Three dreams of Vietnamese football in the year of the Rooster

(Baonghean.vn) - Entering the Year of the Rooster, Vietnamese football fans are looking forward to 3 important tournaments in 2017. Those are the 29th SEA Games, the 3rd qualifying round of the 2019 Asian Cup and the U20 World Cup. Of these, the 29th SEA Games is always a dream that is both near and far, within reach but extremely difficult to achieve.

1.It must be affirmed that the 29th SEA Games gold medal in Singapore is the biggest goal of Vietnamese football in 2017. It has been a big dream for decades, sometimes it was within reach but then it slipped away in regret.

Young HAGL players will be the core of U22 Vietnam to attend SEA Games 29. Photo: Internet

One of the officials who is worried about the SEA Games football gold medal is Mr. Duc, the first generation of players from the HAGL Arsenal-JMG Academy was tested by coach Toshiya Miura at the 28th SEA Games (2015). Up to now, in the 2017 V-League, Mr. Duc has asked the HAGL coach not to use foreign players as strikers and to accept relegation to give the young players practice.

The fact that the Southeast Asian Football Federation Council has approved the regulation that the age limit for the 29th SEA Games is U22 gives us certain advantages. Because in the past, we have had young players competing quite successfully in many arenas thanks to our in-depth investment strategy.

In addition, Coach Huu Thang has a talented group of players who have just won tickets to the U20 World Cup after reaching the semi-finals of the 2016 U19 Asian Cup in Bahrain. Therefore, Coach Nguyen Huu Thang has many talents to select a U22 team to make the SEA Games gold dream come true.

In our opinion, this is the most important task of VFF and the national team in the year of the Rooster. If we win the men's football championship at the 29th SEA Games, we will further affirm Vietnam's football development strategy in recent times.

2.To be fair, the 3rd Asian Cup playground was always too much for Vietnamese football. But luck came when the draw put the Vietnamese team in Group C of the 3rd qualifying round of the 2019 Asian Cup with Jordan, Afghanistan and Cambodia, the opportunity to win a ticket to attend the biggest football festival in the region opened up unexpectedly.

The Vietnamese national team's attack line is undergoing a generational transition. Photo: Internet

Right after the results of the draw for the third qualifying round of the 2019 Asian Cup, Coach Nguyen Huu Thang probably breathed a sigh of relief because the Vietnamese team fell into an easy group. Apart from Jordan, our team is rated higher than the other two opponents, so the chance to pass the final qualifying round for Coach Nguyen Huu Thang and his students is within reach.

Although Cong Vinh and Thanh Luong have left the team, coach Huu Thang is still there, with young talents Tuan Anh, Xuan Truong, Van Toan, Van Thanh alongside famous seniors Van Quyet, Hoang Thinh, Thanh Trung, Minh Tuan. As long as coach Huu Thang knows how to assemble them, the dream of the Vietnamese team winning a ticket to the Asian Finals is entirely possible.

3.Following Futsal, for the first time in history, Vietnamese football has a team that has won the right to participate in the most prestigious arena, which is the ticket to the U20 World Cup held in Korea. The fact that U19 Vietnam reached the semi-finals of the 2016 U19 Asian Cup in Bahrain and won the ticket to the World Cup has caused a big shock to youth football in the region. The element of luck cannot be ignored, but it is clear that this is a group of young players who have been trained systematically, have good tactical vision, based on a good physical foundation and physique, and have improved with each match.

It is difficult to cause surprises when going to the "big sea" for the first time, but coach Hoang Anh Tuan and the U20 Vietnam players came to Korea with a confident and brave attitude. Fans expect U20 Vietnam to do something in the biggest youth football festival on the planet this year.

If only two of the three dreams above become reality, Vietnamese football will certainly reach a new level. On the occasion of the beginning of the year, we wish the three teams success in their competitions!

An Thanh