Viet Nam call up squad for World Cup prelim

Austrian coach Alfred Riedl has called only19 of the possible 22 Vietnamese players to meet the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the 2010 World Cup Preliminary Asian Zone game in the return match on October 28.

Riedl decided to leave three players off the squad list for the World Cup preliminary”s return leg, including goalkeeper Tan Truong, defender Nguyen Thanh Long Giang and midfielder Vo Duy Nam, who played well in the Beijing Olympic qualifiers. They will be rested to prepare for the 24th Southeast Asian Games in Thailand this December.

In the first leg of 2010 World Cup Preliminary Asian Zone game, UAE beat Viet Nam 1-0 at Ha Noi”s My Dinh National Stadium on October 8. However, at the Asian Cup group competition co-hosted by Viet Nam, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia in July, Viet Nam beat UAE 2-0.

The three goalkeepers chosen for the team were Duong Hong Son from Song Lam Nghe An, Bui Quang Huy of Nam Dinh and Da Nang”s Tran Duc Cuong.

The seven defenders included Nguyen Huy Hoang from Song Lam Nghe An, who announced his retirement from the national team two months ago, and Binh Duong”s Vu Nhu Thanh and Huynh Quang Thanh, who was absent in the first leg because of an injury.

Nam Dinh”s defender Phung Van Nhien and Nguyen Tien Dung from Hoa Phat Ha Noi, as well as Binh Duong”s Chau Phong Hoa and Doan Viet Cuong were also named for the 2010 World Cup Preliminary squad for the return leg.

The Austrian coach also recruited Tran Truong Giang, who helped Viet Nam take the bronze medal in the Southeast Asian Football Championship in 2002 and competed in the 2006 World Cup qualifier, along with Nguyen Minh Phuong and Phan Van Tai Em from the Dong Tam Long An team, Khanh Hoa”s Le Tan Tai and Halida Thanh Hoa”s Mai Tien Thanh.

Giang will play alongside his Binh Duong teammate Nguyen Vu Phong, who scored five of nine goals for Viet Nam during the Beijing Olympic qualifiers. The coach believes that, as an experienced big game player, veteran Tran Truong Giang will make the midfield much stronger.

As planned, Viet Nam team will convene today in the National Sports Centre 1 in Ha Noi. The team will fly to Dubai on October 25 to challenge the hosts on October 28.

The 2010 World Cup Qualifiers Asian Zone will see 43 teams competing in six rounds for four berths in the World Cup final in South Africa, and another berth for a play-off game with Oceania

VNS