Goalkeeping coach Jason Brown works with a Vietnamese player during the national U19 training session (Photo: zing.vn) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) -The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) has asked the U19 squad to win a berth atthe final of the Asian championship next year.
VFF Vice President TranQuoc Tuan encouraged the young players to do their best and work hard so thatplayed confidently at the championship’s upcoming qualifier tournament inChinese Taipei.
He said Vietnam isone of the top seeded teams at the event, following their 2016 AsianChampionship semifinal slot and a berth at the recent U20 World Cup earned bythe previous U19 squad. The VFF hoped it would be a source of pride and astrong motivational factor for the current side to win a final round spot.
The team started theirone-month practice on October 2 under coach Hoang Anh Tuan in Hanoi.
VFF Vice President TranQuoc Tuan encouraged the young players to do their best and work hard so thatplayed confidently at the championship’s upcoming qualifier tournament inChinese Taipei.
He said Vietnam isone of the top seeded teams at the event, following their 2016 AsianChampionship semifinal slot and a berth at the recent U20 World Cup earned bythe previous U19 squad. The VFF hoped it would be a source of pride and astrong motivational factor for the current side to win a final round spot.
The team started theirone-month practice on October 2 under coach Hoang Anh Tuan in Hanoi.
[U19 team gathers for Asian qualifier]
They will compete inGroup H together with Macao, Laos and the hosts in earlyNovember.Tuan called up 30 playersfor this campaign, with nearly one third being new members. They will team upwith the older players who failed at the recent regional U18 championshipdespite a brilliant start in Myanmar.
“Followingthe Myanmar event, the coaching board saw problems. We had a goodplaying style but achieved a poor result. My players need to improve indifferent areas. This is the reason why I called up many new faces. I will givethem the best training conditions, and then I will select the best team,"Tuan said.
“Our style will notchange, but it must improve because the upcoming event is at the continentallevel. We must have an iron spirit and a high scoring rate. We have set atarget of competing at the Asian tournament. But I have bigger desire to playat the World Cup for the second time. It will be kind of "awesome" ifwe can repeat it. I feel really confident now.”
Tuan received strongsupport from the VFF, who invited the former goalkeeper coach of Arsenal’syouth team, Jason Brown, to work with his team. Brown began work on October 2.
Vietnam’s loss at theregional tournament was partly due to unfathomable mistakes made by theirgoalies. In general, the goalkeeper has always been the weak point of thedifferent teams.
Brown is the fourthforeigner to work with the team, along with executive director Jurgen Gede, fitness trainer Martin Forkel and physical therapist PabloLester Sawicky, who are all German.-VNA
VNA
