Golden Dragons to reboot training mid-August

By Lam Thoa August 5, 2020 | 03:11 am PT

Vietnamese players warm up at Thammasat Stadium before their World Cup qualification match with Thailand on September 4, 2019. Photo by VnExpress/Lam Thoa.

Due to the fresh Covid-19 outbreak in Vietnam, the national football team will delay training until August 15, without players from infected areas.

The Golden Dragons were meant to gather for a week on August 10, though the date was pushed back to August 15 by Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) following the new Covid-19 outbreak in Vietnam end of July.

Coach Park wants to take advantage of the domestic league delay to prolong training since the national team has yet to meet in 2020. About 30 players will be called up, all to undergo health checks and rapid Covid-19 screening.

SHB Da Nang and Quang Nam FC players like Ha Duc Chinh and Huynh Tan Sinh will miss the training call-up since their communities are hardest hit by the present Covid-19 crisis.

Alongside the national squad, Park will also call up the U23 team to prepare for SEA Games 31, hosted in Vietnam next year. The U23 training session will be overseen by Park’s assistant coach Kim Han-yoon.

Vietnam is on top of group G in the 2022 World Cup second qualification round with 11 points after five games. They will play Malaysia on October 13, Indonesia on November 12, and UAE on November 17. To advance to the next round, they will have to score at least seven points in the remaining three matches.

To prepare for the qualifiers, Vietnam will also play a friendly with Kyrgyzstan on October 8.