A new era begins for the American Samoa men’s national team this week when they make history by competing in an international match outside of the OFC region for the first time, with a new manager at the helm.
36-year-old Spaniard Diego Gomez has joined as the nation’s new head coach for their history-making FIFA Series campaign in Puerto Rico – one of a series of mini-tournaments being played around the world, created by FIFA to bring national teams from all six confederations together for international matches.
American Samoa will play the US Virgin Islands first, before either hosts Puerto Rico, or Guam, in the knockout-style tournament being played in Bayamón.
“It means a lot for us to play on the other side of the world, away from Oceania, and to experience something new,” says American Samoa’s former goalkeeper and all-time appearance holder Nicky Salapu, who has joined Gomez’s coaching staff as the national team’s goalkeeping coach for the March camp.
American Samoa have previously played two matches against nations affiliated with a confederation outside of OFC – Guam (who they may play again in Puerto Rico) and Northern Mariana Islands – both of whom are affiliated with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), but both matches were played at the Pacific Games. The FIFA Series will be the first time they’ve played an international match outside Oceania.
“This is a completely different challenge to what the national team is used to facing,” says new coach Diego Gomez.
“Normally they’ve been used to playing Samoa, Cook Islands, Tonga, and other Pacific nations, but not against teams like the US Virgin Islands or Puerto Rico who play in CONCACAF and play a lot more international games than us.”
Gomez is stepping into his first role in international management with American Samoa and has previous coaching experience with various youth football academies in Asia (including AC Milan’s), and numerous clubs in the USA.
“I first heard about this opportunity with American Samoa through a former player of mine in Los Angeles. I started the conversation with the federation, and when I learnt more about the project, it became very interesting to me,” says Gomez. “You never know what might happen, but here I am.”
To prepare for his first assignment as the national team’s new head coach, American Samoa have undergone a 10-day training camp in Orlando, Florida, where Gomez and his coaching staff have been attempting to prepare the players with details around video sessions, gym sessions, post-training treatment, and diets.
“We’ve been able to train in very good facilities here in Orlando City. It was very important for me to create a professional set-up. We don’t have a lot of time, so we’ve been trying to acquire as much information as possible in a short timeframe.”
Without any prior knowledge of the national pool available to American Samoa before taking the job, Diego selected his squad for the FIFA Series based on the information he was able to gain from watching their previous matches during qualifying for FIFA World Cup 2026™, as well as through discussions with the federation.
His 22-man squad is a young one, captained by Ben Stefanon, Ali’i Mitchell, and Biljae Vaitoelau, and highlighted by a first senior international call-up for 17-year old Dylan Salapu – the son of national icon Nicky.
The father-son duo will both be present during the trip to Puerto Rico, with Gomez confirming Nicky as his goalkeeper coach.
“I think we’re very fortunate to have a young squad,” says Nicky Salapu. “It will be a challenge for them, but it will be very valuable for their future careers. The boys have great chemistry together and they are very excited to be part of this series.”
“We are very honoured to have Diego as our new head coach. He never stops working, and he is one of the best that I’ve worked with for a long time.”
Salapu says the group can take inspiration from the recent success of the American Samoa women’s national team, who made history by winning their first international match and progressing to Round 3 of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027™ Oceania Qualifiers in New Zealand in April.
“Watching the success of the girls has been amazing. They have taken football in our nation to somewhere we’ve never been before.”
“If we’re going to have Diego on our side for a while, I think we can get there too. I believe the young generation we have right now will be able to compete with the best in Oceania and also impress in qualifying competitions in the future.”
The road to emulating the feats of the women’s team starts on Wednesday against the US Virgin Islands, where American Samoa will be targeting just their sixth international victory and their first against a nation outside of Oceania.
“I want us to be a team that makes life very difficult for the US Virgin Islands when we take to the field against them,” says Diego Gomez.
The winner on Wednesday will face the winner of the other match between Puerto Rico and Guam in the mini-tournament final, whilst the losers will also both face off against each other, both to be played on Saturday.
“This is a very good opportunity for us to show we can compete against this type of opposition. We are working towards beating the US Virgin Islands in our first game. It’s going to be tough but we know we can do it.”
Fixture details:
FIFA Series (Puerto Rico)
American Samoa vs US Virgin Islands | Wednesday 25th March | 09:00 AST (Thursday 26th March, 09:00 NZT) | Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium, Bayamón
American Samoa vs Puerto Rico\Guam | Saturday 28th March | Time TBC (Sunday 29th March NZT) | Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium, Bayamón
How to watch:
Football fans can watch American Samoa in action during the FIFA Series LIVE and FREE on FIFA+ HERE