Bong Kalo

Early career

Kalo was born on the Island of Ambrym but grew up in the Port Vila suburb of Fresh Water. He started playing at Wan Smol Bag Futsal court. When he was 12 he joined Teouma Academy, the national football academy of Vanuatu.

Tafea

Kalo joined Tafea in 2012. From the beginning he was an important member of the team winning several trophies with the club. He featured in the OFC Champions League twice, in 2014 and 2015. So far he has played 6 matches in the Champions League in which he scored one goal, a penalty kick in a 3–1 loss against AS Magenta from New Caledonia.

Ascona

After Kalo played well at the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup he was linked with several European pro-clubs. In August 2017 he went on trial with Spanish outfit CD Leganés. He did okay because Leganés decided to offer him longer at the club but it was an offer without a contract. After Kalo had also been linked with clubs in Italy, Switzerland (FC Lugano) and with Wellington Phoenix from New Zealand he signed a contract with the amateur club FC Ascona in the Swiss 2. Liga Interregional.

U17

In 2013 Kalo was called up to play in the 2013 OFC U-17 Championship on home soil. 1–1 draws against Papua New Guinea and Fiji, a 2–1 loss against New Zealand, and two 3–1 victories against the Cook Islands and New Caledonia were not enough to top the group and to qualify for the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

U20

In 2014 Kalo was called up to join the Vanuatu national under-20 football team in the 2014 OFC U-20 Championship. In this tournament he scored two goals in five matches. One goal in a 4–0 victory over American Samoa and the other goal in a 2–2 draw against Fiji. He also played in the other three matches: a 1–0 win over New Caledonia, a 0–0 draw against local rivals the Solomon Islands and a 4–2 victory over Papua New Guinea. Vanuatu became second behind Fiji who went to the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand. In 2016 Kalo was named captain of the U20's for the 2016 OFC U-20 Championship on home soil. Kalo scored one goal during this tournament, a stunning volley in a 3–1 win during the group stage against Papua New Guinea. He also played in the other group matches: 1–0 victories against Fiji and New Caledonia. Vanuatu advanced to the semi-final and because of a late goal scored by Frederick Massing, assisted by Kalo, they won 2–1 against the Solomon Islands. In the final they went down 5–0 against New Zealand but it didn’t matter anymore because in March 2015 the FIFA had decided that the OFC gets two slots at every FIFA U-20 and U-17 World Cup. This meant that Vanuatu had qualified for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup in South Korea. It is the first time that Vanuatu have qualified for a FIFA world event. In 2017 Bong Kalo and his team participated in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in South Korea, Kalo was named Captain and scored his first goal against Mexico in their first ever world cup tournament. A brilliant finish from a through ball by team mate Ronaldo Wilkins. they lost the match to mexico by 3-2. Kalo went on to score two more goals including a fantastic freekick against Germany, however they lost that match by 3-2.

U23

In 2015 Kalo was called up to play with the U23's in the Pacific Games. This was a very good tournament for Vanuatu. They defeated the Federated States of Micronesia with 46 goals to nil. The news of this monster victory went viral, and for one day Vanuatu was world news. Vanuatu eventually reached the final but they lost again against Fiji after a penalty shoot out. So Fiji qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

National team

Kalo made his debut for the Vanuatu national football team on November 7, 2015 in a 1–1 draw against Fiji. In 2016 Kalo was part of Vanuatu’s squad for the 2016 OFC Nations Cup. This tournament was a disappointment for Kalo and his teammates after they were eliminated in the Group Stage.

Club