Kiwi FC

The senior and junior leagues wrapped up at the end of November, before an awards ceremony was held at the Football Federation Samoa (FFS) National Headquarters in Tuana’imato earlier this month.  

It went down to the wire in the men’s division, with Lupe o le Soaga holding on to win the title a point ahead of Vaipuna SC, while Kiwi won 20 of their 22 games to win the women’s competition by a four-point margin ahead of Faatoia United.  

The senior and junior leagues wrapped up at the end of November, before an awards ceremony was held at the Football Federation Samoa (FFS) National Headquarters in Tuana’imato earlier this month.  

It went down to the wire in the men’s division, with Lupe o le Soaga holding on to win the title a point ahead of Vaipuna SC, while Kiwi won 20 of their 22 games to win the women’s competition by a four-point margin ahead of Faatoia United.  

The qualification hopes of American Samoa’s Pago Youth are all but over following another thrilling day of action at the 2019 OFC Champions League Qualifier in the Cook Islands.

Samoan outfit Kiwi FC and their Pacific cousins Pago Youth both needed victory to stay in the hunt for one of the two remaining qualifying spots up for grabs as they lined up to face each other in the opening encounter on Match Day 2 of the tournament.

The qualifying stage of the Champions League is scheduled to kick off on 26 January until 1 February in the Cook Islands.

Coach Martin Tamasese acknowledges that it’s going to be a challenging tournament especially since their opening match is against Tupapa FC the Cook Islands National Champions.

“Seeing the draw and playing them (Tupapa FC) in the opening match will really challenge our preparations” he said, “they will be playing on home ground and we know they prepared well including the recruitment from abroad form some experienced players.”

RNZI reports Monday's clash against Nadi FA is being investigated after both teams were reduced to eight players by the full-time whistle.

Kiwi were 3-1 up inside 21 minutes but a four-goal haul from Nadi's Anish Khem gave the Fijians a stunning comeback win.

Kiwi trio Desmond Fa'aiuaso, Lionel Taylor and Lawrie Letutusa were sent off by the referee and given automatic suspensions.

The 32-year-old is one of the oldest and most experienced players in a squad dominated by young local talent.

He is also the captain of the national team which will represent Samoa in next month’s OFC Nations Cup.

Faauiaso believes these prestigious international tournaments offer a great opportunity for emerging Samoan footballers to showcase themselves as well as improve their standards.

Kiwi won the OFC Preliminary in February to qualify for the main draw.

Martin Tamasese's side last competed in the regional championship two years ago, where they lost all three group games and failed to score a goal.

With Kiwi securing the last remaining spot at the 2016 OFC Champions League with victory in the four-team preliminary tournament in Rarotonga, Cook Islands last week, the Samoa club champions will now line up alongside Nadi FC, AS Magenta and AS Tefana in Group C.

Should they advance past the group stage there is every chance Lewis could find himself facing off with 18-year-old son Clayton, who plays for defending champions Auckland City FC.

The Samoa club champions headed into Match Day 3 requiring only a draw to guarantee them the title, but celebrated in style with a 7-1 drubbing of Veitongo FC.

It means they secure the last remaining spot at the 2016 OFC Champions League, where they will join Nadi FC from Fiji, AS Magenta of New Caledonia and Tahiti’s AS Tefana in Group C.

Kiwi FC coach Martin Tamasese says it was pleasing to see his side get through the match after a slow start which saw them go down 1-0 after 23 minutes.

The New Zealand-based stopper was instrumental in the 2-1 victory over Tupapa Maraerenga FC on Match Day 2, saving an early penalty and producing a number of quality saves in open play throughout the match.

The penalty save in the 36th minute was particularly crucial, changing the momentum of a match which up until that point had been dominated by host side Tupapa.

“It’s a little bit hit and miss with penalties, but you make an educated guess,” McPeake explains.