Ho Chi Minh City FC will call on Lee Nguyen if the situation becomes critical.

According to coach Vu Tien Thanh, Ho Chi Minh City FC is still in contact with Vietnamese-American midfielder Lee Nguyen and may invite him back to the V-League in 2023.

Lee Nguyen celebrates a goal in Ho Chi Minh City's 3-0 victory over Da Nang in the V-League 2022. Photo: Duc Dong — Lee Nguyen celebrates a goal in Ho Chi Minh City's 3-0 victory over Da Nang in the V-League 2022. Photo: *Duc Dong*

"Lee Nguyen is a valuable asset for Ho Chi Minh City FC," coach Vu Tien Thanh revealed after the 5-1 victory against Da Nang in round 10 on the evening of May 31st. "I have spoken with him. In case the team faces difficulties or a critical situation, he is ready to return and play a few matches. Lee Nguyen can play alongside midfielders Dao Quoc Gia and Tran Van Trung to control the game."

Lee Nguyen previously worked with coach Vu Tien Thanh in the 2022 season. He later returned to the US to play seven-a-side football and pursue a coaching license. Without this central midfielder, TP HCM has faced considerable difficulties in supplying the ball to forwards Victor Mansaray and Hoang Vu Samson, and especially in controlling the game. Many times this season, TP HCM has taken the lead but ended up drawing or losing because they couldn't control the tempo in midfield. As a result, they frequently find themselves in the bottom two of the league table.

Thanks to a resounding victory at home at Thong Nhat Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City FC climbed to 12th place with seven points, two points more than Binh Duong and Da Nang. "It's been a long time since we've had such an outstanding performance," commented Coach Thanh. "Defensive players like Tang Tien and Hoai An played well. The midfield pair also recovered the ball effectively. We played cautiously, patiently, and waited for our opportunity. Strikers Samson and Mansaray capitalized on their chances to secure a big win."

Ho Chi Minh City FC crushes Da Nang, escaping the bottom of the V-League table.

Before this match, Ho Chi Minh City had experienced a series of high-scoring games. They suffered defeats with the same score of 3-5 against Thanh Hoa and Hanoi Police, then lost 3-4 to Ha Tinh despite leading by two goals. "After losing to Ha Tinh, the players were dejected, no one spoke to each other. I was so angry that I slammed the table and chairs during the meeting. Of course, I had to apologize to the players afterward," Mr. Thanh revealed. "But I don't have players as good and high-class as national team players. To avoid relegation, we have to take each match, accumulate every point, regardless of whether it's home or away; all the remaining matches are like finals."

According to the coach from Ho Chi Minh City, the second victory since the start of the season will boost the players' confidence to compete for a high ranking, possibly a top 6 finish in the first phase. Therefore, he aims to earn points in the remaining three rounds against SLNA, HAGL, and Viettel.

Duc Dong

Source link