7 Asian Cup heroes old enough to compete in SEA Games 2019
At the 30th SEA Games later this year in the Philippines, there will be only 7 Asian Cup 2019 heroes qualified to go on the journey to conquer the missing regional gold medal of Vietnamese football.
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| After the 2019 Asian Cup, the 30th SEA Games, held at the end of this year in the Philippines, will be the next major tournament for Coach Park Hang-seo and his team. Due to the age limit of the Southeast Asian Football Federation (AFF) for the tournament at the U22 level, not many of Coach Park's students at the 2019 Asian Cup are old enough to participate in the SEA Games. There will be only 7 Vietnamese players at the 2019 Asian Cup who are eligible to participate in the 30th Southeast Asian Games. |
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| Bui Tien Dung (1997):The number one goalkeeper of U23 Vietnam and Olympic Vietnam will almost certainly return to the starting lineup of U22 Vietnam at SEA Games 30. Tien Dung has a lot of international experience as he once shone in the U23 team. He lost his position to senior Dang Van Lam in the national team, but at the U23 level, Tien Dung has no worthy opponent. |
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| Ho Tan Tai (1997):The central defender of Binh Duong Club grew up with Tien Dung from the U20 team. He did not get to play at the 2019 Asian Cup. But being called up to the national team was a great success for the player from Binh Dinh. The future will belong to young players like Ho Tan Tai. |
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| Nguyen Thanh Chung (1997):Compared to Ho Tan Tai, Thanh Chung (No. 21) has a much brighter chance of being a starter at SEA Games 30. He has played many matches for Hanoi FC - the current V.League champion. Thanh Chung also played alongside Dinh Trong and Duy Manh and had a lot of time working with coach Park Hang-seo from the 2018 U23 Asian Cup to the 18th ASIAD. He is the one with many opportunities to play alongside Dinh Trong - the player who is sure to have an official position at SEA Games 30. |
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| Doan Van Hau (1999):The defender from Thai Binh (red shirt) is not only the youngest player in the team at the 2019 Asian Cup but also the number one left-back in Vietnam at present. Although still very young but has played in all national teams and clubs, Van Hau will go to SEA Games 30 and will most likely be the captain of the U23 Vietnam team at SEA Games 31 held at home in 2021. The position of the "youngest" Van Hau is undisputed. |
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| Ha Duc Chinh (1997):Given many opportunities but unable to prove himself at the AFF Cup 2018 and Asian Cup 2019, Chinh "black" (number 18) is gradually losing steam compared to Tien Linh in the competition for the striker position before SEA Games 30. However, his high performance in V.League will still ensure Duc Chinh a place at the SEA Games. |
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| Nguyen Quang Hai (1997):Invulnerable is the shortest description of Quang Hai’s position and role in the Vietnamese national teams at the moment. If Coach Park Hang-seo’s team wants to end their “gold thirst” at the SEA Games, they will need Quang Hai’s talent. Hai “son” has just won the title of best player of the AFF Cup 2018 and is considered by experts to be on the way to becoming the best Vietnamese player in history. |
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| Nguyen Tien Linh (1997):Compared to Duc Chinh, Tien Linh is showing remarkable progress. He scored against Cambodia at the AFF Cup, and scored against North Korea during the pre-Asian Cup preparation period. The title of top scorer in V.League 2018 is also a highlight in Tien Linh's CV. If he continues to play like this, Tien Linh will get the position of striker at SEA Games 30. |
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| Some U22 players who were not allowed to attend the 2019 Asian Cup but were included in the pre-tournament training session will also return to the national team. Among them, people like Hoang Duc (right), Dinh Thanh Binh, Luong Hoang Nam, Huynh Tan Sinh... are all potential faces, who once shone in the U20 Vietnam shirt of coach Hoang Anh Tuan. |
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| 7 Vietnamese players at Asian Cup 2019 are old enough to attend SEA Games 30 later this year. |