Yap

 

Unknown Players
vs. Kosrae (4:3) | Micronesia Futsal Cup | 2023 in Pohnpei

 

Yap is one of the four states (and atolls) of the Federated States of Micronesia, one the many Oceanian UN member states that are just ignored by FIFA. In the case of the FSM, one reason is that they barely ever field a FSM national team, but much more regularly play with state selections. The Yap selection, in particular, has featured at the 1998, 2001, 2014 and 2018 Micro Games, a Micronesian tournament in which Palau, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands sometimes compete alongside the four FSM states.

A good friend of mine, Paul Watson, used to be the coach of another FSM state - Pohnpei - and wrote a bestseller about it: "Up Pohnpei!". If you have not read it, yet, do it! It is genuinely brilliant. Ever since, Paul was committed to help football in the FSM to develop and eventually join FIFA at some point. His latest effort on that was a Futsal tournament between the four states, which he organised in Pohnpei in 2023. Futsal had the benefit of smaller teams and thus lower airfares, but also helped to escape the ever raining weather of Pohnpei. The tournament was won by Yap, who wear this brilliant shirt done by Stingz in the event. Knowing Stingz quite well myself - and actually having worked with them in the past - I got the shirt straight from Stingz for a price somewhere around 40€, IIRC.