US media highlight Vietnamese women’s football team
VOV.VN - Just Women's Sports, an online newspaper based in the United States, has released an article about the Vietnamese women’s football team, with details about coach Mai Duc Chung and key player Huynh Nhu, ahead of their first Women’s World Cup appearance.
According to the media outlet, Vietnam could be a tricky team for the US to face in their opening match, as seen by the squad’s narrow 2-1 loss to Germany in June. Vietnam followed that up with a 2-0 loss to New Zealand, which ended the Football Ferns’ 10-match winless streak.
The team next faces Spain on July 13 before beginning their World Cup journey against the US.
Vietnam’s attacking power was on full display against Germany. Elsewhere, in a 2-0 win over Myanmar in the Southeast Asian Games final, the Vietnamese players consistently pulled apart the opposition’s defence. While the US’s defence may be more formidable, it is also young.
Even a seemingly small mistake could put Vietnam in a position to get on the scoresheet, the article wrote. The fact that Vietnam are unknown to the US, with the two teams never having played each other before, could work in the underdog’s favor. Plus, Vietnam has played nine matches together before the World Cup begins.
In contrast, the US has played eight matches this year. But with a roster change due to injury, the US from January looks decidedly different than the one playing in July. Cohesiveness for the US is not a new concern, although Vietnam still could take advantage of this.
Just Women's Sports also mentioned Huynh Nhu, the all-time leading scorer and captain for Vietnam, and Thanh Nha, who scored against Germany, both of whom were named among FIFA’s ones to watch this summer.
The article introduces readers to Mai Duc Chung, a former player who has had several stints as manager of the Vietnam women’s team, the first back in 1997, when he served as the squad’s first coach. He started his current stint in 2016, coaching the team to four Southeast Asian Games gold medals since.
He also led the team to a quarterfinal finish at the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, which helped Vietnam clinch a spot in the 2023 World Cup.
At the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Vietnam have been named in Group E and will face defending champions the US on July 22, Portugal on July 27, and 2019 runners-up Netherlands on August 1.
