HAGL says goodbye to talented generation
HAGL Club is likely to hold a ceremony to honor midfielder Tran Minh Vuong after the match against Quang Nam Club at Pleiku Stadium in round 26 of V-League 2024 - 2025.
After 11 years, Minh Vuong said goodbye to the mountain town. The midfielder born in 1995 devoted his entire youth to HAGL, from being a young player, until he was about to enter the twilight of his career. 248 matches, 50 goals are the statistics of one of the most dedicated players HAGL has ever produced.
Minh Vuong (second from left) is about to leave HAGL.
Minh Tran
Minh Vuong leaves, Chau Ngoc Quang can also find a new destination. This means that the generation of talents who grew up from HAGL JMG Academy and HAGL Talent Class 1, 2 (born in 1995, 1996) only have Le Van Son and Nguyen Huu Anh Tai who are likely to stick with Pleiku Stadium next season. However, in terms of influence, both are difficult to compare with Minh Vuong or Ngoc Quang.
The "golden generation" of players promoted to V-League by Mr. Duc exactly 10 years ago have now left one by one. Nguyen Cong Phuong went to Japan to play for Yokohama FC, then returned to Binh Phuoc Club. Nguyen Tuan Anh, Nguyen Phong Hong Duy, Nguyen Van Toan went to Nam Dinh Club. Luong Xuan Truong returned to Ha Tinh Club. Vu Van Thanh chose Hanoi Police Club. Tran Huu Dong Trieu, the young central defender who was chosen to study at Arsenal, has now hung up his boots.
The "birds" left the nest, after nearly a decade of struggling to stay in the V-League. Only the 2020, 2021 and 2022 seasons were the times when HAGL's "golden players" were present in the top half of the rankings.
The peak left by the 1995 - 1996 generation was all in the 2021 season, when the team led by coach Kiatisak Senamuang led the table after 12 rounds (losing only 1 match), before the tournament was canceled due to the epidemic.
Then in the 2022 season, HAGL played well in the AFC Champions League, winning 5 points despite being in a difficult group. The mountain town team drew with coach Kim Sang-sik's Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, and defeated Sydney FC - the current runner-up of the A-League (Australian national championship).
This was also the record score in the group stage of a Vietnamese team in the AFC Champions League, until it was broken by Hanoi FC in 2024.
Chau Ngoc Quang (orange shirt) may also leave HAGL.
Minh Tran
Although they did not win any titles, the 1995-1996 generation of Cong Phuong, Xuan Truong, Tuan Anh, and Minh Vuong still deserves respect. With their pure playing style and good moral character, the generation of Cong Phuong and Tuan Anh helped HAGL fill the stadium with spectators wherever they went.
This is one of the rare generations trained according to European standards, exposed to international competition, has good technical and tactical thinking, and iseducated systematically with the criteria "if not successful, then become a person".
Space
If the first and second generations of JMG cannot help HAGL reach new heights, can the next generation shoulder the expectations of the mountain town team?
The seeds of succession were sown at HAGL last season, when many potential faces from the 2003-2004 generation were promoted to the first team. While many teams were competing for talent, HAGL remained loyal to the philosophy of prioritizing "homegrown players", using self-trained players from the HAGL Academy to build their identity and create a cohesive playing style.
Talents like goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien, defender Pham Ly Duc, Dinh Quang Kiet, Vo Phuoc Bao, Nguyen Van Trieu, Phan Du Hoc, midfielder Cao Hoang Minh, Hoang Minh Tien or striker Tran Gia Bao... are the present and future of HAGL.
Gia Bao has potential but needs to be guided in the right direction.
PHOTO: DONG NGHI
Admittedly, in the V-League, not many teams focus on youth training like HAGL. However, just like 10 years ago, no matter how good the young HAGL team is, they still need "older players" to guide them so they don't get lost in the V-League, which is full of pitfalls and requires strangeness to survive.
Cong Phuong, Tuan Anh, Van Toan... struggled for many years, because they did not have seniors of the same class to guide them. Currently, Minh Vuong or Ngoc Quang are taking on this role. It is just a pity that the last gems of the proud generation are about to leave.
With a thin squad, no stars, and a lack of experience, how will HAGL cope in the increasingly harsh V-League? Coach Le Quang Trai must find the answer to this difficult problem.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hagl-va-noi-lo-khi-khong-con-lua-cau-thu-vang-18525053109003866.htm
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