A debate has begun over the plan to send under-19 players from the Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) – Arsenal JMG Academy, who are semi-professional, to the 17th ASEAN University Games next month in Indonesia.

According to the Games’ regulations, nine of the HAGL players are eligible to compete in the student tournament in Palembang from December 9 to 19 because they are currently students at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Physical Education and Sports.
But the question is if Vietnam even needs a win at the event with those players, who have been training with one another since the age of 12 and were silver medalists at the 2013 Southeast Asian U-19 Championship in Indonesia, the 2014 under-22 Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy in Brunei, and the 2014 AFF Nutifood U-19 Cup in Hanoi.
Furthermore, the price for such a victory might be their possible subjection to injuries and overload in competition.
Ngu Duy Anh, head of the Student Affairs Department under the Ministry of Education and Training, was quoted by Thanh Nien newspaper as saying that, “We decided to assign the University of Physical Education and Sports to set up a football team to play in the tournament in Indonesia.
“The school selected Cong Phuong, Tuan Anh, and other players from the HAGL academy to join the team,” Anh said.
“We reminded the school to consider whether the players may become too fatigued to play the event.
“However, all the U-19 HAGL players have said they wish to be allowed to take part.”
The HAGL players have played many games in recent tournaments so many are worried they may feel exhausted in the coming competition.
Professor and Doctor Huynh Trong Khai, president of the university, promised that, “We will create chances for the players to follow academic programs and exams so that they aren’t affected by their participation in the event.”
Vietnam hopes to advance to the 2015 World University Games in South Korea where Japanese and South Korean teams, including professional players, will also compete, Thanh Nien cited Khai as saying.
French coach Guillaume Graechen of the Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) – Arsenal JMG Academy, who has trained the under-19 players for many years, supported the idea by telling the newspaper that, “I don’t think the players will become overloaded with the student tournament.
“It would be worrying if the players went a month without competing.”
Others argue that there will not be genuine pride if the HAGL players win the student tournament because they excel in football knowledge and practice.
Tran Huu Nghia, chairman of the Vietnam Football Supporters (VFS) association, told Thanh Nien, “The U-19 HAGL players have competed in over 40 matches this year, a record for young players, so they need time to rest.
“It will not be a good idea to send professional footballers to compete with students.”
One of Vietnam’s richest tycoons, 52-year-old Doan Nguyen Duc, spent US$4 million founding the Arsenal-supported football academy in 2007.
He then sent scouts across the country to find gifted kids to train at his Hoang Anh Gia Lai – Arsenal JMG Academy, located in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai.
The current under-19 HAGL players are the first batch of the academy’s training program.

Source Tuoitre

Lee Nguyen is now grabbing the attention of the media in Vietnam, where his short-lived journey had an unhappy ending, following his hogging the limelight in Major League Soccer (MLS) with his Player of the Month award.

New England Revolution midfielder Lee Nguyen (24) dribbles the ball as Montreal Impact forward Andres Romero (15) chases during the second half at Stade Saputo in Montreal, Quebec Oct 11, 2014.

The New England Revolution midfielder took home the Etihad Airways MLS Player of the Month award for October – the final month of the season – after having a league-high nine game-winning goals this year, according to the MLS website.
The 2014 MLS regular season, running from March, ended on Sunday. Ten teams will compete in the postseason MLS Cup Playoffs in November and December, culminating in the championship game, the MLS Cup.
The 28-year-old, who holds dual citizenship in the U.S. and Vietnam, netted five goals last month alone, and a total of 18 during the season, which is fourth most in the MLS and the most ever by a pure midfielder in the U.S.’s highest-level football (soccer) league.
The award is the icing on the cake as Nguyen has been called up by the U.S. national team to prepare for two friendly games against Colombia and Ireland this month.
In Vietnam, the media are wondering why he just could not perform as impressively when playing in V-League, Vietnam’s top-flight league whose quality is undoubtedly far behind the MLS, as he has been doing in the American tourney.
The midfielder, whose Vietnamese name is Nguyen The Anh, made his professional debut for PSV Eindhoven in 2006, before moving to V-league side Hoang Anh Gia Lai on January 18, 2009.

Lee Nguyen (R) presents his Hoang Anh Gia Lai jersey with the club’s owner Doan Nguyen Duc on January 11, 2009. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Nguyen had 24 appearances in all competitions with the Vietnamese club in 2009, scoring 13 goals and adding 16 assists, according to his profile on the MLS website.
After a season with Hoang Anh Gia Lai, Nguyen trained with Arsenal in England in January 2010, and ended up signing a new deal with V-League’s Becamex Binh Duong FC the same month.
Nguyen only made 15 appearances in one and a half years, scoring a mere two goals, with Becamex Binh Duong before ending his journey in Vietnam in June 2011, having repeatedly suffered from injuries.

Mot The Gioi (One World), a Vietnamese-language newswire, reported on October 4 that Nguyen did not succeed at Hoang Anh Gia Lai because he was in conflict with the team’s then head coach, Thai legendary striker Kiatisak Senamuang.
The newswire quoted Nguyen’s father, Nguyen Pham – who lived with his son for six months at the club’s headquarters in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai in 2009 – as saying that the coach had been asking other players, especially the Thais, to isolate the Vietnamese-American player.
Phap Luat Thanh Pho (Ho Chi Minh City Law) newspaper published a picture with satirical captions in its Saturday issue, mockingly citing three reasons behind Nguyen’s unsuccessful career in Vietnam.
The captions say Nguyen was ‘boycotted,’ while his teammates refused to make assists for him, because he was paid extremely high salaries. He also became less professional after quickly adapting to the lifestyle of his Vietnamese fellows, who frequent clubs and beer gardens, the captions mock.
Finally, Nguyen also ‘learned’ from his local teammates to appear unmotivated as he would always be selected for the main formation, according to the captions.

Source Tuoitre