HAGL dares to declare 1 year early the goal of winning the V.League championship

At the end of October 2017, at the official contract signing ceremony with HAGL, the new Technical Director Chung Hae Soung of HAGL announced his goal of making the club number 1 in Southeast Asia. But Mr. Chung Hae Soung has a relatively clear roadmap: "My goal, as I said when I arrived in Vietnam, is to join HAGL Club in group 5-7 next season and win the championship in V.League 2019". However, the former assistant of coach Guus Hiddink at the 2002 World Cup and Mr. Duc felt that there were conditions to speed up the roadmap.

“The Atomic Quartet” Xuan Truong – Tuan Anh – Cong Phuong – Van Toan. Photo: Internet

It must be said that most of the U23 Vietnam players have matured significantly after2018 AFC U23 Championship in China. Among them, HAGL has 3 main players: Luong Xuan Truong, Nguyen Cong Phuong, Van Thanh and Nguyen Phong Hong Duy who also had a good match from the bench. Van Toan and Chau Ngoc Quang also showed their ability, although Ngoc Quang has not been tested yet.

In addition to the return of Xuan Truong, Tuan Anh has also returned from injury in V.League 2018, making HAGL almost a miniature U23 Vietnam. With 7 U23 Vietnam players in the hands of coach Duong Minh Ninh, only needing strong foreign players can make HAGL a strong candidate for the national championship. Mr. Duc and Technical Director Chung Hae Soung also understand that, so they decided to spend money to find good foreign players.

Mr. Duc's acceptance of opening his wallet to recruit quality foreign players has opened up a wide path for HAGL to recruit. HAGL has conducted trials for many foreign players, including four promising names "targeted" for two spots in the V.League: defender Kim Jin Seo, defender Ewonde Loius, striker Kike Gomez and striker Gordon Rimario. Among them, Kike Gomez is the name with the brightest profile as he grew up from the training center of a team in the Sevilla region (Spain) and has played and scored in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers for Europa FC (Gibraltar).

Technical Director Chung Hae Soung is the one who makes the ultimate decision on professional issues at HAGL. Photo: Internet

Drawing on experience from many previous seasons, Technical Director Chung Hae Soung and the HAGL coaching staff used the BTV Cup friendly tournament as a test, not simply relying on past records. HAGL decided to strengthen their defense by selecting center-back Kim Jin Seo from Korea, born in 1994, a player with an ideal physique (1.88m tall). During his career, this center-back played for the Korean U23 team and was a teammate of defender Nguyen Huu Anh Tai, who played for the 3rd division club Uijeongbu in the 2017 season.

Meanwhile, Jamaican striker Rimario, in addition to shining for Marshall University in the US in 2015, contributed a lot to HAGL's fourth-place finish in the BTV Cup. A good attacking partner will greatly support Cong Phuong, the star striker of the Highlands team.

Most likely, HAGL will still register Mr. Duong Minh Ninh as the team's head coach, but Technical Director Chung Hae Soung will be the one who makes the final decision on technical issues. Until now, the ability of this Korean football expert has not been verified, but from the talent of Park Hang Seo, another former assistant of coach Guus Hiddink, people have reason to believe.

When there are “hard students, great foreign players, good teachers”, it is understandable that Mr. Duc boldly declared that HAGL is ready to compete for the throne. But what people like most about this boss is that he dares to declare his ambition.!