Japanese Coach Takes Vietnamese Team to China for Competition

Coach Okiyama Masahiko and the Vietnamese U20 Women's Team are Excited Ahead of Training Camp in China.

After more than a week of preparation for the 2026 AFC U20 Women's Asian Cup Final Round, the Vietnamese U20 Women's Team is about to enter the next phase of their training plan with a camp in China. Ahead of the trip, Head Coach Okiyama Masahiko and player Lưu Hoàng Vân shared insights into the team's preparation process.

According to Head Coach Okiyama Masahiko, after about 10 days of training camp, the players are showing excellent training spirit and maintaining high concentration. Assessing the preparation progress, he stated that the coaching staff and the entire team have completed about 30–40% of the planned workload. “The players are improving day by day and demonstrating a very serious training attitude,” Coach Okiyama Masahiko shared.

Commenting on the young players called up from the U19 league, the Japanese coach expressed his satisfaction with their performance and integration. According to him, the young players are performing up to standard, grasping the tactics and team philosophy quite quickly. This creates positive competition within the squad.

“There is very healthy competition within the team for playing spots. The new players are not inferior at all and can understand the team's tactics and philosophy, thereby creating a very good competitive environment,” Coach Okiyama Masahiko stated.

When discussing the upcoming final round opponents, especially physically dominant teams like China, Coach Okiyama Masahiko noted that these are not only teams with height advantages but also possess speed, technique, and good tactics.

Coach Okiyama Masahiko emphasized that the final round will be completely different from the qualifiers, so the Vietnamese U20 Women's Team may need to focus more on defense. The entire team is gradually improving to ensure the best preparation for the upcoming matches.

Regarding the practice match against a youth men's team during training, Coach Okiyama Masahiko said the coaching staff set three main goals: helping players regain match fitness after a long break, familiarizing them with facing taller, stronger opponents, and verifying whether the training content from the past 10 days is effectively applied on the field.

Vietnamese U20 Women's Team Confidently Looks Ahead to the 2026 AFC U20 Women's Asian Cup Final Round

Vietnamese U20 Women's Team Finalizes Additional 'Fresh Troops' Ahead of Asian Cup