Nghe An Youth Football: A Miracle That's Hard to Repeat

Trung Kien• June 23, 2019 07:15

(Baonghean.vn) - Up to this point, all of SLNA's youth teams have competed in the national youth tournament qualifiers or finals. However, this year, the performance of SLNA's youth teams is predicted to decline in a difficult and fierce season.

2018 was a triumphant year for Nghe An's youth football, with U11 SLNA, U13 SLNA, and U15 SLNA winning three championships. The U17 SLNA team finished as runners-up, the U19 SLNA team won the bronze medal, and the U21 SLNA team qualified for the finals. SLNA became the only V.League team to participate in all national youth championship finals.

Of the three championships won by the SLNA youth team, two finals had to be decided by tense penalty shootouts. This shows that the gap between their opponents and SLNA is no longer significant.

This year, SLNA continues to participate in all tournaments from U11 to U21. In particular, in the qualifying round of the National Youth and Children's Football Tournament, Nghe An has four participating teams: U11 SLNA, U13 SLNA, and two teams from SLF Thanh Vinh, which are SLNA's B teams.

After a 6-1 victory in their opening match against Phu Dong, U11 SLNA went on to win 5-0 against Quang Nam and draw 0-0 with Hung Yen in the final match, thus securing their place in the finals held in Dak Lak in July as group winners.

The SLNA U17 team disappointed by failing to qualify for the next round. Photo: Huu Thanh

Meanwhile, U13 SLNA also had a smooth start in the qualifying round, winning 1-0 against U13 Hai Duong. In the second match, coach Le Van Hung's team easily defeated Hai Phong with a score of 3-0. In the final match, U13 SLNA and U13 Da Nang drew 1-1. With 7 points after 3 unbeaten matches, U13 SLNA officially secured a ticket to the finals, which will take place from July 5th to 15th at home.

At this point, the team receiving the most expectations is U15 SLNA, led by coaches Phan Như Thuật and Phạm Văn Quyến. After an extremely impressive performance in the qualifying round, U15 SLNA is in a rather fierce group in the finals, along with host Ho Chi Minh City, Thanh Hóa, and HAGL.

Nevertheless, with thorough preparation for the tournament and a good group of players, U15 SLNA defeated Thanh Hoa 2-1 in their opening match and continued with a 4-1 victory against Ho Chi Minh City in the second match. Before facing HAGL in the final match of the group stage, U15 SLNA has 6 points and leads Group A. The U15 National Championship semi-final is very close for Coach Phan Nhu Thuat's team.

SLNA U15 team is making a strong impression at the 2019 National U15 Championship Finals held in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tú Nguyễn

While their younger counterparts are demonstrating their strength, the U17 SLNA team is proving to be a disappointment. In the qualifying round, U17 SLNA was in the same group as Thanh Hoa, SHB Da Nang, Nam Dinh, and host team Thua Thien Hue. After 7 matches, U17 SLNA won 2, drew 3, and lost 2, accumulating 9 points and finishing second to last, officially missing out on the finals and becoming the former runner-up of the tournament.

At the U19 level, SLNA still boasts a good group of players, including several who have been called up to the Vietnam U17 and U19 national teams. However, after performing well in the group stage, SLNA's U19 team missed out on the final, losing 0-2 to HAGL's U19 team in the semi-finals last March. While they couldn't win a medal, SLNA's U19 team remains the only youth team with a promising record among SLNA's youth squads.

In their opening match of the U21 National Championship qualifiers, Coach Nguyen Dinh Dung's team suffered a 0-1 defeat against the People's Police U21 team. More recently, the SLNA U21 team continued their losing streak with a heavy 0-5 defeat against Pho Hien, effectively ending their chances of securing one of the two qualifying spots in Group A for the finals.

The quality of SLNA's U11, U13, and U15 players remains assured, but their struggles in tournaments at the U17, U19, and U21 levels and above are posing challenges for the SLNA youth academy. The quality of SLNA's young players isn't bad, but it becomes increasingly difficult for them to showcase their abilities at higher levels.

Recently, the Vietnam U18 team called up six players from SLNA – Nguyen Van Ba, Tran Quoc Thanh, Tran Manh Quynh, Nguyen Xuan Binh, Dang Quang Tu, and Ho Khac Luong – to participate in the Southeast Asian U18 Championship. However, expectations for the U17, U19, and U21 age groups seem very low.

Trung Kien