Troubles of tiny Guam: Hit by funds crunch, bailed out by the govt
Guam made it to India. Just about. A fortnight ahead of the match, one would have imagined Gary White, chief coach and technical director of the Guam national team, to sit in front of his tactics board and design strategies for the twin matches against India and Iran. Instead, the Englishman sat in the gallery of Guam’s legislative assembly, his fingers crossed as the country’s senators discussed football during an ongoing session.
After a fairytale run so far in the 2018 World Cup and 2019 Asian Cup qualifiers, their future now looked uncertain. The Guam Football Association had run out of money to either host or travel for further qualifying matches. And although White insists they would have managed to get some last-minute assistance, the possibility of them not being able to travel to Bangalore for Thursday’s crucial game loomed large.
“Our federation president Richard Lai would have found a way but as things were back then, it would have been difficult for us to carry on. We did not have enough funds to continue participating in the qualifiers,” White tells The Indian Express. “Financially, we are not the strongest. It’s expensive to fly players down. There were talks about cutting squad and such steps. This gives you an idea of the resources we have.”
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In dire need, the government did bail them out. Fortunately for the Matao — Guam’s national team — the assembly passed a bill that granted them $400,000, a sum that was originally earmarked for the tourism industry. The irony could not be missed. Until now, the tiny American territory was known more for its tourism. But their national team’s heroics, beginning with an emphatic win over India in June, brought football to the collective consciousness of the people and attract global headlines.
Suddenly, everyone on the island was talking football, a sport few cared about till six months back. “They realised the attention football could bring to the island. People outside had never heard of Guam until our performance. Now, it’s the only international renowned programme coming out of Guam and people are behind it. So they put a new bill in place to ensure we receive funds for the rest of the campaign,” White says.
Guam have been one of the stories of the qualifiers — a bunch of unknowns who have taken a giant leap into the unknown with some stellar performances. After five rounds, they are joint third in Group D comprising Iran, Oman, Turkmenistan and India. The results have been rather impressive — Guam have won two and drawn one of the five matches played so far, holding even the mighty Oman to a goalless draw at home.
They arrive in India knowing that a win would propel them to second place and put them in contention for a direct place in the Asian Cup as well as in the next round of the World Cup qualifiers. For a team that was routinely thrashed by a dozen goals, this is giant step forward.
The MLS myth
One of the major reasons attributed to Guam’s sudden rise is the influx of US-based players who ply their trade in the Major League Soccer. It was an issue that, in a way, overshadowed their 2-1 win over India in June. White, however, detested those claims, saying the numbers are fabricated so that India’s defeat to them did not look that bad. “After we won, there were all kinds of fabricated stories that we have eight or nine MLS players. In reality we don’t have any more than one. They were fabricated maybe so that result doesn’t look that bad for India, who knows. My players are from Guam or based in colleges or pro clubs in USA. But we have just one MLS player,” White said.
It took a lot of convincing to get that one MLS player — AJ DeLaGarza — to play for Guam as well, White said.
A good manager also needs to be a good salesman, White says. A salesman who can sell his vision, his programme not just to his bosses but also the players, the media and the fans. White did not have a solid product to sell when he first approached DeLaGarza exactly two years ago in November 2013. But he had a vision.
“I contacted his agent, created a relationship with him and got a face-to-face meeting with AJ. I’m a tough person to say not to when I’m in front of you,” White says.
DeLaGarza was a squad member of the US national team, so to make him settle for Guam was a mammoth task. White convinced him to at least have a look at their training once and on the flight from LA, the 41-year-old managed to convince him. “He could have a bigger impact in Guam than in USA. Here, he could be a superstar in a small pond and affect next generation of players,” White says.
His plan centred around the 28-year-old defender. With a tiny pool of 35 players to choose from, he knew DeLaGarza could have a huge impact on the team. And he did. “Our success is because of proper planning, scouting and a lot of hard work,” White says.
They might have exceeded the expectations of people outside the country, but White insists they haven’t achieved their goal yet. He hopes his team will finish second in the group and a win this Thursday would go a long way in helping them fulfil their aim.
It’s not a bad time to play India as well. Stephen Constantine’s side hasn’t won a match yet and are at the bottom of the table. But White isn’t taking anything for granted. A week ago, he sent a screenshot of India captain Sunil Chhetri’s comment that Thursday’s Guam match is the ‘biggest of his career.’ “I wanted them to know we can’t take this game lightly. India are coming to prove a point. We have to match their motivation and passion. We dominated India in the game at Guam and we can do it again,” White says. “Now that we have come here, we want to leave with points.”
