Myanmar and Vietnam women's soccer teams are the most favorites to triumph in the upcoming 2007 ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Championship women's soccer tournament, local media reported Monday.
Some local media predicted that host Myanmar and the defending champion Vietnam are favored to triumph in the third ASEAN Championship women's soccer tournament to be held at the Thuwunna Youth Training Center here from Sept. 6 to 15, the Weekly Eleven News journal said.
Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam will mainly compete to become champion of the ASEAN Championship, the Myanmar women's team manager Daw Myat Myat Oo was quoted by the journal as saying.
"Our players had enough time to practice and I am pleased and confident to compete in the ASEAN championship," the chief coach of the Myanmar women's soccer team U Aye Kyu Kyi said earlier, adding that the Myanmar women's team is ready to compete for the championship.
National women's soccer teams from eight member countries of the ASEAN -- Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, host Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- will take part in the 2007 ASEAN Championship women's soccer tournament, which will be hosted by Myanmar for the first time.
Host Myanmar women's squad, which is preparing for the upcoming 24th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, is in Group B together with Laos, Singapore and Thailand, while Group A features Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and defending champion Vietnam.
Myanmar had triumphed in the first ASEAN Championship women's soccer tournament in Vietnam in 2004 by defeating hosts in the final with penalty shootouts.
However, Myanmar lost to Vietnam in the final of the soccer tournament of the 23rd SEA Games in Manila, the Philippines, in 2005.
Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the invited Chinese Taipei teams featured in the second ASEAN Championship women's soccer tournament in Vietnam in May 2006. Myanmar lost to Thailand 2-3,
Chinese Taipei 0-3 and host Vietnam 0-1 respectively in the tournament.
Source: Xinhua
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