Gong Oh-kyun picks 25 players for Asian U23 tournament

Gong Oh-kyun, new coach of Vietnam’s U23 football team, has announced the list of 25 players for the 2022 U23 Asian Cup, scheduled to take place from June 1-19 in Uzbekistan.

Gong Oh-kyun takes the helm of Vietnam’s U23 team from Park Hang-seo after the conclusion of SEA Games 31.
Gong Oh-kyun takes the helm of Vietnam’s U23 team from Park Hang-seo after the conclusion of SEA Games 31.

More than half of those on the list have just won a SEA Games gold medal under Park Hang-seo, including key players such as goalkeeper Van Toan, defenders Viet Anh and Thanh Binh, midfielders Ly Cong Hoang Anh and Le Van Do, and forwards Nguyen Van Tung and Nham Manh Dung.

The remaining players have also been highly rated by Gong in the recent training period in Hanoi, promising to give a fresh wind to Vietnam’s U23 squad.

The team are expected to gather on May 24 afternoon and then board a flight to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for training, during which Vietnam are expected to have a friendly match against the UAE on May 28.

One day later, the team will travel to Uzbekistan for the U23 Asian tournament.

Vietnam are in Group C along with the Republic of Korea, Thailand and Malaysia.

Gong’s players are scheduled to face Thailand in their opening match on June 2 before meeting the Koreans on June 5 and Malaysia three days later.