# American Samoa national football team

The American Samoa men's national football team (Samoan: Au soka Amerika Sāmoa) represents American Samoa in men's international association football and is controlled by the Football Federation American Samoa, the governing body of the sport in the territory. American Samoa's home ground is the Pago Park Soccer Stadium in Pago Pago.

## History
### Early history

In 1983, American Samoa entered a football team in the South Pacific Games for the first time. The territory's official first match took place in Apia, Western Samoa on August 20, 1983, and ended in a 3–1 defeat to Western Samoa. Two days later, the team recorded their first win with a 3–0 victory against Wallis and Futuna however, they were eliminated from the competition at the group stage following a 3–2 loss to Tonga on August 24.
The following year, the American Samoa Football Association (ASFA) – now known as Football Federation American Samoa (FFAS) – was founded and took over responsibility for organizing the territory's national team.
After competing in the 1987 South Pacific Games and the 1994 Polynesia Cup, ASFA became full members of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) allowing them to compete in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers for the first time. American Samoa registered their first FIFA-recognized international during the 1998 Polynesia Cup in Rarotonga, Cook Islands when they lost 3–0 to Tonga on September 2.

#### World record for the worst loss in international matches

During their first qualifying campaign for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in April 2001, American Samoa was involved in a match which set the record for the largest margin of victory in international football when they lost 31–0 to Australia. The outcome of the match led to debates about the format of qualification tournaments, with the Australian manager Frank Farina and striker Archie Thompson – who scored 13 times in the match – feeling that preliminary rounds should be introduced to avoid such unbalanced matches, views shared by the international footballing body FIFA. It eventually led to the introduction of a preliminary round in the Oceanian zone qualification for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

### Stagnation

Since joining FIFA, the team has been regarded as one of the world's weakest teams and were, until November 2011, the joint-lowest ranked national team in the FIFA World ranking.
On November 23, 2011, American Samoa recorded their second and first FIFA-recognized win when they defeated Tonga 2–1 in the first round of qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. It was also the team's first victory after 38 consecutive defeats.
The team's efforts to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup were chronicled in a 2014 British documentary, Next Goal Wins, directed by Mike Brett and Steve Jamison. In October 2015, the territory achieved its highest position in the FIFA World Rankings when they reached 164th following back-to-back wins against Tonga and the Cook Islands in qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
After playing in the 2019 Pacific Games, American Samoa was removed from the FIFA World Rankings after it had not played a match in over four years. This hiatus was caused in part by the COVID-19 pandemic which forced the team out of 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification and the cancellation of the 2020 OFC Nations Cup. American Samoa would finally compete again at the 2023 Pacific Games.

#### Player pool

American Samoa has struggled in part because of its small player pool. The territory has a small population, and many potential players move away for education or work or choose to play other sports such as baseball. Another limiting factor is that international competition regulations often require that players hold the nationality of the country that they represent, which in the case of American Samoa is United States nationality. Although people born in American Samoa are United States nationals, foreign nationals who immigrate to American Samoa, who comprise about a third of its population, are ineligible to apply for United States nationality. An option for the team would be to recruit players from the United States, as other teams of Pacific territories have done with their parent countries, such as Tahiti drawing players from Metropolitan France.

## Team image
### Home stadium

American Samoa's home ground is the Pago Park Soccer Stadium, however American Samoa had never played a home match there in their history at the senior level. The stadium featured in the 2023 film Next Goal Wins and was a facility used as the national team's training ground in the build-up to the 2011 Pacific Games and the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Matches at the stadium must be concluded before 6:30pm because of a village curfew which limits noise and prevents the installation of floodlighting. For this reason, the association began planning to build a new facility in Tafuna in 2023. FIFA president Gianni Infantino promised the association $5 million for the project during his visit around Oceania in summer of that year.

