"The" training center of Song Lam Nghe An: Hope from the U15 team.

(Baonghean) - Having won the most national youth football championships, from U21, U19, U17 to U13 and U11, the renowned SLNA youth academy seems to be at a disadvantage in the U1 age group, having yet to win a single title. This makes the desire of the SLNA U15 team to reach the top of the National U15 Championship this year stronger than ever.

The 2015 National U15 Championship was held two months earlier than usual (the qualifying rounds took place from March 21st to April 12th, and the finals from May 21st to May 30th, 2015). In the qualifying rounds, U15 SLNA was in the same group as U15 Da Nang, U15 Ha Tinh, and U15 Hue (the host team). The teams played a round-robin format with two legs to determine rankings. The top team in each group, along with the other three group winners, advanced to the finals. The second-place teams competed against other second-place teams to qualify as one of the remaining three teams to play in the finals.

The joy of scoring a goal for the SLNA U15 players in their match against Thua Thien Hue U15.

To prepare for the tournament, immediately after the Lunar New Year holiday, more than 20 U15 players from the SLNA academy began training to prepare for the national U15 qualifiers. With a core group of players who won the 2013 and 2014 National U13 Championships, the SLNA U15 team is determined to break their losing streak in the U15 competition. This is a group of players that the SLNA management is investing heavily in, promising that in about five years they will become the mainstays of the SLNA first team. This year, the SLNA U15 players are considered to be well-rounded across all positions, possessing good physique and fitness, and having experience in competition. Among them are prominent names such as Luong Van Hung, Ta Minh Hieu, and Ta Quoc Tien... These are all players who performed exceptionally well in the 2013 and 2014 National U13 Championships and during their victorious tour in Japan in August 2014.

From mid-March, the entire SLNA U15 team traveled to Hue to acclimatize to the weather and playing field. The team also played three friendly matches and achieved very positive results, securing convincing victories against the Thua Thien Hue U15 team (two matches) and the Ha Tinh U15 team. However, their first qualifying match against the host team, Thua Thien Hue, proved more difficult. In the 7th minute, SLNA U15 faced a disadvantage when the referee awarded a penalty to the home team, even though the SLNA U15 defender had not committed a foul in the penalty area.

Subsequently, the U15 SNLNA players were denied three clear penalties when the U15 Thua Thien Hue defenders handled the ball twice and committed a foul once inside the penalty area. However, with their superior strength, U15 SLNA played calmly and smoothly, overwhelming their opponent with a 5-2 victory, temporarily taking the top spot in the group. This afternoon (March 31st), U15 SLNA will play their second match against their main qualifying opponent, U15 Da Nang – who also won against U15 Ha Tinh in the first round. If they win, U15 SLNA will almost certainly qualify for the finals because their opponent in the final match will be U15 Ha Tinh – a team considered inferior.

Mr. Le Manh Hung - Assistant Coach of U15 SLNA shared: "The fact that the U15 team of Song Lam Nghe An has never won the national championship before is both a pressure and a motivation for the coaching staff and the players to strive for success. First and foremost, the whole team will do their best to defeat U15 Da Nang to advance from the group stage, and only then will we consider further goals."

Last year, despite being highly rated, the SLNA U15 team failed to advance beyond the group stage at the 2014 National U15 Championship, due to being drawn into a very tough group. This year, other strong youth academies such as Viettel and PVF are still participating in the National U15 Championship. However, with a squad of players who have proven themselves in terms of technical skills and experience, along with the resilient spirit of the people of Nghe An, it is hoped that SLNA U15 will easily overcome the qualifying rounds and achieve a high ranking at the upcoming National U15 Championship.

Minh Quan