HAGL finishing 10th is also a success.

HAGL is ranked 10th in the V.League 1 2025/26 standings after round 25. For the team from the mountainous region, this is a success.

ZNews•02/06/2026

2021 season, ranked 1st.

2022 season, ranked 6th.

In the 2023 and 2023/24 seasons, they finished 10th.

In the 2025/26 season, still finishing 10th out of 14 teams after 25/26 rounds, the season is essentially "closed".

At first glance, it might seem like HAGL is in decline. But for the team from the mountainous region, finishing 10th this season can still be considered a success.

HAGL is now just a collection of many young players, without the leading stars or foreign players of average caliber. Photo: HAGL.

Maintaining your position is a success.

Fans in the mountainous region have probably forgotten the image of HAGL strongly competing for the championship like in the 2021 season or finishing in 6th place like in the 2022 season. Five years ago, before the season was canceled due to Covid-19, coach Kiatisak Senamuang's team led the V.League standings with 29 points, 3 points more than the second-placed team, Viettel (now The Cong-Viettel).

Since the 2023 season, HAGL has no longer been in contention for the championship title, instead focusing on the relegation battle.

This season, coach Le Quang Trai's team has only hovered around 14th and 13th place in the first 10 rounds. In October 2025, after a 0-3 defeat against Hai Phong , many thought HAGL would be relegated, or at least have to play in the play-off match.

In terms of defense, the team from the mountain town is not playing too badly. HAGL's number of goals conceded is currently 34, ranking 7th in the whole league, on par with the top teams in V.League. According to Sofascore , the team owned by Mr. Doan Nguyen Duc is the club with the highest average number of interceptions per match (39). HAGL also has 5 clean sheets, ranking 6th, equal to big teams like Thep Xanh Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh ...

HAGL's weakness lies in their attack. They average 10 shots per game, ranking 9th in the league. However, coach Le Quang Trai's team has only scored a meager 23 goals, the same as bottom-placed PVF-CAND, and only slightly more than Hong Linh Ha Tinh (15 goals).

A team that once prided itself on its elegant, possession-based attacking style has now fallen to such a low point. The reason lies in the transfer market. Over the past four years, HAGL has witnessed the biggest exodus in the club's history. From A-list stars like Cong Phuong, Xuan Truong, and Tuan Anh to the lesser-known players like Chau Ngoc Quang and Trieu Viet Hung, HAGL has parted ways with almost the entire first and second batches of players from the former HAGL JMG Academy.

With a squad value ranking only 13th out of 14 in the V.League, HAGL's 10th place finish is already a great success. Graphic: Transfermarkt.

Tran Minh Vuong, the domestic player with the highest score from Sofascore, also had the highest number of key passes (average 1.2 key passes per match) for HAGL in V.League 2024/25, and is now a player of Truong Tuoi Dong Nai. Chau Ngoc Quang and Tran Bao Toan, the two leading players in the list of the number of direct contributions to goals (8) and the list of successful dribbles per match (1.6 and 2.1 respectively), have moved to Ninh Binh. If we don't consider foreign players; Minh Vuong, Ngoc Quang and Bao Toan are the three pieces that possess the best creative ability and breakthroughs for HAGL last season.

Regarding ball distribution, the two best domestic passers in the team, Dung Quang Nho (29.2 accurate passes per game, of which 2.9 were long passes) and Le Van Son (26.8 and 2.3 respectively), have also found new teams. Quang Nho is currently playing for Ninh Binh, while Truong Tuoi Dong Nai is Van Son's current club.

On the defensive front, Pham Ly Duc, the domestic player with the highest number of clearances per match for HAGL last season (2.5), is currently playing for PVF-CAND, the opponent of the mountain town team in this season's relegation battle.

Regarding foreign players, during the mid-season transfer window, HAGL was forced to part ways with midfielder Khevin Fraga. According to Soccerway, since joining the team owned by Mr. Duc at the beginning of the season, the new number 8 player only played 5 matches before leaving the team due to a ligament injury. Before that, at the end of the 2024/25 season, HAGL also said goodbye to Washington Brandao, the team's top scorer with 6 goals.

Currently, HAGL ranks second to last in terms of squad value in the V.League 2025/26. The Pleiku-based team is valued at €2.2 million by Transfermarkt, only higher than Dong A Thanh Hoa (€2 million). Given the current personnel changes and internal strength, HAGL's survival in the V.League would already be a success.

What can we expect from HAGL in the V.League 2026/27 season?

If we only consider domestic players, HAGL's core squad this season consists of players aged 26 and under. These include goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien (born in 2003); defenders Dinh Quang Kiet (2007), Phan Du Hoc (2001), Nguyen Thanh Nhan (2000), Vo Phuoc Bao (2004); and midfielder Hoang Vinh Nguyen (2002).

On the bench, coach Le Quang Trai also has a rising star who hasn't yet taken his high school graduation exams like Quang Kiet: Vietnam U19 national team player Tran Gia Bao. The 2008-born player made his mark by contributing to two of the three goals in the 3-1 victory against Hanoi on May 31st. This was a priceless win, directly helping HAGL avoid relegation.

According to Transfermarkt, HAGL also has the youngest average age in V.League 2025/26 (24.4), as young as the first HAGL team when they debuted in 2015. Young players have enthusiasm and desire but always need time to adapt.

But time is not something that waits for them in the V.League, this season and probably next season as well.