A CHALLENGE FOR YOUR COURAGE
In order for U.23 Vietnam to have the best preparation for SEA Games 33, V-League is temporarily suspended to help clubs release players for coach Kim SaTng-sik. The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) created conditions for U.23 Vietnam to play friendly matches with strong teams such as U.23 China, South Korea, Uzbekistan in the CFA China Team 2025 friendly tournament. Hanoi Police Club (CAHN), the team that still has to compete in the Southeast Asia Cup C1 with Buriram United on December 3, is ready to give up Dinh Bac, Minh Phuc and Ly Duc. Instead of gathering late on December 4, the 3 young talents were allowed by their home club to gather earlier, in time for the opening match against U.23 Laos on December 3 - according to the latest schedule from the Organizing Committee after U.23 Cambodia asked to withdraw.
Captain Van Khang (right) and vice captain Dinh Bac and U.23 Vietnam are eager to conquer SEA Games 33.
PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG
It is known that Dinh Bac is the player who proactively expressed his wish to Coach Polking of CAHN Club. With the desire to contribute to U.23 Vietnam, he received a nod from Coach Polking. The Brazilian coach also shared with Thanh Nien reporter: "I understand that wearing the national team jersey at any level is always the greatest honor for every player, and my students all want to fight with all their might for the flag and shirt. Therefore, I agree."
All of that points to one fact, the U.23 Vietnam team in particular and Vietnamese football in general are eager to win the SEA Games 33 gold medal. Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team won the 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 Championship, winning a ticket to the 2026 Asian U.23 Finals, but it would be even more wonderful if the SEA Games 33 gold medal was added to the list of achievements. Coach Kim also admitted that he and the U.23 Vietnam team are a bit nervous before the big campaign, and he likes that feeling. SEA Games 33 will become a heavy test for the ability to overcome pressure of young players and of course for the coach himself who has experienced many ups and downs in his career.
LESSONS FROM MR . P ARK
Since winning the 2008 AFF Cup under coach Calisto, the Vietnamese team has not had good results. 10 years later, the "Golden Star Warriors" once again stood at the top of Southeast Asia. At that time, coach Park Hang-seo took advantage of the squad that had just won the 2018 U.23 Asian Cup runner-up, combined with some players from the previous generation such as Que Ngoc Hai, Nguyen Trong Hoang, Nguyen Anh Duc... to create a new cycle of success. In addition to winning the 2018 AFF Cup, the Vietnamese team also reached the quarter-finals of the 2019 Asian Cup, and entered the third qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup...
B AN STAFF U .23 VIETNAM HAS 2 PEOPLE
On the afternoon of November 29, U.23 Vietnam announced the new captain, midfielder Van Khang. Meanwhile, striker Dinh Bac unexpectedly became the vice-captain, instead of center-back Hieu Minh like in previous tournaments.
Now, coach Kim Sang-sik and his students at U.23 Vietnam are standing on the threshold to enter a similar cycle of success. If they win the SEA Games 33 gold medal, U.23 Vietnam will have great motivation to thrive. Former player Nguyen Tuan Phong shared with Thanh Nien reporter: "Right after SEA Games 33, the U.23 Vietnam team will enter the U.23 Asian Cup. Therefore, if they play well during this period, the players will be given more confidence and inspiration to develop further. From there, coach Kim Sang-sik has more options to renew the Vietnam team, which is very necessary. I think "changing the blood" of the team is reasonable. Many U.23 players such as Vi Hao, Van Khang, Thanh Nhan, Hieu Minh... are capable of playing in the Vietnam team. Mr. Kim can consider making changes in some positions where the Vietnam team is still weak".
The Vietnamese team is showing some signs of instability. We failed in the second qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup and have not had convincing performances in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying round. When the Vietnamese team won the 2024 AFF Cup, many people said that coach Kim Sang-sik was lucky to have such an excellent Xuan Son. Now is the right time for the Korean coach to assert his talent by conquering new achievements, based on the foundation of the current U.23 players.
The 33rd SEA Games gold medal is not just a simple achievement, but also an important factor to move towards a new cycle of success for Vietnamese football. If they conquer the peak of the SEA Games, the U.23 players will have a "passport" to confidently step into the Vietnamese national team. At that time, Coach Kim Sang-sik also proved that the trust in him was worthy. A new horizon is opening for Vietnamese football, but the prerequisite to step through that door is the courage to win at the regional sports festival.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chan-troi-moi-doi-u23-viet-nam-185251129221404684.htm
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