As a member of the American Samoa U-20 squad he was ready to miss his high school graduation in order to represent his country on the international stage in Fiji.
In the end he was able to experience that teenage rite of passage after receiving a rather unlucky yellow card in American Samoa’s second to last match, his second such caution of the tournament, which led to his suspension from the final match.
Not that he wouldn’t have preferred to turn out next to his peers and take one last dig at changing the course of American Samoan football.
The role at the centre of defence when the side drew with Papua New Guinea and earned their best result to date on the international stage was memorable enough, but the chance to go one better just slipped through his fingers.
“He’s a strong, athletic player,” describes OFC coach-mentor and American Samoa U-20 technical advisor Simon Toselli.
“Ruben is excellent in the air, is composed and reads the play well making good first passes to play out from the back.”
With a taste of top level football and a desire to see American Samoa football reach new heights, Luvu is back for his second consecutive year of OFC Champions League Preliminary action.
Luvu made his debut in the competition with Pago Youth last year. Despite his previous affiliation to Lion Heart, he was committed to adding that experience to his growing portfolio.
While the host team may have struggled against the likes of eventual champions Kiwi FC of Samoa and runners-up Tupapa Maraerenga of Cook Islands, Luvu believes he and players like Gun Kang, who has returned to SKBC FC, are better for it.
“The team has been training hard and we hope to better the results we got with Pago Youth last year,” Luvu says.
“We have the potential and the quality to do well, and our back four hasn’t conceded many goals of late so that gives us confidence.”
Toselli says having someone like Luvu at the centre of defence can give the coach confidence in his back line.
“Ruben will be a key player for SKBC FC because in my opinion he’s only improved and grown in confidence since his experience in Fiji at the OFC U-20 Championship,” Toselli states.
The Samoan Korean Baptist Church FC squad flies out to Apia, Samoa on Friday (ASA time) to compete in the OFC Champions League Preliminary from 7-11 October.

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