Coach Mai Duc Chung: 'Lee Nguyen is better than many Vietnamese players'

Lee Nguyen is a quality player. Anyone who watches him play must admit this. Coach Mai Duc Chung is no exception. He said that Lee Nguyen has the ability to play football better than many foreign players:

“At the strength test in the US, Lee Nguyen was the best 5m starter in an examination that included both South American and European players. In football, this is very advantageous for the players.”

The coach of the Vietnamese women's team also said that Lee Nguyen possessed good tactical thinking. He can both create favorable situations for his teammates and both be able to score goals by himself. He is the few overseas Vietnamese players who can play football at a high level.

However, returning to Vietnam at the wrong time could not maximize Lee Nguyen's ability. By the time he returned to his homeland, the V-League had been a place for teams that leaned on strength and took advantage of trickery. Lee Nguyen can not kick his all when always having to think of ways to avoid injury to himself.

However, recent successes have marked the change of V-League. Now, Vietnamese teams know how to play more civilized and professional football.

“Now the players' awareness is much better. They know how to play with their minds and expertise. Lee Nguyen can come back to Vietnam even if he is a bit old,'' said Mr. Chung.

In 2013, after 3 years in HAGL and Becamex Binh Duong, Lee Nguyen decided to return to the United States to play for New England Revolution, Los Angeles FC and now Inter Miami. This time has seen him rise to become one of the leading midfielders in the US. The 34-year-old is also in the 20-player group and has more than 50 goals and 50 assists in the MLS (US league).

Coach Mai Duc Chung believes that Lee Nguyen can still shine if he returns to V-League to play football. “Now Lee Nguyen is still better than many local players. He is well-trained, professional. His playstyle is more about playing, like leaders. He will be a great help if he comes back to play for local clubs,” Chung said.

Lee Nguyen is currently joining Inter Miami Club. He is an important element of the team founded by former player David Beckham. This makes the process of negotiating contracts between him and the HCMC club struggling. However, representatives of HCMC FC are very confident in this deal. Expected results will be announced this week.