Cao Cuong, Do Khai, Hong Son and many former Vietnamese players go to the US to play

The first time the former team of famous players came to the US

On June 20, nearly 20 former Vietnamese football players who played for top domestic teams will go to the US to compete in the football tournament called "Dallas Plano Asian Independence Cup" held in Dallas, Texas from July 4 to 6.

These former players will join a number of other players living in the US to wear the Saigon FC jersey to form two teams to compete in the over 50 and over 60 veteran tournaments.

Cao Cường, Đỗ Khải, Hồng Sơn và nhiều cựu danh thủ Việt Nam sang Mỹ thi đấu- Ảnh 1. — Former football star Nguyen Cao Cuong (right)

This is the first time a team with members of former Vietnamese football stars has come to the United States to compete. The team will join 50 other teams of all ages from over 18, over 30, over 40, over 50 and over 60 years old. Most of the Vietnamese players in the US will gather to compete. The playground is organized on a scale similar to a traditional tournament, regularly held for many years in Dallas. This fourth tournament has the largest participation, with teams from all over the US, 2 teams from Canada and especially the first-ever Vietnamese team.

Cao Cường, Đỗ Khải, Hồng Sơn và nhiều cựu danh thủ Việt Nam sang Mỹ thi đấu- Ảnh 2. — Former football star Huynh Hong Son

In the list of nearly 20 former players who will compete, in the player-coach team, there are 2 famous names of the past. That is the famous former striker of the Army Club team and considered the number 1 symbol of Vietnamese football in the past decades: Nguyen Cao Cuong - the striker who won the top scorer award of Vietnamese football in 1982-1983. Former famous player Cao Cuong said that depending on the situation, if his physical strength allows, he can play for the over-60 team. The former striker turns 71.

The second person is the former central defender who once played alongside the former famous player Pham Huynh Tam Lang: Le Dinh Thang. At the age of 75, Mr. Thang is no longer strong enough to play, but with his experience, he will advise the junior defenders to show their abilities in America.

Cao Cường, Đỗ Khải, Hồng Sơn và nhiều cựu danh thủ Việt Nam sang Mỹ thi đấu- Ảnh 3. — Former football star Le Dinh Thang (third from right), former goalkeeper Tran Van Thinh (right cover) and former Saigon Port players at the ceremony commemorating the 11th anniversary of the death of the late football star Pham Huynh Tam Lang.

Of the remaining names, the most notable is former center back of the Customs team and the Vietnam national team Do Khai. At the age of 51, Khai still plays football very well, always showing excellent tactical vision and cover talent. He always stands out in his ability to choose position, intercept the ball effectively and launch attacks very well. This time Khai will command the defense of the Saigon FC team competing in the over 50 tournament.

Three other faces were equally famous in the Saigon Port shirt. They were striker Huynh Hong Son, who scored three goals at the 2002 Tiger Cup. They were midfielder Nguyen Thanh Tung, also known as Tung "mom", who was once considered a god of Ho Chi Minh City football, attacking and defending like a shuttle. They were Le The Cuong, a central defender who played very prominently after the time of Tam Lang, Dinh Thang, Nguyen Phuc and Lac Phuoc Hai.

Cao Cường, Đỗ Khải, Hồng Sơn và nhiều cựu danh thủ Việt Nam sang Mỹ thi đấu- Ảnh 4. — Former central defender Do Khai (left)

In addition to this number, we can mention former players such as Vo Ngoc Quy, Tran Ngoc Thanh Nhan. Besides, there are also Nguyen Hoang Tan (Hai Quan), goalkeeper and striker Tran Van Thinh, 67 years old (playing for the Department of Industry team) or Vo Diep Long Van (playing for the Bank then moving to the Ho Chi Minh City Police team).

Cao Cường, Đỗ Khải, Hồng Sơn và nhiều cựu danh thủ Việt Nam sang Mỹ thi đấu- Ảnh 5. — Former football star Nguyen Thanh Tung of Saigon Port

A packed schedule

According to the program, the veteran team Saigon FC, after flying to Los Angeles, will join the squad with several former famous players currently in the US such as Luu Tan Phuoc and Tran Ngoc Hai (Hai Quan). If nothing changes, there will be the appearance of the once-famous right-back, who won the Vietnam Golden Ball, Tran Cong Minh ( Dong Thap ). The team is expected to have 2 friendly matches in Southern and Northern California at the end of June, before flying to Dallas on June 30 to participate in the official tournament.

Cao Cường, Đỗ Khải, Hồng Sơn và nhiều cựu danh thủ Việt Nam sang Mỹ thi đấu- Ảnh 6. — 48 teams participated in the tournament in Dallas, including two veteran teams, Saigon FC, over 50 and 60 years old, from Vietnam.

Former football star Tran Van Thinh said: "With a fairly dense competition schedule in the tournament in Dallas, playing 3 consecutive weekends with 4-6 matches, it requires enough physical strength. Our veteran team Saigon FC flew over for only one week to prepare, so we will practice and adjust, together determined to stay healthy to compete well. We do not focus on achievements in this tournament. Mainly, we have the opportunity to reunite with the Vietnamese football community in the US, meet famous former football stars such as Vo Thanh Son, Khanh Hung, exchange and understand the activities of our Vietnamese brothers. From there, we will increase relationships to organize competitions between Vietnam and the US, contributing to improving the spiritual life and maintaining good health for everyone."