Coach Mai Duc Chung: 'The US is a big team but that doesn't mean we'll back down'

A day before the match against the US women's team, coach Mai Duc Chung of the Vietnamese women's team expressed his honor and pride as this was the first time the Vietnamese women's football team had participated in the World Cup.

“We compete for the purpose of exchanging and learning experiences. The Vietnamese team is still very young, there are many things to learn from teams around the world. In this year’s tournament, Southeast Asia has two representatives: Vietnam and the Philippines. That is our pride,” said Mr. Mai Duc Chung.

The first challenge for the Vietnamese women's team is the reigning champion, the US. Evaluating this opponent, the 72-year-old coach said: "I consider the US team to be a towering mountain of women's football in the world. If we compare the forces, we are much weaker. But the purpose of the Vietnamese women's team coming here is not to play or travel, but to compete and learn. The US is a big team, but that does not mean we will falter. The Vietnamese women's team will have a reasonable strategy with the aim of limiting goals conceded and avoiding injuries. If the Vietnamese team scores, it will be even better."

“Of course, meeting the US is very difficult. It is difficult to play against teams with only 5-6 ranks difference, let alone 30 ranks difference. But we will not give up because of that. We will play with what we have and with the best spirit. I believe that the audience watching live at the stadium and the audience nationwide will be satisfied with the fighting spirit of the players.

Mr. Mai Duc Chung affirmed that in football, whether male or female, there are always surprises: “We do not think we will win, but we promise to compete with the highest determination and the highest effort of Vietnamese women. The Vietnamese women's team is completely comfortable, without any constraints. Facing the US, in addition to studying, we also have the opportunity to show our spirit, not giving up, not being afraid. Previously, we met Germany, France, New Zealand and Spain. Through those matches, we saw our strengths and weaknesses, so we improved and tried to perform our best," he added.

Speaking of age, I think I'm old and in sports for me and everyone, most people at this age have retired. I've tried my best with women's football and the men's teams. I will do my best in the World Cup and tournaments at the end of this year and then think about it later,'' coach Mai Duc Chung shared his feelings.

"I and Vietnamese fans are looking forward to this historic match. Before, we did not dare to dream of playing against the US or the Netherlands.

But now the Vietnamese women's team gets to play against them, so myself and the fans are really looking forward to that moment. We just have to wait and see how the team plays and their spirit will be when facing the US," coach Mai Duc Chung concluded.

The match between the Vietnamese women's team and the US women's team will take place at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow (July 22, Vietnam time).