What factors led the FSOFT football team to the United Kingdom and the training session at the Liverpool Football Academy?
“Keeping our feet firmly on the ground, a passionate heart, a cool head, and a burning desire to win in every cell” is one of the many factors that contributed to FSOFT’s thrilling plays during the Standard Chartered tournament, which took place in Ho Chi Minh City recently.
Let’s join Cucumber in unveiling the factors that led to FSOFT’s victory through the lens of the team members themselves.
Proactively understanding the pitch, understanding the opponent
In preparation for the National Final of the Standard Chartered Cup 2024, the FSOFT team flew to Ho Chi Minh City a day early and spent time practicing with the FSOFT HCM team on the exact pitch where the match would be held. This proactive approach allowed the team to familiarize themselves with the field, arrange the lineup, and devise appropriate tactics. “The players got used to the pitch, the weather and thoroughly analyzed the opponent’s strengths and weaknesses,” said FSOFT team member Vu Ngoc Cuong (FHN.GEN).
Tran Viet Thang, a striker from GHC, also noted that continuous meetings before the match helped the members gain a lot of insight. “Each member proactively voiced their opinions, and together with the coaching staff, we analyzed to find the most suitable playing style”, Mr. Thang said.
Before the match, Le Thanh Nhan (FHN.BOD), the coach of the FSOFT team, observed that BMT was still a strong contender for the 2024 Championship. He spent the entire Saturday (August 24) watching the Southern region’s semifinal matches to understand and grasp the situation of the opponents. “As predicted, BMT was stronger this year than last, and they won the Southern region. This match will be extremely tough; FSOFT needs a special strategy”, Mr. Nhan emphasized.
Counter-attacking strategy
According to Nhan, the opponent was accustomed to playing on a 5-a-side pitch, while FSOFT’s main force in Hanoi usually played 7-a-side, so the team agreed on a counter-attacking strategy. This practical application of the Catenaccio football philosophy ensured that the players could defend well while also being able to launch attacks.
In the Standard Chartered 2024 tournament, FSOFT scored in the 16th second, temporarily leading the opponent 1-0. The goal showcased the effectiveness of their strategy and boosted the software warriors’ confidence in the outcome of the match. “A bit of luck came to FSOFT when the ball hit our goalposts twice”, Mr. Nhan said.
One of the highlights of FSOFT in this match was their solid defense. The FSOFT team did not concede a single goal. With “cool heads”, even with a one-goal lead, FSOFT’s strikers remained vigilant and composed under the pressure from BMT, especially when they played Power Play in the last three minutes of the match. This “steel” will on the pitch helped FSOFT score the second goal, raising the score to 2-0 and securing the overall victory.
The ONE TEAM spirit, “Reckless” and “Moving forward despite the unknown”
Nhan asserted that one of the distinct FSOFT traits in this tournament was the “Reckless” and “Go ahead even if you don’t know” spirit. FSOFT was the last team invited to join the tournament, thanks to the connection of SEVP Nguyen Khai Hoan, Chairman of the FSOFT Football Federation.
Initially, the team was somewhat hesitant due to the unfamiliar format and the presence of many renowned companies. However, driven by the fierce desire to win and the wish to spread FSOFT’s image to the business community, the software warriors overcame 24 opponents in the Northern region, made it to the National Final against the Southern region’s champion, and claimed the title.
This spirit was forged based on unity, ONE TEAM, and shared goals and ideals. “Striker” Vu Ngoc Cuong (FHN.GEN) shared: “The FSOFT team members have been playing together for 3-4 years now, forming a cohesive and well-coordinated team”. Each player entered the match with the mindset that “this is the most important match for FSOFT”, an opportunity to spread FPT/FSOFT culture and realize the dream of reaching Anfield, participating in a professional training session at the Liverpool Football Academy. Therefore, the spirit was ablaze, and the coordination became more harmonious, fluid, and unified.
Serious in training and practice
The “root” of these factors stems from the training and nurturing of a young football generation.
The FSOFT players who took to the field in the Standard Chartered 2024 match were former students of FPT University and the Posts and Telecommunications Institute of Technology, who had been trained through the national student Futsal tournaments. Thus, despite facing an unfamiliar format, the team quickly adapted to the match.
Furthermore, the vibrant football culture at FSOFT over 25 years of establishment and development, with prominent tournaments like Thu Dong, FPT Cup, F-Ville Championship, Tu Hung, etc., has fostered the vigor of the King of Sports.
Recently, with the orientation towards professionalizing football at the company, the FSOFT Football Federation was officially established with the mission of building and training a strong, professional football team based on rigorous, systematic criteria, befitting a World-Class level.
These are some of the factors that contributed to the FSOFT team’s victory in the Standard Chartered 2024, laying the foundation for the software warriors to step into larger-scale tournaments. This success has made FSOFT the only representative of Vietnam to travel to the United Kingdom, where they will witness a live official match of Liverpool FC at Anfield Stadium—one of the most historic and largest stadiums in the “Land of Fog”. Additionally, the entire team will participate in a professional training session led by legends at the Liverpool Football Academy.
“The team members are eager to bring the FSOFT flag to Anfield and get signatures from Liverpool players on the flag as a memento for the FSOFT Football Federation and all FSOFTers who love the King of Sports”, revealed team member Nguyen Thanh Luan (FHN.GIS).
