U.23 blood will help the Vietnamese team 'transform'

The U.23 Vietnam team has a favorable premise in both psychology and skill to compete for a position in the national team.

U.23 Vietnam is getting more and more confident

Southeast Asian football at the U.23 level has gone through 2 turbulent months. U.23 Indonesia finished second in the U.23 Southeast Asian tournament, but missed out on a ticket to the U.23 Asian finals after losing to South Korea and drawing with Laos. U.23 Thailand lost in the semi-finals of the U.23 Southeast Asian tournament, and had to wait until the last minute to secure a ticket to the U.23 Asian tournament. U.23 Philippines, U.23 Singapore and U.23 Myanmar all lost in both the continental and regional competitions.

Despite these changes, U.23 Vietnam remains "as solid as a rock". Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team won the U.23 Southeast Asian Championship with 4 wins, then continued to win 3 more matches to qualify for the U.23 Asia Championship.

U.23 Vietnam (9) is getting stronger with each match

PHOTO: MINH TU

Although the No. 1 seed position allows U.23 Vietnam to be in an easy group, but look at U.23 Indonesia being held to a draw by U.23 Laos, U.23 Iraq and U.23 Oman both failing to beat U.23 Cambodia, or U.23 Thailand struggling to defeat U.23 Malaysia... to see that in the youth playground, the rule "the strong wins, the weak loses" is not necessarily true. To win 7 consecutive matches (5 clean sheets) like U.23 Vietnam, requires a solid and stable playing system and player mentality. Dinh Bac and his teammates have done it, turning difficulties into a bridge to maturity.

U.23 Vietnam not only won the ticket to the 2026 AFC U-23 Championship (equivalent to having at least 3 more group stage matches to experience), but also created a stepping stone to get closer to the level of the Vietnamese team. Under coach Kim Sang-sik, the process of rejuvenating and purifying the team's force is lacking the most important condition to carry out, which is the quality of the next generation. 7 years ago, coach Park Hang-seo's U.23 Vietnam generation, although considered the best generation in history, still needed a transition year to firmly step up to the national team. Mr. Kim's current generation, although having potential and physique, cannot "burn the stage", but needs to progress step by step. Each step, no matter how small, is a step for the players to form a fighting mentality.

BACK TO THE TEAM

The Vietnamese team lost 0-4 to Malaysia (2027 Asian Cup qualifiers) in June with a squad that did not have any U.23 players in the starting lineup. Coach Kim Sang-sik chose the safe option, which was to use experienced players. However, the downside was that the Vietnamese team did not create any breakthroughs and was not different enough to turn the game around. Throughout the match, there were monotonous long passes, and a clearly declining physical foundation against a stronger and younger opponent.

However, after 3 months, the situation with the young generation in the Vietnam team may be different. The first condition is that coach Kim Sang-sik has had a failure as an excuse to truly rejuvenate the team (of course with the right "dose"), so that experts understand that if they keep the old framework, they need to have more... Xuan Son to be able to beat Malaysia or Indonesia. The second condition is that U.23 Vietnam has had 2 more tournaments (although the difficulty is not high) to hone and mature.

The positive signal for Mr. Kim is that young stars such as Trung Kien (HAGL), Ly Duc, Dinh Bac ( Hanoi Police Club), Hieu Minh, Xuan Bac, Thanh Nhan (PVF-CAND), Le Viktor (Ha Tinh) or Ngoc My, Van Thuan, Thai Son (Thanh Hoa) are all being honed in the V-League. Although young players need time to gain a firm foothold, the above names have all formed a reliable vertical axis, capable enough for coach Kim Sang-sik to give them opportunities in the Vietnam national team in the next two training sessions.

Responding to Thanh Nien , Coach Kim Sang-sik said he had a potential list but "cannot reveal it yet". The Korean coach needs at least one more tournament to verify, and looking at the way Mr. Kim uses people, it can be believed that there are already names in the "planning" group for the Vietnamese team.

They are goalkeeper Trung Kien, defenders Ly Duc, Nhat Minh, midfielders Xuan Bac, Thai Son, Van Truong, and striker Dinh Bac. All of them have the ability, the opportunity to play, and the experience proven after 7 matches.

It is not possible to expect the U.23 Vietnam players to immediately become pillars. In the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, the Vietnam team will play 2 matches against Nepal and 1 match against Laos with the goal of getting 9 points, with the spirit of "while there is life, there is hope" to catch up with Malaysia. However, through each training session interspersed with the seniors, along with the minutes on the field that may come if Vietnam takes a deep lead against Laos or Nepal, it will be a gift for the young generation to prove their ability.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dong-mau-u23-se-giup-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-lot-xac-185250910212213761.htm