Striker Mạc Hồng Quân. — Photo dantricdn.com |
HÀ NỘI — Mai Đức Chung, acting head coach of the national men’s football team, has called 23 players for the qualifying round of Asian Cup 2019.
Chung replaced coach Nguyễn Hữu Thắng, who announced his resignation after the men’s team was ousted from the qualifying round of the ongoing SEA Games.
So far, the 66-year-old coach has named only nine players, who competed in the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Malaysia, including defenders Bùi Tiến Dũng of Viettel and Đoàn Văn Hậu of Hà Nội FC, and striker Nguyễn Công Phượng of Hoàng Anh Gia Lai.
Chung had surprised everyone when he called FLC Thanh Hoá’s goalkeeper Bùi Tiến Dũng who was only a sub for the SEA Games’ squad.
Chung also called experienced players such as Nguyễn Văn Quyết, Nguyễn Trọng Hoàng and Nguyễn Quang Hải.
The coach’s selection includes his discovery and protégé, striker Mạc Hồng Quân, an overseas Vietnamese footballer who plays for Quảng Ninh Coal in V. League 1. Chung has been supporting Quân in his football career in Việt Nam.
The team will convene on August 29 in Hà Nội to prepare for the match against Cambodia on September 5.
Under Chung’s guidance, the national women’s football team won a gold just a few days ago in Kuala Lumpur. — VNS