Vietnamese women's football is self-reliant amid the storm of naturalized players

STRONGER THANKS TO NATURALIZED PLAYERS

In Group G, the Philippine women's team with many naturalized players is leading with 6 points, after 2 wins. The remaining teams in this group are Hong Kong (4 points), Cambodia (1 point) and Saudi Arabia (0 points), which are rated much lower than the Philippines. If there are no big surprises, the Philippines will beat Hong Kong in the final match on July 5, thus winning a ticket to the Asian finals.

Bóng đá nữ Việt Nam tự lực cánh sinh giữa cơn bão cầu thủ nhập tịch- Ảnh 1. — No naturalized players, but the Vietnamese women's football team is playing very well.

Notably, the Philippine women's team that is participating in the Asian qualifiers has 19 players (out of 23) born outside the Philippines. Most of these players are naturalized from the United States, and they make the Philippine women's team a completely different team.

Meanwhile, in Group D, Indonesia is ranked 3rd after 2 matches with 3 points, equal to the second-placed team Pakistan, 3 points behind the top team Taiwan. In fact, the opportunity to top this group, along with a ticket to the final round, is still there for Indonesia, if they defeat the Taiwanese women's team in the final qualifying match, on July 5.

Indonesia used to be a very weak team. However, they are transforming thanks to a group of naturalized players of Dutch origin. The women's football team of the archipelago country has 6 players born in the Netherlands, 1 born in the US. Most of Indonesia's strength at the moment comes from this group of naturalized players.

In Group B, Thailand is currently joint top of the group with India. These two teams have the same 9 points, the same goal difference, the same number of goals and have not conceded any goals after 3 matches (22-0). The match on July 5 between Thailand and India will decide the ticket to top Group B, and the same ticket to the final round of the 2026 Asian Women's Football Championship.

The Thai women's team has two naturalized players, including goalkeeper Tiffany Sornpao (born in the US, 1.7 m tall, 27 years old, currently playing for Brondy Club, Denmark) and midfielder Rhianne Rush (born in England, currently playing for Rugby Borough Club, England).

Like men's football, Southeast Asian women's football is flooded with naturalized players. This poses a challenge for the Vietnamese women's team in the near future.

Difficulties await the Vietnamese women's team

After the Asian qualifiers, Southeast Asian teams will participate in the regional women's football championship (from August 6 to August 19, in Vietnam) and the 33rd SEA Games in 2025 (early December, in Thailand). The Vietnamese women's team will soon face the naturalized players of the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand. We must soon have a strategy to deal with these teams.

Initially, Coach Mai Duc Chung revealed: "We will strengthen the physical factor, as well as enhance the modern football thinking for the whole team. With teams using naturalized players, playing in the style of European and North American football, maintaining good physical strength will help Vietnamese female players stick to the opponent players better. In addition, in the coming time, the Vietnamese women's team will continue to rejuvenate. Young players will help the whole team improve in terms of stature, physical foundation and modern football thinking. In addition, I will continue to pay attention to overseas. Vietnamese players, finding suitable factors to supplement the Vietnamese women's team."

It can be seen that the path to the Southeast Asian championship and defending the 33rd SEA Games championship this year for the Vietnamese women's team is getting more and more difficult, because the opponents are getting stronger thanks to naturalized players. However, if we prepare in advance and have a plan to neutralize the opponents' strongest points, especially their strengths in physical strength, high balls, and long balls, we will still have a chance to achieve the set goal.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bong-da-nu-viet-nam-tu-luc-canh-sinh-giua-con-bao-cau-thu-nhap-tich-185250703223909142.htm