With the airport closed they missed their Saturday flight but have since arrived in Lautoka ready to get their first match started this afternoon at Churchill Park, Lautoka against Tahiti’s AS Pirae.
Team manager Dr. Kenton Sade says it is hard leaving Solomon Islands during a disaster like this which has heavily affected so many of their fellow countrymen.
“We are a soccer-mad nation – if we can do well then I think it will go a long way for our people back home,” Sade says.
“If we are able to do well, and doing well is probably winning most of our games, I think it will give people something else to talk about, other than the misery we are currently talking about.
“We know that we can’t physically do as much as we want to for the people who are affected the most, but hopefully this is something we can do.”
One player looking to help deliver on that promise is two-time FIFA Futsal World Cup attendee Micah Lea’alafa.
“It’s a bit hard to be here with what is happening back home. I think what we’re going to do is play our best, respect our people in the Solomon Islands, do our best for our country and try and make them happy again,” Lea’alafa says.
It’s a strong statement from someone of just 22 years old, but having been on the world stage since he was 16, his maturity is of little surprise.
Since kicking his first ball around as a 12-year-old, Lea’alafa hasn’t looked back, now counting both futsal and football among the disciplines he has mastered – and says not much can top the chance to play against his idol Falcao in Brazil.
“The first Futsal World Cup was tough. I mean, for the first time we went to Brazil and while it was difficult it was also a good experience for me,” he recalls.
“I was just 16 years old and playing against Falcao. He’s the best player in the world at futsal! It was a dream come true for me because as a kid he was my idol and then I was playing against him. It was awesome.”
While there are no Falcao’s here in Fiji so Lea’alafah is going to have to make do with FIFA Confederations Cup and FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup attendees for opponents instead.
AS Pirae, this afternoon’s opponent, boasts both with former professional Marama Vahirua in the mix, as well as a good chunk of last year’s fourth-place Beach Soccer World Cup finishers.
Does that intimidate the youngster? Not really.
“I’m not intimidated, no, I’m confident in my boys, my friends. We’re looking forward to the game.”
As for what sets him apart from the rest of the players in Solomon Warriors, Lea’alafah modesty takes over so the task of describing his talents falls to Sade.
“From the team perspective, his best quality is his unpredictability,” Sade says.
“You can’t put a leash on him, and if you do – you take away what makes him, him. There’s only a certain number of players you can do that to, and he’s one of them.”