VietNamNet Bridge – The national football squad will host a tournament featuring student sides from Myanmar, Turkmenistan and South Korea at the HCM City International Football Tournament from October 1-5.

The national football team drilled at the Thanh Long Sports Centre in HCM City.

The guests are no strangers to the national squad. Turkmenistan defeated Vietnam 2-0 at ASIAD 1998 in Thailand and two matches into the qualifier round of World Cup 1998. Myanmar is also familiar to Vietnam while the South Korean student team took part in the HCM City International Football Tournament 2004 and 2005.

The upcoming event is expected to be a chance for the national squad to test its strength and decide on a formation for the upcoming AFF Cup 2008 in December.

To prepare for the tournament, the national squad gathered at the Ham Rong Sports Centre in Pleiku City from September 9 and recently moved to HCM City.

The four teams will play in a round-robin. The champion will receive the Cup, the Flag and a bonus of $25,000. The second and the third teams will be presented with $15,000 and $10,000 respectively.

The HCM City International Football Tournament began in 1995. The sponsor of this year event is the HCM City Jewelry Corporation (SJC).

Fixtures:

October 1: Turkmenistan – Korean Students; Vietnam – Myanmar

October 3: Myanmar – Turkmenistan; Vietnam – Korean Students

October 5: Korean Students – Myanmar; Vietnam – Turkmenistan

Matches will start at 5pm and 7pm at HCM City-based Thong Nhat Stadium.

(Source: VNE)