Coach Hoang Anh Tuan: 'Vietnam must reach the final of U23 Southeast Asia'

Coach Hoang Anh Tuan sees the upcoming 2023 Southeast Asian U23 tournament as an opportunity for Vietnamese players to compete, but he will not give up on his goal of achieving results.

Vietnam brought 26 players to Thailand, of which only three were over 22 years old: goalkeeper Quan Van Chuan, midfielder Vo Hoang Minh Khoa and striker Nguyen Minh Quang. The team was mainly composed of players under 20 years old, of which the youngest was midfielder Nguyen Dang Duong – 17 years old.

However, as the defending champions, coach Hoang Anh Tuan wants his players to leave a good impression. "We want young players to have challenges and experience," Mr. Tuan said at a press conference before the tournament on the afternoon of August 17. "However, as the defending champions, there is no other way but to at least reach the final match."

Coach Hoang Anh Tuan attended a press conference before the U23 Southeast Asian tournament at noon on August 17. Photo: VFF

The 2023 Southeast Asian U23 tournament has 10 teams divided into three groups. Vietnam is in Group C with Laos and the Philippines. The teams will play a round robin, selecting the three group winners and the second-placed team with the best record to enter the semi-finals. Vietnam is considered a sure-fire ticket to the next round, but coach Hoang Anh Tuan is still cautious. He believes that in the youth tournament, strong teams such as Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia are the same as Laos and Timor Leste. "We respect all opponents and need to play our best," he said.

Because the U23 team has many tournaments in the second half of 2023, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) decided to split into two teams. Accordingly, coach Hoang Anh Tuan will lead the second team, mainly U20 players, to compete in the 2023 Southeast Asian U23 Championship and the 19th ASIAD, while coach Philippe Troussier will lead the main team to compete in the 2024 Asian U23 qualifiers.

Coach Hoang Anh Tuan's team gathered on July 29, but it was not until August 13 that the full squad arrived because the clubs had not released their players yet as the V-League, First Division and Second Division were still playing. On August 14, the team went to Thailand with 26 players. A day later, the team played a friendly match, drawing 1-1 with Bahrain in the two regular rounds before losing 3-5 in the penalty shootout.

The 2023 Southeast Asian U23 Championship will be held in the cities of Rayong and Chonburi from August 17 to August 26. Vietnam will compete in Rayong, nearly 200 km from the capital Bangkok. The team will meet Laos and the Philippines on August 20 and August 22, respectively.

List of U23 Vietnam

Goalkeepers (3): Tran Trung Kien (HAGL), Nguyen Van Viet (SLNA), Quan Van Chuan ( Hanoi FC)

Defenders (6): Luong Duy Cuong, Le Van Ha (Da Nang), Le Nguyen Hoang (SLNA), Nguyen Manh Hung ( Viettel ), Nguyen Hong Phuc (Hoa Binh), Nguyen Ngoc Thang (Ha Tinh)

Midfielders (10): Khuat Van Khang, Nguyen Dang Duong (Viettel), Dinh Xuan Tien, Tran Nam Hai (SLNA), Vo Hoang Minh Khoa ( Binh Duong ), Nguyen Phi Hoang (Da Nang), Nguyen Van Truong (Hanoi FC), Nguyen Duc Viet (HAGL), Thai Ba Dat (PVF-CAND), Tran Ngoc Son (Nam Dinh)

Forwards (7): Pham Dinh Duy (Da Nang), Nguyen Huu Tuan (Viettel), Nguyen Quoc Viet (HAGL), Le Dinh Long Vu (SLNA), Bui Vi Hao (Binh Duong), Nguyen Minh Quang (Binh Thuan), Vu Minh Hieu (Cheon An).

Hieu Luong

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