Marshall Islands finally made their debut in football: “This is such a statement from our island” | Football

This is not a typical reaction to lowering the national team 4-0. But, of course, this is not a typical national team game.

After the Marshall Islands scored its fourth goal to the Us Virgin Islands, the crowd stood up and waved some flags. “This is RMI! Keep the head over!” a fan shouted.

The Marshall Islands are considered the last country in the world without an international football team. Now, they officially join the party – the achievement is big enough that a 4-0 loss in the opening game doesn’t seem to matter. The team scored their first and second goals in Marshall Islands history after a great performance on Saturday.

Springdale, Arkansas, was carefully selected by organizers of the Marshall Islands first competition. In an immigration quirk, northwestern Arkansas is home to about 15,000 Marshalls, which has attracted the region for decades thanks to the Freedom Association (COFA), which allows Marshall people to enter the United States and work legally.

That’s why despite the loss, the team was ecstatic after the final whistle, winning the cheers for the ongoing applause and the cheers of the fan base.

“Today’s event means a lot to the Marshall community, and seeing people waving our flags and having a team representing the Marshall Islands was very touching for many community members,” said Anjanette Anjel, Consul General of the Springdale RMI Consulate. “Everyone is very proud of the team and very excited about the game.”

That excitement was built among the crowds of Jarrell Williams track and field at Jarrell Williams Bulldog Stadium until the Marshall Islands National Team first came out of the locker room. Then, they relaxed.

“When the first whistle went away, the roar was deafening. It was incredible to sing the national anthem with those around us,” post-match manager Lloyd Owers said after the game. “We hope Northwest Arkansas has a long home for us, we welcomed us with open arms and had such a good experience.”

The Owers, who was appointed Technical Director of the Marshall Islands in late 2022, and the UK has largely led the efforts to bring the Marshall Islands to the global football community, has been so warmly welcomed.

“The Marshalls don’t trust people outside,” said Stephanie Takamaru of the Marshall Arkansas League. They may have good reason not to do so. While many left the Marshall Islands to seek economic opportunities in the United States, others were forced to leave US nuclear test in bikini and Enewetak atoll.

Now, while COFA allows Marshall to enter and work legally in the United States, both the Consulate and the Gomalu organization work with residents facing uncertain U.S. citizenship.

“One of the biggest problems we have at the moment is that ICE is very active in the region,” Gaumalu said. “We don’t have a visa, only I-94, which is the form you appear through the Border Patrol and say you are legal and passport.”

This setup is not familiar with certain law enforcement agencies. Gaomalu said the employer gave up on some of the Marshalls after inquiry. However, these challenges only increase the sense of solidarity in the Marshall community of Arkansas and beyond, while the new national team is trapped in an increasing sense of pride and desire for representation.

“We are all united and together in terms of big events and life events,” Gaumalu said. “The national team got a huge fan base here. It’s so cool to see it. Internationally, that’s the statement for our island.”

However, football is not the sport of choice among the Marshall Islands or the American diaspora. Arkansas resident Thompson Hertin said he played many sports with his friends but was surprised to learn that the Marshall Islands would be represented in football.

“Football is known for American Marshalls,” he said before Thursday’s game. “We play basketball, volleyball, but football?”

The group had only five training sessions before its debut Thursday night and was unsure what would happen when playing styles. Some players on the island usually play futsal football, bringing different skills than those that appear in American clubs.

“Now that we know about our general competition and our weaknesses as a team, we have had a few days to prepare for another team that we participated in. FIFA For a moment, center Josiah Blanton said of the next game V Turks & Caicos that they will score.

The nature of the sport means a team can only accept losses for so long, but Owers thinks his team should be happy with the performance, noting that it doesn’t need to be changed to ensure the team’s second game Outrigger Challenge Cup results.

“If it was 20-0, would anyone care? Because that was expected. We’ve been in two halves. It’s incredible that everyone should do it, and be proud of it,” Owers said. “Now, we’ve got a different focus. This has gone. On Saturday, we really put forward different expectations. We didn’t come out to raise the numbers, we came out to beat the Turks and Caicos.”

Even if waiting for the first point and the first victory to continue moving forward, Arkansas fans will continue to pay back the team with support and worship. This may be atypical, but they are happy to have a team of theirs.