Tran Tien
Football Tribe Vietnam
Vietnam
Strengths – The team has a lot of players who starred in the AFC U19 Championship 2018, so they know each other very well. Given their familiarity, the team will connect easily on the field, which may give them the edge in this tournament.
Weaknesses – Three negative points have arisen from Vietnam’s preparation for this tournament. Firstly, this is not the strongest U22 side available, as almost 10 eligible players featured in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup for NT will be absent. Second, the team just gathered 20 days before the tournament so it will be hard to force them to play smoothly in this tournament. Finally, a lot of players sustained minor injuries before going to Cambodia, but the coach will be forced to field them due to the absence of other possible choices.
Player to Watch – Luong Hoang Nam
Philippines
Strengths – Despite lagging behind some of the other nations in South-East Asia, youth football in the country would have been given a boost by the Philippines’ recent showing at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, which may have served to captivate interest in the sport across the country. While it may be too soon for this to take effect, this young side can go into the tournament with confidence after the Azkal’s previous exploits.
Weaknesses – Rather bluntly, the quality of this team is simply unlikely to measure up to Vietnam or some of the other major South-East Asian nations. This young team suffers from a lack of preparation time, and most of the players are university students
Player to Watch – Dylan de Bruycker