Coach Falko Goetz selected his players for the 2011 VFF Cup.

This morning, at the press conference introducing the VFF Cup, Vietnam U23 coach Falko Goetz assessed this as a good opportunity to test his players, thereby finding the 20 best players for the 26th SEA Games. The VFF Cup Eximbank 2011 will take place from October 19th to 23rd. Four teams will compete in a round-robin format to determine the champion.

Tickets for the VFF Eximbank Cup 2011 were available in four price categories: 150,000, 120,000, 80,000, and 50,000 VND. Tickets were sold through official channels, via the organizing committee's website, and directly at booths located on Trinh Hoai Duc Street and My Dinh Square.

Due to last-minute withdrawals from Thailand and Indonesia, the invited teams for the 2011 VFF Cup were three U23 teams: Uzbekistan, Malaysia, and Myanmar.

Defending SEA Games champions, the Malaysian U23 team, have submitted a 30-player roster for the VFF Cup. Among them, 14 players previously competed in the 25th SEA Games, and 9 are members of the Malaysian national team. However, the official roster for the 2011 VFF Cup is limited to 22 players. Each team is allowed to register 20 players per match. Malaysia and Uzbekistan U23 arrived in Hanoi on October 17th. Myanmar arrived earliest, on October 16th.

Speaking about his team, which is currently maintaining a training schedule of two sessions a day, Coach Goetz admitted that the team is undergoing intense training. “Vietnamese players are small. They lack physical strength. That’s why we have to work so hard. I have 26 players at my disposal, but only 20 will be selected for the SEA Games 26. Choosing who to include and who to leave out is not an easy task. But through the three matches in the VFF Cup, I can do this. We are eagerly awaiting the start of the VFF Cup to test our strength.” Goetz revealed when asked about the “trump cards” he will use to conquer the SEA Games gold medal this year.

“The Vietnam U23 team is a young team. They really need experience to gain points and refine their playing style. Therefore, the 2011 VFF Cup with three matches is a good opportunity to test each player's abilities. We're not putting too much emphasis on results, but my players must play their best, show their abilities to achieve the highest possible outcome in every match,” Goetz said about the Vietnam U23 team's goals in their final friendly tournament before the 26th SEA Games.

The 2011 VFF Cup faced a deadlock in securing sponsorship. It wasn't until just before the opening ceremony, thanks to the intervention of VFF Vice President Le Hung Dung, that Eximbank finally agreed to take on this role.

Thanks to the involvement of Eximbank, the prize money for the 2011 VFF Cup was considered high for a friendly tournament. Accordingly, the winning team received $25,000 in prize money. The runner-up and third-place teams received $10,000 and $5,000 respectively.

According to VnExpress