Representing your national team is a prestigious honor. The opportunity to share that honor with family is even more unique. Alex Lee has once again been called into the Guam national team camp for a friendly against Chinese Taipei and a FIFA World Cup Qualifying match against Oman. He will be joined by his twin brother, Justin, and their younger brother, Nate.
“My initial feeling upon finding out that I was playing for the Guam national team was pure excitement,” Lee said of his first call up. “It was even more exciting that I was going to be able to compete at a very high level with both of my brothers, in addition to traveling the world and sharing these memorable experiences.”
Lee, along with his brothers, made history for the Guam national team. Following a loss and a draw in friendlies against Hong Kong and Singapore respectively, Guam faced Turkmenistan in their first qualifying match.
“We beat Turkmenistan 1-0 and up to that point, that was probably the most fulfilling moment of my soccer career,” Lee explained of the first ever FIFA World Cup qualifying victory for Guam. “Seeing how proud the Guamanian people in the crowd were, was something that I’ll never forget.”
But Guam was just getting started. They would move on to host India just five days later in another qualifying match. With confidence soaring, they grabbed a 2-1 victory and moved to the top of their qualifying group.
“We were on top of our group with two wins and it felt as if we were on top of the world,” Lee mentions. “It doesn’t get much better than winning games with a great group of guys, including your brothers, as a huge underdog in World Cup Qualifier matches.”
Although Guam has stumbled in recent qualifying matches, the success they have seen has opened up opportunities for the tiny country.
“Our success and accomplishments have already had a huge impact on soccer on Guam. There has been a massive increase in the amount of kids that are involved with soccer,” Lee tells www.richmondkickers.com. “The younger guys on the team are playing for colleges on the mainland, where they can develop.”
Lee is ready to get started with the 2016 USL season, which kicks off March 26 when the Kickers return to City Stadium to host the Harrisburg City Islanders.
“Playing in these games against world class players are great learning experiences that I can take back and translate to my career in the USL,” Lee explains. “I also feel like I come back from these trips playing with a lot of confidence, which is always a positive.”