## Coaching staff

    As of January 18, 2025
| Position | Name |
| Head coach | Shani Simpson |
| Assistant coach | Vacant |
| Team manager | Vacant |
| Physicotherapist | Roland Jeffery |
| Goalkeeper coach | Vacant |

### Coaching history

* Tiwo Kummings (2000)
* Anthony Langkilde (2001)
* Tunoa Lui (2001–2002)
* Ian Crook (2004)
* Nathan Mease (2007)
* David Brand (2007–2010)
* Iofi Lalogafuafua (2011)
* Thomas Rongen (2011)
* Larry Mana'o (2015–2019)
* Tunoa Lui (2019–2023)
* Ruben Luvu (2023–2024)
* David Jones (2024)
* Thomas Rongen (2024)
* Shani Simpson (2024)

## Players
### Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2023 Pacific Games.
Caps and goals updated as of 30 November 2023, after the game against Tonga.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
| 1 | 1GK | Penieli Atu | (2005-09-05) 5 September 2005 (age 19) | 3 | 0 | PanSa |
| 21 | 1GK | Matthias Logologo | (2002-06-24) 24 June 2002 (age 22) | 1 | 0 | Pago Youth |
| 3 | 2DF | Austin Kaleopa | (2001-04-24) 24 April 2001 (age 23) | 8 | 0 | Utulei Youth |
| 4 | 2DF | Poasa Collins | (2004-01-12) 12 January 2004 (age 21) | 2 | 0 | Pago Youth |
| 5 | 2DF | Leaga Lealuga | | 4 | 1 | Black Roses |
| 6 | 2DF | Robert Yarofalir | | 3 | 0 | Green Bay |
| 8 | 2DF | Lalofau Fe'a | | 4 | 0 | Pago Youth |
| 14 | 2DF | Misiona Fagapulea | | 2 | 0 | Ilaoa and To'omata |
| 15 | 2DF | Pela Scanlan | (2006-01-24) 24 January 2006 (age 19) | 3 | 0 | Pago Youth |
| 2 | 3MF | Roy Ledoux | (2000-06-26) 26 June 2000 (age 24) | 9 | 0 | Pago Youth |
| 10 | 3MF | Tia Silao | | 4 | 1 | Pago Youth |
| 11 | 3MF | Billjay Vaitoelau | (2002-04-13) 13 April 2002 (age 22) | 4 | 1 | Royal Puma |
| 12 | 3MF | Kuresa Taga'i | (2000-08-04) 4 August 2000 (age 24) | 7 | 0 | Ilaoa and To'omata |
| 13 | 3MF | Larry Silao | | 2 | 0 | Pago Youth |
| 16 | 3MF | Ben Tofaeono | (2006-03-18) 18 March 2006 (age 19) | 3 | 0 | Ilaoa and To'omata |
| 17 | 3MF | Pago Isu | (2005-11-13) 13 November 2005 (age 19) | 3 | 0 | Black Roses |
| 20 | 3MF | Puni Samuelu | (1996-08-16) 16 August 1996 (age 28) | 7 | 0 | Pago Youth |
| 7 | 4FW | Petu Pouli | (2005-12-18) 18 December 2005 (age 19) | 4 | 0 | Vaiala Tongan |
| 9 | 4FW | Daniel Lee | (2007-02-17)17 February 2007 (aged 16) | 3 | 0 | Royal Puma |
| 18 | 4FW | Tala Fereti | | 4 | 0 | Ilaoa and To'omata |
| 19 | 4FW | Paneta Loke | | 0 | 0 | Lion Heart |

## Player records

Goalkeeper Nicky Salapu holds the record for the most appearances for American Samoa. Since his debut against Fiji on April 7, 2001, he has made 24 appearances for the national team – including the world record defeat to Australia and American Samoa's first FIFA-recognized victory against Tonga in November 2011. Ramin Ott holds the record for most goals for American Samoa after scoring three times in 15 appearances between 2004 and 2015. In total, 10 different players have scored a goal in a FIFA-recognized match for American Samoa.
    As of September 9, 2024.

