The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) has asked the U19 squad to win a berth at the final of the Asian championship next year.

Goalkeeping coach Jason Brown works with a Vietnamese player during the national U19 training session (Photo: zing.vn)

VFF Vice President Tran Quoc Tuan encouraged the young players to do their best and work hard so that played confidently at the championship’s upcoming qualifier tournament in Chinese Taipei.

He said Vietnam is one of the top seeded teams at the event, following their 2016 Asian Championship semifinal slot and a berth at the recent U20 World Cup earned by the previous U19 squad. The VFF hoped it would be a source of pride and a strong motivational factor for the current side to win a final round spot.

The team started their one-month practice on October 2 under coach Hoang Anh Tuan in Hanoi.

They will compete in Group H together with Macao, Laos and the hosts in early November.

Tuan called up 30 players for this campaign, with nearly one third being new members. They will team up with the older players who failed at the recent regional U18 championship despite a brilliant start in Myanmar.

“Following the Myanmar event, the coaching board saw problems. We had a good playing style but achieved a poor result. My players need to improve in different areas. This is the reason why I called up many new faces. I will give them the best training conditions, and then I will select the best team," Tuan said.

“Our style will not change, but it must improve because the upcoming event is at the continental level. We must have an iron spirit and a high scoring rate. We have set a target of competing at the Asian tournament. But I have bigger desire to play at the World Cup for the second time. It will be kind of "awesome" if we can repeat it. I feel really confident now.”

Tuan received strong support from the VFF, who invited the former goalkeeper coach of Arsenal’s youth team, Jason Brown, to work with his team. Brown began work on October 2.

Vietnam’s loss at the regional tournament was partly due to unfathomable mistakes made by their goalies. In general, the goalkeeper has always been the weak point of the different teams.

Brown is the fourth foreigner to work with the team, along with executive director Jurgen Gede, fitness trainer Martin Forkel and physical therapist Pablo Lester Sawicky, who are all German.

VNA