[June 4, 2019 - Harmon, Guam] For every championship, trophy, and medal that fans see and celebrate with their team, the underlying sacrifices, work-family commitment juggling, and the pressure to meet physical and mental demands of being a top athlete are not always visible.

For Matao veteran Ian Mariano, the work doesn’t stop with selection to the Guam’s final national football team roster, but instead intensifies each day closer to kickoff.

“In my opinion, there are two main factors for team selection – the first is sacrifice,” Mariano said. “Are you willing to sacrifice time with family and friends to train, regardless of the time of day? Are you willing to sacrifice holidays to fly to foreign countries to compete? Are you willing to sacrifice your child’s school performance or program to show up to training? The second factor may seem like a cliché, but for me, it’s hard work. Yes, it’s one thing to show up for sessions, but to actually put your head down and grind out the hours you’re there for is another animal.”.....

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