### Most appearances

| Rank | Name | Caps | Goals | Position | Career |
| 1 | Nicky Salapu | 24 | 0 | GK | 2001–Present |
| 2 | Uasi Heleta | 16 | 0 | DF | 2004–2019 |
| 3 | Ramin Ott | 15 | 3 | FW | 2004–2015 |
| 4 | Jaiyah Saelua | 14 | 0 | DF | 2004–2019 |
| 5 | Travis Pita Sinapati | 12 | 0 | DF | 2001–2007 |
| 6 | Roy Ledoux | 9 | 0 | DF | 2018–present |
| 6 | Justin Mana'o | 9 | 2 | MF | 2011–present |
| 6 | Natia Natia | 9 | 1 | MF | 2004–2011 |
| 9 | Austin Kaleopa | 8 | 0 | MF | 2019–present |
| 9 | Maika Molesi | 8 | 0 | DF | 2004–2007 |
| 9 | Ryan Samuelu | 8 | 0 | DF | 2015–2019 |
| 9 | Pesamino Victor | 8 | 0 | DF | 2007–2011 |
Youngest player
* Jaiyah Saelua – 15 years 300 days vs. Fiji on 15 May 2004
Oldest player
* Nicky Salapu – 43 years 359 days vs. Samoa on 6 September 2024

### Top goalscorers

| Rank | Name | Goals | Caps | Average | Career |
| 1 | Ramin Ott | 3 | 15 | 0.2 | 2004–2015 |
| 2 | Demetrius Beauchamp | 2 | 5 | 0.25 | 2015–present |
| 2 | Ryan Mitchell | 2 | 5 | 0.4 | 2015–present |
| 2 | Justin Mana'o | 2 | 9 | 0.22 | 2011–present |
| 2 | Shalom Luani | 2 | 8 | 0.25 | 2011 |
First goal
* Duane Atuelevao – 12 March 2002 vs. Tonga
Most goals in a match
* Demetrius Beauchamp – 2 vs. Samoa on 31 August 2015

## Team records

* Biggest victory: 3–0 vs. Wallis and Futuna on 22 August 1983
* Heaviest defeat: 0–31 vs. Australia on 11 April 2001
* Most consecutive victories: 2; achieved September 2015
* Most consecutive matches without defeats: 2; achieved November 2011 and September 2015
* Most consecutive matches without victory: 37 between 24 August 1983 and 5 September 2011
* Most consecutive matches without scoring: 7 between 27 August 2007 and 5 September 2011

## Competitive record
### FIFA World Cup

Following FIFA affiliation in 1998, American Samoa first entered the qualifying competition for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. They have entered the qualifiers for each subsequent edition but have never made it beyond the first stage. The closest they came to reaching the second phase was in qualifying for the 2018 edition when they won two of their three matches and narrowly missed out on progressing on goal difference.
| FIFA World Cup | FIFA World Cup | FIFA World Cup | FIFA World Cup | FIFA World Cup | FIFA World Cup | FIFA World Cup | FIFA World Cup | FIFA World Cup | Qualification | Qualification | Qualification | Qualification | Qualification | Qualification | Qualification | Qualification |
| Year | Host | Round | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Pos. | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Source |
| 1930 to 1998 | 1930 to 1998 | Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | | | | | |
| 2002 | Japan South Korea | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Group – 5th | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 57 | |
| 2006 | Germany | First round group – 5th | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 34 | |
| 2010 | South Africa | First round group – 5th | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 38 | |
| 2014 | Brazil | First round group – 3rd | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | |
| 2018 | Russia | First round group – 2nd | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | |
| 2022 | Qatar | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew |
| 2026 | Canada Mexico United States | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | First round | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 2030 | Morocco Portugal Spain | | | | | | | |
| 2034 | Saudi Arabia | | | | | | | |
| Total | Total | Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/6 | 19 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 11 | 138 | — |

#### Notes

* ^ A: The Oceanian qualifiers for the 2006 FIFA World Cup doubled as qualifiers for the 2004 OFC Nations Cup.
* ^ B: The men's football tournament at the 2007 South Pacific Games doubled as qualifiers for the 2008 OFC Nations Cup and the first round of qualifiers for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
* ^ C: The Oceanian qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup doubled as qualifiers for the 2012 OFC Nations Cup.
* ^ D: The Oceanian qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup doubled as qualifiers for the 2016 OFC Nations Cup.

