List of U22 Vietnam attending SEA Games 33: Who did coach Kim Sang Sik choose?

thought harsh

U22 Vietnam is entering the decisive phase before SEA Games 33 with a list of 28 players in the final training session. According to the regulations, coach Kim Sang Sik is forced to reduce the list to 23 people, meaning that 5 players will have to leave the team right before the G-hour.

It is noteworthy that even the group of players considered to have received "survival tickets" - including Tran Thanh Trung, Le Phat and Nguyen Duc Viet - are not inferior to the players who participated with coach Kim Sang Sik in the most recent tournaments.

With a large number of personnel on all lines, it feels like the competition for tickets to Thailand with U22 Vietnam is extremely "fierce", and almost everyone has a chance if they perform well in the coming days.

Tran Thanh Trung is trying to find a place to attend SEA Games 33.

But Mr. Kim Sang Sik had a plan.

In fact, that “harshness” is only on the surface. Because looking more closely, we can see that coach Kim Sang Sik is not as confused as many people think. Because the Korean captain has clear calculations based on the criteria of stability, maturity and suitability with his football philosophy.

This is not only the case in the U22 team but also in the Vietnam national team. That means, coach Kim Sang Sik always puts safety first.

But it seems that coach Kim Sang Sik has a framework, and only changes when there are injury problems.

A typical example is at the Panda Cup 2025, the name that many people expected to be a young central defender with an ideal physique from HAGL, Dinh Quang Kiet, was tested, but in the end had to sit out for all 3 matches (along with goalkeeper Nguyen Tan).

Or coach Kim Sang Sik almost carried the entire squad from the U23 Southeast Asian tournament to the U23 Asian qualifiers until now, enough to show that the Korean coach has complete confidence in the players who have been with him for the past year.

From the safety of Mr. Kim Sang Sik, the opportunity for players like Tran Thanh Trung, Le Phat, Duc Viet, and even Nguyen Thai Quoc Cuong - who played very well when he was put on the field at Panda Cup, is standing before the narrow door to have his name named to participate in the SEA Games.

The final list may still change at the last minute, but it is clear that the Korean strategist has almost completely shaped the framework for SEA Games 33 with old players, who are safer and not necessarily too outstanding in terms of expertise.

So now, let's wait and see who will be able to convince coach Kim Sang Sik and force the Korean coach to give us a ticket to SEA Games 33.