The new soccer coach earned a certain amount of trust. For one example, Rongen put his wife in a hotel but slept on the pavement with the rest of his team.

“I felt early on that I needed to show them that I was part of the group. I tried to suffer with them. It wasn't suffering for them – they're used to sleeping on the floor; I'm not. I'm a little spoiled from that standpoint,” Rongen said.

“But I hung in there. I got up at 4:30 just like them, ate their foods, some of which I had no idea what I was eating, but showing again that I wanted to totally integrate myself to their culture and be part of them. I think they really appreciated that.”

Thomas Rongen - American Samoan National Team Coach