Marianas Soccer League 1

Marianas Soccer League 1
Founded2005 (2005)[1]
CountryNorthern Mariana Islands
ConfederationAFC
Number of clubs5
Level on pyramid1
International cup(s)AFC Challenge League
Marianas Club Championship
Current championsSpring:
Kanoa (2nd title)
(2025)
Most championshipsInter Godfather's (7 titles)[2]
Top scorerJoe Wang Miller
(79 goals)
Broadcaster(s)FIFA+
YouTube (live streaming)
Websitewww.nmifa.com
Current: 2025 Marianas Soccer League 1

The Marianas Soccer League 1 is the men's top level professional football competition of the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association. It is above the Marianas Soccer League 2, but there is no regular promotion/relegation between the two competitions.

The league has a special rule in place called the "skunk rule", which states that once a team is leading a match by 5 goals, the match continues but the score stops being recorded.[3]

History

The league began as an invitational event in the Northern Mariana Islands. The league has been operating since 2005[1] and grew to include eight teams in the 2008 season.[4][5]

On 2 August 2012 the competition was re-branded as the M-League, following the suit of many other AFC national competitions. In September 2012, the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association (NMIFA) officially launched a two tier completion, usually without promotion and relegation. In the inaugural season there were 5 teams in Division 1 and 4 teams in generally amateur Division 2.

After the 2020 season was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league was relaunched in Spring 2021 as the Marianas Soccer League.

Marianas Club Championship

Since 2023, the winners of the Marianas Soccer League 1 and the Guam Soccer League compete against each other in the Marianas Club Championship.[6]

Previous winners

Winners so far are:[2]

Northern Mariana Invitational Championship

  • 2005: not held
  • 2006–07: L&S/Kyung-Seung
  • 2007: Fiesta Inter Saipan[7]
  • 2008 Spring: Inter Godfather's
  • 2008 Fall: Inter Godfather's
  • 2009: Inter Godfather's
  • 2010: MP United
  • 2011: Inter Godfather's[8]

M-League Division 1

  • 2012 Spring: Wild Bills
  • 2012 Fall: Tan Holdings
  • 2013 Spring: Wild Bills
  • 2013–14: Wild Bills
  • 2014 Fall: MP United
  • 2015 Spring: Tan Holdings
  • 2015 Fall: not held
  • 2016 Spring: Tan Holdings
  • 2016 Fall: MP United
  • 2017 Spring: MP United
  • 2017 Fall: Tan Holdings
  • 2018 Spring: MP United
  • 2018 Fall: abandoned
  • 2019 Spring: Teen Ayuyu
  • 2019 Fall: All Blue
  • 2020 Spring: abandoned
  • 2020 Fall: not held

Marianas Soccer League

  • 2021 Spring: Tan Holdings
  • 2021 Fall: All Blue
  • 2022 Spring: Eleven Tiger
  • 2022 Fall: Tan Holdings
  • 2023 Spring: Eleven Tiger
  • 2023 Fall: Eleven Tiger
  • 2024 Spring: Kanoa
  • 2024 Fall: Matansa
  • 2025 Spring: Kanoa
  • 2025 Fall: Kanoa

Individual statistics

Top goalscorers

Year Top scorer Team Goals
2007 Japan Masatoshi Otsuka[7] Inter Saipan
2009 Northern Mariana Islands Joe Wang Miller MP United 23[9]
2010 Northern Mariana Islands Joe Wang Miller MP United 15[5]
2016 Czech Republic Martin Jambor Tan Holdings 14
2018 Northern Mariana Islands Sunjoon Tenorio MP United 15
2020 Spring Northern Mariana Islands Andrw Omelau 8
2024 Spring Northern Mariana Islands Markus Toves Kanoa 13[10]
2024 Fall Northern Mariana Islands Tanapon Unsa Matansa 11
2025 Spring Northern Mariana Islands Paul Lizama Kanoa 14
Most time goalscorers
  • 2 times.
    • Joe Wang Miller (2009 and 2010).
Most goals by a player in single season
  • 23 goals.
    • Joe Wang Miller (2009).

Hat-tricks multiple

Rank Country Player Hat-tricks
1 Northern Mariana Islands Sunjoon Tenorio 1

Women's League

Top goalscorers

Season Player Team Goals
2006 Northern Mariana Islands Sarah Helbert Eye Yeye 12
2016 Fall Northern Mariana Islands Guinevere Borja Paire 18
Northern Mariana Islands Therize Millare Shirley
2019 Spring Northern Mariana Islands Katrina Costales Shirley 11
2022 Fall Northern Mariana Islands Jannah Casarino 23
2023 Spring Northern Mariana Islands Jannah Casarino 14
2024 Spring Northern Mariana Islands Jannah Casarino Shirley 16
2025 Spring Northern Mariana Islands Jannah Casarino Paire 9
Northern Mariana Islands Lalaine Pagarao Kanoa

References

  1. ^ a b "about the NMIFA". NMIFA. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Northern Marianas — List of Champions". RSSSF. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  3. ^ "Northern Marianas 2025". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  4. ^ Schöggl.H (2010) Northern Marianas 2010, Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation, 2010-08-11. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  5. ^ a b 'MP United rules men's league' Archived 2012-03-23 at the Wayback Machine, Saipan Tribune, 2010-07-27. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  6. ^ "Wings FC ready for first-ever Marianas Club Championship". Pacific Daily News. 15 December 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  7. ^ a b 'Fiesta Inter takes football crown' Archived 2012-03-23 at the Wayback Machine, Saipan Tribune, 2007-09-10. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  8. ^ 'Inter Godfather's Bags Men's League Title', Marianas Variety, 2011-12-19. Retrieved 2015-03-25.
  9. ^ Schöggl.H (2010) Northern Marianas 2009, Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation, 2010-03-25. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  10. ^ "Kanoa FC bags MSL 1 and 2 titles". Northern Mariana Islands FA. Retrieved 24 January 2026.


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