Futsal

Vietnamese players seen in a training during their preparation for the ASEAN Futsal Championship 2024 starting on November 2 in Thailand. Photo of VFF

HÀ NỘI — Coach Diego Raul Giustozzi has chosen his 14 best players ready for the ASEAN Futsal Championship 2024 in Thailand.

The Argentinean trainer picked two goalkeepers, four fixos (defenders), six alas (midfielders) and two pivos (strikers), following three weeks of training in HCM City and friendly matches in Thailand.

Most of them are familiar faces of the national team, such as captain Pham Đức Hòa, defender Châu Đoàn Phát, goal hunters Nhan Gia Hưng and Nguyễn Thịnh Phát and former world top ten keeper Hồ Văn Ý.

Two new player talents come in the form of ala Vũ Ngọc Ánh and pivo Nguyễn Đa Hải, who showed promise in the national championship.

One of Giustozzi's regrets is ala Ngô Ngọc Sơn, who cannot join the team because he tore a ligament during the Thai training camp.

Việt Nam will play East Timor in the first match, followed by games against Malaysia, Brunei and the hosts. In Group B Indonesia, Myanmar, Australia and Cambodia will compete against each other.

Teams will play in a one-leg round robin group stage, with matches beginning on November 2. Two top teams each group will advance to the semi-finals, with the final scheduled for November 10.

As a two-time world cup participant, Việt Nam are considered a leader in ASEAN, second only to Thailand, who are leading the world group.

As result, Group A's fiercest competition is expected to be for the the two passes between Thailand, Malaysia and Việt Nam.

Giustozzi said he was clear about which teams have made strong progress recently, expecting not just Thailand but also Malaysia and Indonesia to be tough games.

However, he added that he was confident his players have also made progress, especially after recent training camps.

He believed that Việt Nam would do good job, but first of all needed to pass the group round challenge.

Vietnamese players moved to Thailand in early October for further training and won both of their friendly matches there.

They beat Thai reigning champion club Hongyen Thakam 6-4 and won against Australia 5-3.

Earlier, Việt Nam beat Malaysia 3-0 and lost 1-0 to them during their testing for the Asian Futsal Championship 2024 in March in HCM City.

Also at the continental tournament, Việt Nam lost 2-1 to powerful Thailand in their Group A clash.

World Cup participant Narongsak Winwon will lead Thailand at the regional championship. — Photo of FAT

Thailand, the reigning champions under coach Miguel Rodrigo, will be introducing a young line-up on their home ground event.

Rodrigo, who guided Việt Nam to third place at this regional tournament in 2019, on October 30 announced his 14-member roster, which according to Football Association of Thailand Vice President Adisak Benjasiriwan were the B team of the hosts.

He said giving these young men opportunities to play this time was part of FAT's preparation for a new Thai generation in the futsal world.

“We convene many young players with an average age of 25, five younger than the World Cup team. They are selected from a list of 73 players who were under strict supervision of the coaching board in three years," said coach assistant Eloy Alonso.

"This tournament, we want to use the B squad to create opportunities for new players and prepare for the future. These players are also expected to inspire other colleagues to strive harder to seize the national team's slots. Of course, we want nothing more than winning the championship."

The young side are led by two senior players Narongsak Winwon and Krit Aranyasanalak who just competed at the World Cup 2024 in Uzbekistan, where world No 11 Thailand were stopped in the quarter-finals.

Last ASEAN cup, Thailand beat Indonesia on the spot kick, to lift the championship trophy, their 16th one in history. VNS