Young players to train in RoK for Asian U23 champs

ABO/NDO - Vietnam’s U22 players will have no time to rest after their SEA Games victory as Korean coach Park Hang-seo on December 12 announced a list of 28 footballers to prepare for the final round of the AFC U23 Championship in January 2020.

Young Vietnamese players celebrate after winning the historic gold medal at SEA Games 2019.

In the list, there are three goalkeepers, 10 defenders, 11 midfielders and four strikers.

They include most of the SEA Games winners except for midfielders Do Hung Dung and Nguyen Trong Hoang who are over the age limit and defender Doan Van Hau who has returned to his Dutch club SC Heerenveen.

Park also called midfielders Tran Dinh Trong and Nguyen Trong Dai who missed key tournaments due to injury, among other talented players.

The team will hold a 10-day practice session in the Republic of Korea, starting on December 13.

They then will have a week-long rest for the New Year festival before leaving for the Asian competition in Thailand on January 8-26.

Vietnam are in Group D with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Jordan and the UAE.

There are 16 teams in four groups. The top four will earn a berth at the Tokyo Olympics in the summer.

In the 2018 tournament, Vietnam finished second, taking home a historic silver medal after losing 1-2 to Uzbekistan in the final.

(Source: NDO)