What to expect from the rookie?
Gia Dinh University football team is the most anticipated name in Group A of the Ho Chi Minh City region qualifying round of the 2nd Vietnam Youth Student Football Tournament - THACO Cup 2024 (TNSV-THACO Cup 2024). This is a rookie team and has been preparing quite early, over the past 4 months.
Since September 2023, when the Organizing Committee launched the registration, Coach Vo Ngoc Sang of Gia Dinh University was one of the first to submit a registration for the team. The former coach of Hong Bang International University was very happy to lead the Gia Dinh University team to participate in the tournament. He said: "Since 2023, when I was with Hong Bang International University participating in the qualifying round of Ho Chi Minh City, I really liked the atmosphere of the tournament and the great and professional organization of Thanh Nien Newspaper. We were really immersed in the big festival and felt like school sports were flying high. This time, in charge of the Gia Dinh University team, with the attention and investment of the board of directors, we are very determined and eager to compete in this very interesting and attractive playground".
The entire Gia Dinh University team is ready for the opening match of the qualifying round.
It is true that Gia Dinh University team is being heavily invested in through selection from faculty level, school level to city level. Coach Vo Ngoc Sang currently has a fairly strong force and has just been tested through the 2023 Ho Chi Minh City student tournament. The team won the runner-up position after the team of the University of Transport branch in Ho Chi Minh City. Continuously for over a month, Gia Dinh University team played 6-7 training matches with UEF, RMIT, UMT, Open University, Law University and set the goal of having to make an effort in each match to win the top spot in Group A to enter the play-off round.
Coach Vo Ngoc Sang commented: "Our group is quite tight, the host Ton Duc Thang University has a long history, and the University of Transport and Dai Viet Saigon College cannot be underestimated, so each match with Gia Dinh University is like a final match. But with careful preparation and experience in bringing Hong Bang International University to the round of 8 in the 2023 play-off, I hope to work with the home team to achieve the best goal."
Any surprises?
Ton Duc Thang University team (red shirt) in their opening match of 2023 against Tay Nguyen University
The host Ton Duc Thang University is still rated the highest in the table. Most of the team that won fourth place in the first tournament are still competing in the second tournament, such as Vo Minh Hoang, Nguyen Duy Phuong, Truong Duc Tien, Nguyen Huy Hoang, Hoang Huy Duong, goalkeeper Tran Quang Dat and 3 foreign players. Among them, 2 foreign players from Cambodia, Non Sovannarith and Hean Bukan, and 1 foreign player from Nigeria, Oluka Prasiegod.
The most regrettable absence is the top scorer Doan Hoang Nam because he has graduated and in the qualifying round, key midfielder Lu Dinh Duc Anh (son of former player Lu Dinh Tuan) is also missing due to family matters. Head coach Nguyen Dinh Long said that in the final round (the team was directly qualified for the final round but asked to play the qualifying round to gain experience), he will add Duc Anh back. Ton Duc Thang University considers the qualifying round an important preparation for the final round, so they will also play their best to get the best results. The home team's spirit is very high, especially after winning the national 7-a-side tournament (beating Thuy Loi University in the final), so the team's goal in 2023 is to be present in the final match.
The University of Transport team (light blue shirt) in the opening match of the 2023 qualifying round against Ho Chi Minh City University of Technical Education
Ho Chi Minh City University of Transport participated in the tournament with some turmoil when coach Ho Van Lung was missing 4-5 starting positions in the first season due to graduation, the most regrettable of which was striker Nguyen Van Hao who scored 4 goals in the resounding 8-0 victory over Hoa Sen University. But there were still faces such as Nguyen Vu, Huynh Quoc Thang, Duong Thanh Duy, Tran Duc Hien, Truong Ho Ngoc Quy and captain Nguyen Hoai An. It was the captain of the University of Transport who equalized 1-1 in the decisive match against Van Hien University, although the team had to stop after losing 1-2 in the 2023 tournament.
Coach Ho Van Lung hopes that this year the team will play better. Ho Chi Minh City University of Transport hopes to play well against Dai Viet Sai Gon College in the opening match to concentrate firepower for the next two matches.
Dai Viet Sai Gon FC fans cheer "fiercely" in 2023
Meanwhile, Dai Viet Sai Gon FC is renewing itself with the determination to improve its performance in 2023. Coach Nguyen Thanh Y said that in 2024, the team will also lose some key players such as captain Huynh Van Hien or goalkeeper Hien Sang. However, the core of Phi Son - Van Son - Manh Tien - Nhi Hao is still playing and has been supplemented with a few new players, so the whole team is very excited to enter the first qualifying match against the University of Transport. In 2023, in the opening match, Dai Viet Sai Gon FC drew 0-0 with Vien Dong FC, so coach Nguyen Thanh Y hopes that this time will be better against a new opponent. "Every year is different, we believe we will play better in the second season to raise the team's image and create momentum for the movement. We hope to create a surprise," coach Nguyen Thanh Y confidently said.
Dai Viet Sai Gon FC (blue shirt) drew with Vien Dong FC in the opening match
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