Those were the words exclaimed by Iuli Alex Godinet, Football Federation American Samoa president, soon after arriving in Noumea for the Pacific Games.
“We thank you for your support and prayers for our wellbeing and safety.”
Iuli has foregone staying at a lush hotel in the city in order to be with the team, bunking with them and having meals with the squad at the village’s cafeteria.

“He’s just one of the boys now,” said FFAS CEO Tavita Taumua who’s also sharing a bunk with one of the players. “Laughing and joking with all of us and that’s been very refreshing. It’s an extreme honor for the boys to have our president share quarters with them.”
“He’s been very cool with me, not getting annoyed at all,” said his bunk mate, Frederick Charles Uhrle. “I feel honored to be bunking with him.”
“We’ve been unable as of yet to secure mobile phones for communication for our players and their families but rest assured that matter will be resolved shortly,” Taumua said. “All in all it’s been very enjoyable and we all are settling in very well.”
Both the men and women’s soccer teams have been training since they arrived with the men to play their first match on August 27 (August 6, local time, 11:00 a.m.) at 9:00 a.m. The opening ceremony for the XIV Pacific Games does not kick off until 7:00 p.m. on the same day as the men’s first match of the tournament.
They will play Tuvalu while the women kick off on August 29 (August 28, local time) against Papua New Guinea.
MEN’S TEAM
The squad of 17 will be playing on unfamiliar surface, at least to all but four of them, as the game will be played on artificial turf.
“I’m not too worried about it, I don’t think they need to adjust too much on this playing surface,” said coach Iofi “Avele” Lalogafuafua. “We’ve already had two practice sessions on it and it has been enough time to adjust to it.”
The four who have previously played on turf before are the team’s skipper Liatama Amisone Jr., Terrence Sinapati, Nicky Salapu and Uhrle.
“I love it, the artificial turf,” said Natia Natia. “I can’t wait to play a full game on it.”
“The great thing about it is the ball will always roll true,” pointed out the team’s technical advisor Larry Mana’o.
“We’re all looking forward to playing our first game of the tournament because this is all to help us prepare for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in November,” said vice-captain Uasila’a Heleta. ”To all our families in American Samoa, rest well because we’re all doing fine.”
WOMEN’S TEAM
More than half of the women, 13, have played on artificial turf before, including their skipper Lela Waetin.
“I would rather play on artificial turf than grass,” she said. “To me it’s a much better surface.”
“We don’t have to adjust oo much to playing on this turf,” said women’s coach Uinifareti Aliva. “Our first game is against Papua New Guinea so at least we have a few more days to train on the artificial turf.”
The crew from London flew in with the team and are still following the squad recording footage for their upcoming documentary about the men’s squad.