[WORLD CUP 2014 QUALIFYING] Coached by former U.S. under-20 national team coach Thomas Rongen, American Samoa beat Tonga, 2-1, to open play in World Cup 2014 qualifying in the Oceania zone. The result is a major improvement from the results in qualifying four years ago: 15-0, 12-1, 7-0 and 4-0, all losses.

Ramin Ott and 17-year-old Shalom Luani scored for American Somoa. Luani is a high school senior at Fagaitua High School, where he also played football.

Samoa and Cook Islands are also competing in the first round of qualifying. The winner of the round-robin series will advance to the next round, where it will join seven other teams divided into two groups.

The Oceania winner will meet the Concacaf No. 4 team in a playoff in November 2013.