The tournament is set to start on Friday in Taupo and Stephen was expected to have to sit out all of Vanuatu’s matches after picking up an injury in the squad’s lead-up tour of Australia.
But, despite initially being told he would not be able to take the field for at least a month, the 19-year-old has remarkably begun jogging already – just four days after that heart-breaking diagnosis – and is in line for a speedy recovery.
He is still likely to miss the early stages of Vanuatu’s campaign, which includes group matches against American Samoa, Solomon Islands and Fiji. But Iwai hopes to have the use of Stephen’s services for the semi-finals and final – provided Vanuatu progress from the strong-looking Group A.
Stephen is delighted to have taken the first steps on the road back to full fitness and is excited about the chance to fulfill a dream he thought had been taken away from him.
“I was jogging again after literally a few days – it was incredible,” he says.
“It’s down to getting over it mentally as well though. Once you’re clear of that, you can push yourself on.”
The Shepherds United star, who picked up a handful of senior caps at the 2011 Pacific Games, is now in a race against time to be fit but is trying not to put too much pressure on his young shoulders.
“I said to the coach and my team-mates that, the way things are, I just want to push myself, trust God our creator and be involved as much as I can. I will try to get back as quickly as possible.”
Even without the considerable skills of Stephen, Iwai still has plenty of talent to work with and Vanuatu are expected to challenge for the title. Indeed, their reputation is such that they are known as the ‘Dream Team’ in their homeland and have justified that tag on their Australian sojourn.
The ‘Dream Team’ spent a fortnight in Brisbane en route to New Zealand and took on several club teams, sweeping them all aside in an impressive run of performances. Iwai’s men won 3-1 over Palm Beach and 5-1 against Burleigh before going even better in their final match, defeating Tugun Jets 8-0.
They will hope the confidence gained from those wins can be carried over into the Olympic qualifiers, which begin for Vanuatu with a match against underdogs American Samoa on Friday at 2.30pm local time.
As for all matches, tickets can be purchased from the gate and are priced at $10 for adults and $5 for teenagers/over-65s, while ages 12 and under can enter for free.
For more on Vanuatu football go to www.vanuafoot.vu

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