The Vietnamese women’s football U20 team train for the final round of the 2024 AFC U20 Women's Asian Cup. Photo VFF

Football

HÀ NỘI — Akira Ijiri, head coach of the Vietnamese women’s football U20 team, has officially announced the 28-player squad for the final round of the 2024 AFC U20 Women's Asian Cup, which will take place in Uzbekistan from March 3 to 16.

The squad comprises outstanding players, including Lê Thị Bảo Trâm, Hồ Thị Thanh Thảo and Trần Nhật Lan from Việt Nam Coal and Mineral FC; Nguyễn Phương Thảo and Lê Thị Thu from Hà Nam Sports Training Centre; and Trương Thị Hoài Trinh and Lê Thị Thơm from Hà Nội Sports Training Centre.

Key players such as Ngọc Minh Chuyên and Vũ Thị Hoa, who won the Golden Ball awards in 2023, have also made it to the squad.

Furthermore, players from Thái Nguyên T&T, HCM City and Sơn La Clubs are also featured.

Captain Trâm expressed her excitement, saying: "I am very happy to be part of the list of 28 players preparing for the Asian Cup. My first goal is to secure a spot in the final list of 23 players participating in the tournament in Uzbekistan. In 2023, the Vietnamese senior women's team competed in the FIFA Women's World Cup. Despite being underdogs, they always fought with great spirit for the Vietnamese national flag. We will strive to learn from them and follow in their footsteps."

Despite the cold weather in Hà Nội, the team continue to actively practise and diligently follow the coaching staff's training plans, with two sessions per day, aiming to be fully prepared for the Asian event.

"Certain coaches have different football philosophies. There are differences at the club level, and when joining the national team, there are further differences. However, when we joined the U20 national team, we received tremendous support, and our football philosophy became more modern. The unexpected weather change did affect us to some extent since it was quite cold, but that wasn't a problem. We still made an effort to integrate and adapt as quickly as possible," Trâm said.

In the 2024 AFC U20 Women's Asian Cup, Việt Nam finds themselves in Group B and will face defending champions Japan, second runners-up North Korea, and 2006 champions China.

In Group A, hosts Uzbekistan will compete against South Korea, Australia and Chinese Taipei.

The top four teams of the tournament will qualify for the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Colombia as the AFC representatives. VNS