Ho Chi Minh City Police Club: New "breath of fresh air"

The fact that goalkeeper Patrik Le Giang has become a domestic player, along with the overseas Vietnamese player slot for Ngo Dang Khoa and other high-quality new recruits such as goalkeeper Hoa Xuan Tin, striker Dinh Thanh Binh and defender Mach Ngoc Ha… shows that the Thong Nhat Stadium team is very determined to improve its position in the V-League 2025-2026 standings.

The race for the goalkeeper position

Patrik Lê Giang, born in 1992, has proven his worth in the V-League thanks to his quick reflexes, intelligent situational awareness, and excellent ball-handling skills – which are well-suited to a style of play that builds play from the home half of the field.

Những — Ho Chi Minh City Police FC strengthens its squad significantly, ready to spring surprises in the second phase of the V-League 2025-2026 (Photo: Dinh Vien)

Le Giang's consistent performance has even led many experts to rate him as superior to the two Vietnamese-born goalkeepers who have played for the Vietnamese national team, Nguyen Filip and Dang Van Lam. Patrik played a major role in helping Ho Chi Minh City FC (the predecessor of Ho Chi Minh City Police FC) successfully avoid relegation in the V-League for two consecutive seasons. Patrik's team is currently in the top 5 of this season's V-League and is a contender for the championship.

With a Vietnamese father and influenced by Vietnamese culture from a young age, Le Giang decided to return to his homeland to compete in 2023 with the hope of wearing the national team jersey. Consistently excelling in the V-League, the 33-year-old goalkeeper impressed coach Kim Sang-sik, opening the door to the Vietnamese national team and potentially being called up to prepare for the ASEAN Cup 2026 in July.

Patrik Lê Giang, standing at 1.88m tall, was trained in European football, played in the Czech Republic's national league, and was a member of the Slovakian U19 and U21 national teams. He will soon be competing fiercely for the goalkeeper position in the national team, alongside his colleagues: Nguyễn Filip ( Hanoi Police FC), Đặng Văn Lâm (Ninh Bình FC), and Trần Trung Kiên (Hoàng Anh Gia Lai FC).

Expectations for new factors

From the second phase of the V-League 2025-2026, Le Giang's overseas Vietnamese playing slot will be given to midfielder Ngo Dang Khoa - a player born in 2006 who is considered to have good physical fitness, strong tackling ability, and modern ball distribution vision. The Australian-Vietnamese player will help make the midfield of CA TP HCM more dynamic in organizing attacks and controlling the tempo of the game.

In addition, Ho Chi Minh City Police also recruited many experienced players from the V-League, helping coach Le Huynh Duc build a deeper squad. Dinh Thanh Binh, who received professional training at Hoang Anh Gia Lai Club, is considered a versatile striker with diverse finishing skills and a passionate playing style. His recent consistent performance also earned him a call-up to the Vietnamese national team by coach Kim Sang-sik for the ASEAN Cup 2024. Before joining Ho Chi Minh City Police, the player born in 1998 played for Hoang Anh Gia Lai, The Cong Viettel , Hanoi Police, and Ninh Binh FC.

Mach Ngoc Ha is a product of Hanoi FC. The 25-year-old defender played a crucial role in the promotion of Quang Nam and Ninh Binh clubs to the V-League. Ngoc Ha possesses all-around offensive and defensive capabilities, playing versatilely on the wing. In 2019, Mach Ngoc Ha was promoted to the Hanoi FC first team and played three seasons in the V-League. Despite having good individual technique and excellent physical fitness, Ngoc Ha couldn't compete for a starting spot with more famous teammates at the capital city club at the time, such as Doan Van Hau, Le Van Xuan, and Dao Van Nam. To find more opportunities, Ngoc Ha moved down to the First Division and was consistently recognized in the team of the season.

Upon joining CA TP HCM, Ngoc Ha is expected to help coach Le Huynh Duc solve the personnel problem in the winger position, as Vo Huy Toan, Le Quang Hung, and Tran Manh Cuong… are getting older and cannot maintain high performance with the packed schedule. In addition, the addition of goalkeeper Hoa Xuan Tin is also a quality backup option, with strategic significance as the team has to stretch its resources across multiple fronts.

"Coach Le Huynh Duc's team will face host team PVF-CAND in Round 12 of the V-League 2025-2026 at 6 PM on February 1st (FPT Play). The goal of Ho Chi Minh City Police is to be ready to accelerate and improve their position in the standings."