’s obviously a big challenge in terms of putting the squad together. We know a lot of the players are based in the United States.
“Does that make it even more difficult? Is there the opportunity to have a group of players in camp for an extended period of time to help their development? It does, especially from the perspective of resources and finances,” Shani continued.
With the FIFA World Cup 2030 cycle four years away and the next OFC Men’s Nations Cup providing a similar wait, American Samoa will be keen to find ways in which to keep this young core group of players together and give them the opportunity to test themselves on a regular basis.
The country has been a more consistent presence when it comes to youth tournaments, participating in qualifying stages for the OFC U-16 and U-19 tournaments for both men and women, including most recently in Auckland this year for the women’s side.
The hope is that this will provide young, talented players a pathway to senior level. The challenge then is ensuring those opportunities continue once they reach that stage.
It’s a point that Simpson echoes, stressing the importance of that consistency and culture within American Samoa football.
“When you have that style of play, it’s easier for the players to solve problems on the fly. It’s easier for them to understand what it is that they need to do even in a bigger stadium when they can’t hear the coach.
“That has to be decided. Who’s the coach? How are we going to play? We have to go and compete in competitions, and we have to implement this culture of the style of play.”
Watch the full interview with Shani Simpson on our YouTube channel