With only one week left before the 2024 Southeast Asian U16 Championship kicks off, the U16 Vietnam team is racing against time to be fully prepared for the tournament in Indonesia.
According to reports, the team’s training sessions have been scheduled at 3:00 PM or 4:00 PM, times when the weather is quite hot, to help the players acclimate to the conditions they will face in Indonesia.
Discussing the preparation, coach Tran Minh Chien shared: “The coaching staff has had three weeks to prepare the U16 Vietnam team. The weather in Hanoi is currently quite harsh, but both the coaching staff and the players are united in overcoming these challenges.
“In Indonesia, we have to play two of our three group stage matches at 3:00 PM. Though it is tough, we must prepare for the conditions in Indonesia from now.”
He added: “Yesterday, the coaching staff had the team play a practice match at 3:00 PM to get used to the weather. The players played two halves of 30 minutes each. The coaching staff observed closely and found that the players could handle the physical demands and intensity of the match.”
The 2024 Southeast Asian U16 Championship will take place in Surakarta, Indonesia, from June 21 to July 4. The teams will play a single round-robin format in each group to determine the standings. The top three teams from each group and the best second-placed team across all groups will advance to the semifinals.
According to the draw results, U16 Vietnam is in Group B alongside Myanmar, Cambodia, and Brunei. The team will play their opening match against U16 Brunei at 3:00 PM on June 22, followed by a game against U16 Cambodia at 7:30 PM on June 25, and conclude the group stage with a match against U16 Myanmar at 3:00 PM on June 28.
Evaluating the opponents, coach Tran Minh Chien commented: “Youth football is unpredictable because the players lack experience. The coaching staff has arranged for the U16 Vietnam team to play against various opponents such as U16 Kon Tum, U16 PVF, and U19 The Cong Viettel. Overall, the players have shown good performance.”
On June 20, U16 Vietnam will travel to Indonesia. Before that, coach Tran Minh Chien will finalize the squad list.
“In football, some will be selected, and some will be left out. We will choose 23 players for the Southeast Asian U16 Championship. Deciding to cut seven players is difficult as their skills are quite similar.
“After discussions and consulting opinions, the coaching staff has also established a preliminary framework,” concluded coach Tran Minh Chien.
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