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Nicky Salapu

Nicky Vitolio Salapu (born September 13, 1980) is an American Samoan former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He previously played for PanSa East from 2000 to 2011, before leaving for Indonesian side Mitra Kukar in 2012. He played in American Samoa's 31–0 loss to Australia, where he was the only player from the senior squad remaining after the rest of the squad was ruled ineligible due to holding Samoan, rather than US, passports.

Salapu conceded a total of 91 goals in the 2002 and 2006 World Cup qualifiers, while also starting in American Samoa's first ever official FIFA World Cup qualifiers win. After the game, Salapu said: "I feel like a champ right now. Finally I'm going to put the past behind me."

His stint with the American Samoa national team was covered in the 2014 documentary Next Goal Wins, and the 2023 biographical comedy-drama also called Next Goal Wins.

Club career

Salapu played for PanSa East for eleven years, beginning in 2000 and terminating in 2008. In 2012, he went to play for Mitra Kukar, a club playing in the Indonesia Super League (ISL), which is a fully professional football competition as the top tier of the football league pyramid in Indonesia.

International career

Salapu conceded 31 goals to Australia in a 2002 World Cup qualifying match on April 11, 2001, which became a world record that still stands to this day. Salapu later said that he hid tears from his teammates.

In 2007, Salapu missed his flight from Hawaii to the South Pacific Games in Samoa. Because he could not make it on time, he was replaced by the 17-year-old Jordan Penitusi. He was not eligible to play until he arrived for the last match of American Samoa in the South Pacific Games with Tonga, but there he was an unused substitute. In November 2011, Salapu was the goalkeeper when American Samoa won its first ever full FIFA match, a 2–1 win over Tonga during the first round of the OFC qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. In 2015, he was called up as substitute goalkeeper for the 2018 World Cup Qualifiers.

He represented American Samoa at the 2019 Pacific Games in Apia. Salapu has been selected for the American Samoan team at the 2023 Pacific Games in Honiara.