Vietnam U.23 team upgrades collective strength

Tran Thanh Trung returns to training

On the afternoon of August 31, the U.23 Vietnam team had its second consecutive closed training session in Phu Tho province to prepare for Group C, the qualifying round of the 2026 U.23 Asian Cup. In the context that opponents such as U.23 Bangladesh and U.23 Yemen have both arrived in Vietnam, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team urgently and seriously carried out meticulous preparations to aim for the best results. At Viet Tri Stadium, midfielder Tran Thanh Trung had his first training session with the U.23 Vietnam team, after recovering from an adductor injury a few days earlier. The U.23 Vietnam team doctors carefully examined him and proposed a recovery training regimen for him to return to his best. The training session on the afternoon of August 31 can also be considered the debut of the midfielder who was once in the top 3 best young players in Bulgaria, having played for teams from U.17 to U.21 Bulgaria.

Đội tuyển U.23 Việt Nam nâng cấp sức mạnh tập thể- Ảnh 1. — Xuan Bac (left) will play for U.23 Vietnam at Viet Tri Stadium with the support and pride of the people of Phu Tho province.

Although not tall, the midfielder born in 2005 has good technique and an intelligent vision for playing football. Having both parents Vietnamese and speaking Vietnamese fluently is a great advantage, helping Thanh Trung quickly integrate with his teammates in U.23 Vietnam. Not counting Thanh Trung, coach Kim Sang-sik called up 22/23 names that won the 2025 U.23 Southeast Asian Championship in Indonesia, with a familiar and quality addition, Thanh Nhan. In other words, Viet Tri Stadium will be able to witness a more upgraded version of the U.23 Vietnam team compared to the U.23 Southeast Asian Championship. We don't have much time to prepare, but we are confident in the foundation we have gained from the four-nation tournament in China in March and the U.23 Southeast Asian Championship last July.

For the first time, the homeland has a player wearing the U.23 Vietnam jersey on home ground.

Collective strength

The U.23 Bangladesh team came to Vietnam as an interesting unknown, when the direct confrontation parameters with U.23 Vietnam were almost zero. The most basic information is that this opponent lost all 3 matches in the qualifying round of the 2024 U.23 Asian Cup, respectively against the Philippines (0-1), Thailand (0-3), Malaysia (0-2). However, the U.23 Vietnam coaching staff can refer to the data in the qualifying round of the 2025 U.20 Asian Cup at Lach Tray Stadium in September 2024, when the U.20 Vietnam team defeated U.20 Bangladesh 4-1. The current U.23 Bangladesh squad is made up of the players who held Bahrain to a 0-0 draw, both with 7 points and only ranked below the host team U.20 Bahrain due to a lower goal difference in the 2023 U.20 Asian qualifiers. This opponent is very determined, as coach Saiful Bari Titu has been investing in training since July, training and having 2 friendly matches with U.23 Bahrain (lost 0-1, 2-4). The most notable star of the U.23 Bangladesh team is Cuba Mitchell, who has 3 bloodlines: Bangladesh, England and Jamaica. This player trains at the Birmingham City youth team and regularly plays for the U.18 and U.21 Sunderland teams. The strength and speed of the 1.80 m tall midfielder will be the fulcrum for U.23 Bangladesh to create a surprise against U.23 Vietnam in the opening match at 7:00 p.m. on September 3.

However, the current focus of the U.23 Vietnam team is to find a way to promote collective strength like the way they defeated Southeast Asia last July. It is very interesting that U.23 Vietnam has many faces with different playing personalities, but they are always very compatible, smoothly connecting and supporting each other such as Van Khang, Dinh Bac, Van Truong, Le Viktor, Quoc Viet... Among them, Xuan Bac will attract special attention as the first Phu Tho native to play for the national team in an official tournament at Viet Tri Stadium. The midfielder of PVF-CAND Club is typical of the players who have shown their rise under coach Kim Sang-sik. This humble but talented young man was on par with Hoang Duc in the typical lineup of the first division last season. He took advantage of the opportunity to score points with the U.23 Vietnam "B" team in China, thereby winning a starting position in the U.23 Vietnam team at the 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 tournament. Xuan Bac's desire and pride are also what coach Kim Sang-sik always encourages to help U.23 Vietnam improve and upgrade further.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-tuyen-u23-viet-nam-nang-cap-suc-manh-tap-the-185250831211805326.htm