Vietnamese U23 squad’s captain Nguyen Cong Phuong passes Malaysian keeper Ahmad Syihan Hazmi Mohamed during a friendly match (Source: VNA) The U16 team advanced to the quarterfinals ofthe Asian championship for the first time in 16 years. The U19 team bagged aberth in the FIFA World Cup U20 for the first time in history. The women’s U16and U19 squads were successful at the Asian qualification rounds and advancedto the final. The futsal team competed in the quarter-finals of the Colombia WorldCup on their debut.
The best may be yet to come: according to the VietnamFootball Federation (VFF), 12 national teams will participate in internationaltournaments this year.
Among them, the men’s U15 and U18 squads willcompete at the ASEAN championships and the Asian championship qualifications.The women’s U16s and U19s teams, meanwhile, will play at the Asian championshipfinals.
Notably, the U22 team will participate in theall-important 29th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Malaysia in August. Earlier,the U20 squad will compete at the World Cup final in South Korea in May and thenational team will participate in the 2019 Asian Cup’s final qualification nextmonth.
The national team were the only squad that didnot successfully complete their task at last year’s ASEAN Football Federation(AFF) Cup and will have to win fans’ hearts again by winning a berth to theAsian Cup’s final round, an event that will begin March 28.
Paired in a group with Jordan, Afghanistan andCambodia, Vietnam, world No 136, are aiming for the second position in thegroup, ranking behind No 107 Jordan.
The young U20 team will make their debut at aworld-level event this year, but coaches are hopeful for a win in the groupround.
At the World Cup, the team will compete againstArgentina, Brazil and Portugal.
“It is an honour and also a challenge for theplayers as they have secured a berth at the World Cup. However, they are stillat a lower level compared with their rivals, even those in Asia. I think thereis no better chance than this for them to gain experience and learn somethingfrom the World Cup,” VFF Vice President Tran Quoc Tuan said.
“However, they should not be satisfied withthis limited success. They must take inspiration from the futsal team – withcareful preparation through training and friendly competitions, they were oneof the top eight at the World Cup last year,” he said.
Despite competing all over the world, the SEAGames title is, however, always the most coveted for Vietnam.
The team are seeking their first gold medal atthe games this August.
“We have talented players and all are excitedto emerge victorious. But we should study our rivals so we can prepare betterfor our journey, not only for the SEA Games, but also for other tournaments inthe future,” Tuan said.
This year there is good news for Asiancountries — the World Cup 2026 will be extended to 48 teams and the Asiancontinent will have four more slots — opening the door for more teams,including Vietnam.
“There are different ideas, but in my opinion,the extension will help narrow the gap between Asian teams and teams fromEurope and South America. It also makes qualification rounds more competitive,while federations will strongly support their teams to increase theiropportunities,” Tuấn, the only Vietnamese official at the Asian FootballConfederation, said.
However, he said the Vietnamese national teamcould take part in the World Cup if the young squads are regular participantsat world cups for the youth.
“It is in 2026, so we have several years tobuild our plan. But the solution lies in developing youth football,” Tuan said.
The futsal team also expects high results thisyear following their great performance in 2016.
The team beat defending champions Japan in thequarterfinals of the Asian championship in February, following which they madethe nation proud by securing a berth at the World Cup’s last-eight round.
At the club level, Thai Son Nam grabbed asilver medal of the Asian Futsal Club Championship.
Their next events will be the ASEANChampionship, the Asian Indoor Games and the crucial SEA Games.
“We have had outstanding achievements lastyear. We need to maintain our performance for the upcoming events. We areconfident of reaching the final round at the regional tournaments and especiallyat the SEA Games this August,” captain Nguyen Bao Quan said.
The team were also preparing for theirlong-term target, eyeing the second World Cup berth in 2020.
“Our result in 2016 was not by chance. It resulted from our10-year preparation with methodical plan and strong support,” Tran Anh Tu, headof VFF’s Futsal Department, said.-VNA
VNA
