Binh Duong to host Nam Dinh in Super-Izzi opener
Defending V-League champions Becamex Binh Duong are set for a tough season opener this Friday when they face Dam Phu My Nam Dinh for the Super – Izzi…
Playing at the Super Cup is a first for both teams and they have a lot to prove this season.
Nam Dinh, who won the National Championship in 1985 and finished second twice in 2001 and 2004, have refreshed their line-up for the competition, with youngsters Vo Danh Ngoc, Nguyen Nhat Nam and Viet Dung as well as foreign players Samuel Abutu, Philip Onyeka Oroko and Kone Mousa Saib.
The northern team will be up against Binh Duong”s star-studded squad under the coaching of Le Thuy Hai, including national team members Tran Truong Giang, Vu Nhu Thanh and Nguyen Anh Duc. Formidable midfielder Nguyen Vu Phong, who scored five of eight goals for Viet Nam during the Beijing Olympic qualifiers, is also set for action.
Binh Duong will also put South African Philani on the field as well as Brazilian Kesley Alves and De Lima, who helped the team win the championship four weeks before the season ended.
Super rewards
There”s super motivation to win the cup. Victors get to take home a VND150 million (US$9,300) cash prize and second place finishers pocket VND70 million ($4,300).
The Cong won the first Super Cup in 1999. Pjico Song Lam Nghe An snatched the titles in 2000, 2001, and 2002. They were finally beaten by Hoang Anh-Gia Lai, who held the title for the next two years.
Hai Phong clinched the title in 2005.
Last year, Dong Tam Long An beat Hoa Phat Ha Noi 2-0 to take the cup at Long An Stadium.
The event is hosted by the Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper and the Viet Nam Football Federation and sponsored by the Ha Noi Milk Stock company.
VNS