### OFC Nations Cup

Before becoming full members of OFC in 1998, American Samoa entered the 1994 Polynesia Cup which acted as the qualifying round for Polynesian national teams for the 1996 OFC Nations Cup. This was the territory's first time competing for a place in OFC's flagship competition for senior men's national teams.
The OFC Men's Nations Cup has often acted as part of the FIFA World Cup qualification process for Oceanian national teams and, as a result, American Samoa have competed in the qualifiers for both competitions in every edition since 1998. They have yet to qualify for either competition.
| Oceania Cup / OFC Nations Cup | Oceania Cup / OFC Nations Cup | Oceania Cup / OFC Nations Cup | Oceania Cup / OFC Nations Cup | Oceania Cup / OFC Nations Cup | Oceania Cup / OFC Nations Cup | Oceania Cup / OFC Nations Cup | Oceania Cup / OFC Nations Cup | Oceania Cup / OFC Nations Cup | Qualification record | Qualification record | Qualification record | Qualification record | Qualification record | Qualification record | Qualification record | Qualification record |
| Year | Host | Round | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pos. | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Source |
| 1973 | New Zealand | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1980 | New Caledonia | | | | | | | |
| 1996 | — | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 4th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | |
| 1998 | Australia | 5th | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 23 | |
| 2000 | Tahiti | 5th | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 29 | |
| 2002 | New Zealand | 5th | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 29 | |
| 2004 | Australia | 5th | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 34 | |
| 2008 | — | 5th | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 38 | |
| 2012 | Solomon Islands | 3rd | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | |
| 2016 | Papua New Guinea | 2nd | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | |
| 2024 | Fiji Vanuatu | Did not enter | Did not enter | | | | | |
| Total | Total | Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 29 | 3 | 1 | 25 | 21 | 167 | — |

#### Notes

* ^ E: There was no fixed host for the 1996 OFC Nations Cup or the 2008 OFC Nations Cup.
* ^ F: The 1994 Polynesia Cup doubled as qualifiers for the 1996 OFC Nations Cup.
* ^ G: The 1998 Polynesia Cup doubled as qualifiers for the 1998 OFC Nations Cup.
* ^ H: The 2000 Polynesia Cup doubled as qualifiers for the 2000 OFC Nations Cup.
* ^ I: The Oceanian qualifiers for the 2006 FIFA World Cup doubled as qualifiers for the 2004 OFC Nations Cup.
* ^ J: The men's football tournament at the 2007 South Pacific Games doubled as qualifiers for the 2008 OFC Nations Cup and the first round of qualifiers for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
* ^ K: The Oceanian qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup doubled as qualifiers for the 2012 OFC Nations Cup.
* ^ L: The Oceanian qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup doubled as qualifiers for the 2016 OFC Nations Cup.

### Pacific Games

American Samoa first entered the South Pacific Games in 1983. This was the first time a team representing the territory had competed in association football and they recorded one win from their three games in the group stage by beating Wallis and Futuna 3–0 – the only time American Samoa have recorded a win in the competition – but that wasn't enough to progress to the next round. American Samoa would go onto enter the 1987 edition where they were again eliminated in the group stage, losing all four of their matches.
It would be another 20 years before they again entered the competition. The 2007 edition was the last known as the South Pacific Games before becoming the Pacific Games four years later and it was also part of the qualification process for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In their third appearance in the competition, American Samoa were again eliminated at the group stage, losing all four matches. The same fate befell American Samoa in the 2011 Pacific Games as they lost all five games to finish bottom of their group.
In 2015, the Pacific Games was an age-restricted tournament that doubled as the OFC Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament and no team representing American Samoa took part. Four years later, they were again eliminated at the group stage however, a 1–1 draw with Tuvalu ended a 32-year losing streak in the competition.
Pacific Games :
| Year | Host | Round | Pld | W | D | L | F | A |
| 1963 to 1979 | 1963 to 1979 | Did not enter |
| 1983 | Western Samoa | Group stage | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 6 |
| 1987 | New Caledonia | Group stage | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 42 |
| 1991 to 2003 | 1991 to 2003 | Did not enter |
| 2007 | Samoa | Group stage | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 38 |
| 2011 | New Caledonia | Group stage | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 26 |
| 2015 | Papua New Guinea | Did not enter |
| 2019 | Samoa | Group stage | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 36 |
| 2023 | Solomon Islands | Group stage | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 31 |
| Total | Total | Total | 25 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 12 | 179 |

