9 hours ago
1
By Hieu Luong  March 13, 2025 | 06:47 pm PT
(From L) Roman Angot, Theo Klein, and Victor Ngovinassack play for U22 Laos at the SEA Games 32 in Cambodia. Photo by LFF
Coach Ha Hyeok-jun has called up 28 players, including three of French origin playing in Europe and the U.S., as Laos prepare to face Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup final qualifying round.
One of the standout names in the squad is Roman Angot, 24, who plays for SV Linx in the sixth division of German football. The 1.84-m-tall midfielder has scored four goals and provided two assists in 19 matches this season. His performances earned him a mid-season transfer from Offenburger FV to SV Linx, where his team currently sit second in the league with 43 points, just two behind FC Denzlingen.
Right-back Victor Ngovinassack, also born in 2001, plays for Is-Selongey’s reserve team in France’s sixth division.
Theo Klein, another key player, represents the Ohama Mavericks University in the U.S. At 1.8 m tall, he can play as an attacking midfielder or left forward.
All three previously played for the U22 team of Laos at the SEA Games 32 in Cambodia, but this marks their first national team call-up.
Other notable players include Bounphachan Bounkong, a forward for Cambodian club Svay Rieng, who has 12 goals and seven assists in 31 matches this season. Damoth Thongkhamsavath, who recently joined V. League club Thanh Hoa FC, contributed seven goals and four assists to help Ezra FC win the Lao League 1 title, was also named the player of the season.
Of the 28 players selected, only 15 were part of Laos' squad in the 2024 ASEAN Cup. Ezra FC contribute the most players, with nine representatives in the squad.
Laos will play a friendly match against Sri Lanka on March 20 at home. The team will then travel to Binh Duong Province in southern Vietnam to prepare for their group F opening match in the Asian Cup qualifiers on March 25.
Historically, Vietnam have dominated Laos, with 13 wins and one draw. In their last five encounters, all in the ASEAN Cup group stage, Laos lost by big margins: 0-3 (2014, 2018), 0-2 (2020), 0-6 (2022) and 0-4 (2024).
