Cong Phuong and the day he returns to the Vietnam national team

Coach Kim Sang Sik has called up 23 players to join the Vietnam national team. In this list, striker Cong Phuong is the name that has received much attention. Cong Phuong will make a comeback in the national team after nearly two years.

The last time he participated was in a friendly match against Palestine in September 2023. At that time, the Vietnamese team was led by coach Troussier. And although Cong Phuong scored in that friendly match, he was still absent from the next training session. The lack of opportunities to play at Yokohama FC is the reason why Cong Phuong did not have the opportunity.

Cong Phuong returns to the Vietnam national team. Photo: VFF

In September 2024, striker Nguyen Cong Phuong left Japan and returned to play for Binh Phuoc club in the 2024-2025 National First Division. This decision brought many surprises to experts. However, there are also opinions that Cong Phuong's appearance with many other stars in the First Division will bring a boost. A playground where Cong Phuong himself will also have more opportunities.

However, the fact that the National First Division will start in the second half of October 2024 means that Cong Phuong will not have many opportunities to show his ability. This also causes him to lose the chance to join the Vietnam national team to prepare for the ASEAN Cup 2024. That is the tournament in which the Vietnam national team, under the leadership of coach Kim Sang Sik, won the championship with the great mark of naturalized striker Nguyen Xuan Son.

As for Cong Phuong, he had an impressive start in Binh Phuoc's shirt. Experts also made many comments that Cong Phuong could return to the Vietnam national team in early 2025 to participate in the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup. In the context of Xuan Son's long-term injury, there are not many outstanding strikers in the V.League, the possibility of Cong Phuong's return is open. However, the list selected by Mr. Kim Sang Sik did not include Cong Phuong's name.

And in the two matches during the FIFA Days in March, the Vietnamese team met Cambodia (friendly) and Laos (opening match of the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup), the strikers did not meet expectations. No striker scored. In the match against Cambodia, the two players who scored were Hai Long and Van Vi. In the match against Laos, the Vietnamese team won 5-0 with goals from Ngoc Quang, Van Vi, Hai Long, Quang Hai.

This forces Mr. Kim Sang Sik to calculate for the next training session of the Vietnamese team. Especially in June, the opponent of the Vietnamese team is Malaysia. That is the team that is also competing for the top spot. When Xuan Son cannot return, Van Toan is absent, choosing Cong Phuong is also the solution at this time.

Recently, Cong Phuong has not played very impressively. However, he is still the leading scorer in the 2024-2025 National First Division with 7 goals for Binh Phuoc Club.

According to the plan, the Vietnam team will gather again in Hanoi on May 29, with all the players called up, including members of the Hanoi Police. Despite the schedule of the 20th round of V.League on June 3, the club is still committed to giving the best force to the national team, demonstrating the spirit of unity towards the common goal, contributing to helping the team achieve the best results in the upcoming important match in the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup.

It is expected that on June 6, coach Kim Sang Sik and his team will travel to Malaysia and have three more days of training, getting used to the weather and field conditions before entering the match against host Malaysia at Bukit Jalil Stadium, Kuala Lumpur. This match is of "pivotal" significance in the race for the top spot in Group F, which means a ticket to the 2027 Asian Cup Finals.

New overseas Vietnamese player in U22 Vietnam

​​​The Vietnam U22 team continues to receive support from the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) to gather at the same time as the Vietnam national team during FIFA Days next June.

Among the 26 players, there are typical names such as goalkeeper Hoa Xuan Tin, Cao Van Binh, defender Ho Van Cuong, Nguyen Duc Anh, midfielder Dinh Xuan Tien, Nguyen Van Truong, striker Nguyen Quoc Viet, Nguyen Thanh Nhan... Notably, this gathering recorded the first participation of Vietnamese-American striker Bui Alex, a player currently playing for the B team Bohemians Praha 1905 in the Third Division of the Czech Republic.

Bui Alex was born in 2005 in Prague (Czech Republic), is 1m78 tall, and plays versatilely as an attacking midfielder, winger and striker. This player is considered to have good technique, speed, ball control and passing ability, and effective finishing with both feet. He has been a key striker for many years in the Czech youth teams and has scored 2 goals in the Third Division in 2025. Adding a new player like Bui Alex will help increase the depth of the squad, while affirming the strategy of proactively integrating and finding quality overseas Vietnamese players for Vietnamese football.

According to the plan, during this training session, the U22 Vietnam team will continue to practice at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center to strengthen their playing style, perfect their squad, and prepare for important upcoming goals. This is also a plan that the VFF has implemented very early for the U22 Vietnam team, with a methodical and synchronized roadmap with the national team during the FIFA Days. ( HH )

Source: https://cand.com.vn/the-thao/cong-phuong-va-ngay-tro-lai-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-i769348/