Coach Park names U22 squad for SEA Games 31

By Hoai Khong   May 5, 2021 | 06:22 pm PT
Coach Park names U22 squad for SEA Games 31
The Vietnam U22 team during a friendly with the national football team on December 27, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Minh Minh.
Park Hang-seo has called up 34 players to the U22 team in preparation for SEA Games 31 and U23 Asian Cup qualifiers this year.

The list of 34 players was announced Wednesday morning. Among these, 27 are playing in the top-flight V. League and seven in V. League 2.

A surprise on the list is Y Eli NiE, one of four keepers. The 20-year-old custodian was suspended for two games and fined VND5 million ($216.53) for suspicious behavior in a U19 national tournament game last year. In the last minute of the match, he passed the ball to the opponent’s striker to let him score. After review, Vietnam Football Federation discovered further suspicious incidents and omitted the result.

The U22 team will stay at the Promotion Fund of Vietnamese Football Talent (PVF) Academy from May 11 to June 6 and train at Viettel Sports Center. Due to conflict in the training schedule with the national team, which is preparing for World Cup Asian qualifiers, U22 team training will be overseen by Park’s assistant coaches.

In 2021, the Vietnam U22 team will have two important goals, which are winning another gold medal in SEA Games 31 after the first in 2019, and perform well at the U23 Asian Cup (formerly AFC U23 Championship) qualifiers from October 23 to 31 to claim a spot at the main tournament next year.

 
 
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