V-League 2006

The V-League defending champion, Gach Dong Tam Long An (GDT-LA) is considered the favourite for the V-League tournament, which will kick off this Sunday despite their 2-1 loss against Mitsustar Haier Hai Phong in the Super Cup match last week.
 

“The coming season will be very difficult for us when all of the teams want to beat us, but we are not worried. We consider it an honour,” said Portuguese Henrique Calisto, technical director of the team.

 

The team has almost no change in their line-up but they are trying to build a team of equal skill levels in all positions.

 

The team will have some changes. Although the replacements are young, they are very talented.

 

Da Nang, Binh Duong and Hoang Anh Gia Lai are teams who may be able to take on the champions for the title; they placed at second, third and fourth places, respectively, after GDT-LA last year.

 

Their sacked coach Le Thuy Hai was replaced by Tran Vu who has asked for the return of defender Pham Hung Dung, who was recently moved to Hoang Anh Gia Lai.

 

However, the team still has the ability to compete for top place, proving themselves with the two wins they pocketed in the National Cup, earlier this month.

 

Pjico Song Lam Nghe An (SLNA) is viewed as a team in danger having lost almost all of their best players in the midfield to the national football scandal, leaving a big hole in the line-up.

 

The former champions are not as strong as they used to be, even though Nghe An traditionally produces some of the best footballers in the whole country.

 

They have a great system of training young players and many national football stars, such as Van Sy Hung, Van SyThuy and Le Cong Vinh, grew up there.

 

Khatoco Khanh Hoa returned to the V-League after their triumph in the First Division, but will have to work hard among more intense competition.

 

Their line-up is almost entirely local and learned using their own training systems.

 

New coach Nguyen Ngoc Hao and five players recruited from Nam Dinh will help them fill their team line up.

 

Another team from the central region Pisico Binh Dinh is also facing a fight against relegation. They were at the SOS position in the ranking table last year and there is no change in formulation for the new season.

For Sunday”s match, Binh Dinh will have midfielder Luong Trung Tuan back after completing his suspension and Truong Viet Hoang from First Division”s The Cong-Viettel.

 

(VNS)