Vietnamese men’s football team are under immense pressure ahead of their journey at the 2018 Asian Games (Asiad) next month, head coach Park Hang-seo said, adding that the squad must at least pass the group stage of the competition.

During a press conference on Thursday, coach Park announced the list of 30 players from the national Under-23 team who will be assembled in Hanoi to prepare for the upcoming championship.

As per the rules of Asiad, the 11-man team will mainly consist of U23 players, plus three above this age, according to the South Korean coach.

Therefore, strikers Nguyen Anh Duc and Nguyen Van Quyet, and midfielder Do Hung Dung from the Vietnam national football team will also be summoned to join their younger fellow players during the preparation campaign.

The players will have three weeks to train and practice for the 2018 Asiad.

On August 7, the coach will announce the official list of players who will represent the nation at the championship.

The Asian Games, or Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. 

This year’s event will be held in Jakarta and Palembang in Indonesia from August 18 to September 2.

Previously draw results of the men’s football tournament showed that Vietnam will be in Group D, along with Pakistan, Nepal, and Japan.

However, the organizers said the drawing may be conducted once again due to some previous errors, according to coach Park.

“Vietnam’s first objective is to pass the group stage,” he asserted.

Asiad is a fierce arena given the presence of many strong contenders, namely Japan and South Korea, who had attended this year’s World Cup in Russia, Park elaborated.

Vietnamese fans are having high hopes for the U23 players after they became the runners-up at the 2018 AFC U23 Championship in China in January.

Such expectation has also placed immense pressure on the team ahead of the continental competition, Park admitted.

Park added that star goalie Bui Tien Dung, who displayed excellent performance at the AFC U23 Championship, may not be selected for the coming games as he has not been given the opportunities to compete for his hometown football club in the north-central province of Thanh Hoa or the V-League.

Dang Van Lam, who performed well at this year’s V-League, is more likely to become the team’s main goalie at Asiad.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!