U19 SLNA: Expectations for a generation of young players
(Baonghean.vn) - The 2020 National U19 Tournament saw a record number of registered teams with 29 clubs registering to participate. Therefore, in the qualifying round, the Organizing Committee had to divide into 5 groups and U19 SLNA will be in group B. Currently, SLNA fans are placing high hopes on a generation of players who can win the National U19 Championship.
The core of U19 SLNA participating in this tournament will include the players who reached the final of the National U17 tournament held in 2018 and the semi-finals of the National U19 tournament 2019. Among them, there are many outstanding names such as goalkeeper Nguyen Van Ba, defenders Ho Khac Luong, Vuong Van Huy, midfielders Nguyen Xuan Binh, Dang Quang Tu and Tran Manh Quynh.
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| SLNA only reached the semi-finals of the 2019 National U19 Championship. Photo: TNOL |
In 2019, these players were also called up by Coach Hoang Anh Tuan to the U18 list to participate in the U19 Southeast Asian tournament and then, together with Coach Philippe Troussier, participated in the qualifying round and excellently won second place in Group J to pass through the narrow door to enter the 2020 U19 Asian Cup Finals.
After more than 6 years since the generation of players Van Khanh, Van Duc, Xuan Manh,... matured, until now, SLNA fans have witnessed and placed such high hopes on a generation of players who can win the National U19 Championship after 13 years of waiting.
According to VFF's calculations, this is also the young generation that will be invested in for the 2026 World Cup that Vietnam is determined to attend. Therefore, the determination of the players and the competition of the training centers in this year's tournament are promised to be very dramatic and attractive.
The 5 qualifying groups of the 2020 National U19 Tournament are as follows:
Group A has 6 teams (hosted by PVF) including:PVF, Hanoi, Pho Hien, People's Police, Viettel and Quang Ninh Coal.
Group B has 5 teams (hosted by Hue football team):Thua Thien - Hue, SHB Da Nang, Song Lam Nghe An, Nam Dinh and Thanh Hoa.
Group C has 6 teams (hosted by Hoang Anh Gia Lai):Hoang Anh Gia Lai 1, Quang Nam, Dak Lak, Binh Dinh, Khanh Hoa, Phu Yen.
Group D has 6 teams (hosted by Thong Nhat Sports Center):Ho Chi Minh City Club, Saigon FC, Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai, Lam Dong and Hoang Anh Gia Lai 2.
Group F has 6 teams hosted by Thanh Long Sports Center):An Giang, Becamex Binh Duong, Ben Tre, Tay Ninh, Can Tho and Long An.
With 4 groups of 6 teams and 1 group of 5 teams, the qualifying round will end with the 5 group winners and 2 second-placed teams qualifying for the finals along with the host team. If the host team is in the top 7 teams, the next second-placed team in the 5 groups (after the 2 determined second-placed teams) will qualify for the finals.
The qualifying round (2 home and away matches) is expected to take place from February 10 to March 10, 2020. The final round is expected to take place from March 16 to March 26, 2020.