#### Notes

* ^ M: The men's football tournament at the 2007 South Pacific Games doubled as qualifiers for the 2008 OFC Nations Cup and the first round of qualifiers for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
* ^ N: The men's football tournament at the 2015 Pacific Games was an age-restricted competition that doubled as the OFC Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

## Records and statistics

American Samoa played their first full international match against Papua New Guinea, which ended in a 20–0 loss. Their national team have suffered the world's biggest international defeat, by losing to Australia 31–0. American Samoa have won only against Cook Islands, Tonga, and Wallis and Futuna. American Samoa have also lost to all of these teams at least once.

### Head-to-head record

The following table shows the American Samoa national football team's all-time international record. The statistics are composed of FIFA World Cup, OFC Nations Cup, Polynesia Cup and Pacific Games matches, as well as international friendlies.
| Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | WPCT |
| Australia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 31 | −31 | 0.00 |
| Cook Islands | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 9 | −1 | 40.00 |
| Fiji | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 39 | −39 | 0.00 |
| Guam | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 | 0.00 |
| Northern Mariana Islands | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | −4 | 0.00 |
| New Caledonia | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 33 | −33 | 0.00 |
| Papua New Guinea | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 37 | −37 | 0.00 |
| Samoa | 12 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 5 | 55 | −50 | 0.00 |
| Solomon Islands | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 40 | −39 | 0.00 |
| Tahiti | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 40 | −38 | 0.00 |
| Tonga | 10 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 12 | 34 | −22 | 20.00 |
| Tuvalu | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 0.00 |
| Vanuatu | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 39 | −38 | 0.00 |
| Wallis and Futuna | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 50.00 |
| Total | 57 | 5 | 2 | 50 | 34 | 373 | −339 | 8.77 |
* ↑ Includes results as Western Samoa.

### Performance by competition

Up to matches played on 5 September 2024.
| Competition | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | WPCT |
| FIFA World Cup qualification | 19 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 11 | 138 | −127 | 15.79 |
| OFC Nations Cup qualification | 29 | 3 | 1 | 25 | 21 | 167 | −146 | 10.34 |
| Polynesia Cup | 11 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 8 | 59 | −51 | 0.00 |
| Pacific Games | 25 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 12 | 179 | −167 | 4.00 |
| Competition | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | WPCT |
| Competitive | 55 | 4 | 2 | 49 | 32 | 367 | −335 | 7.27 |
| Friendlies | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 0.00 |
| Total | 56 | 4 | 2 | 50 | 32 | 373 | −341 | 7.14 |

#### Notes

* ^ N: A number of matches in the Polynesia Cup and the Pacific Games doubled as qualifiers for the ONC Nations Cup and the FIFA World Cup. For full details, see American Samoa national football team results.

### Performance by venue

Up to matches played on 5 September 2024.
| Venue | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | WPCT |
| Home | 7 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 44 | −41 | 0.00 |
| Away | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 25 | −24 | 0.00 |
| Neutral | 53 | 4 | 2 | 47 | 32 | 355 | −323 | 7.55 |
| Total | 63 | 4 | 3 | 56 | 36 | 424 | −388 | 6.35 |

## Historical kits

| 2000 Home | 2004 Home | 2004 Away | 2007 Home | 2007 Away | 2011 Home | 2011 Home | 2011 Away |
| 2011 Away | 2011 Home | 2011 Away | 2015 Home | 2015 Away | 2019 Home | 2019 Away | 2019 Third |
| 2023 Home | 2023 Away |
Sources: