Coach Kim Sang-sik calls Tran Thanh Trung for SEA Games 33

On November 21, coach Kim Sang-sik announced the list of 28 players for the final training session towards the 33rd SEA Games, in which overseas Vietnamese Tran Thanh Trung is one of the 3 additional players called up.

Tran Thanh Trung was added to the 33rd SEA Games. Photo: Ninh Binh FC .

In addition to maintaining the same framework that has been built over the past year, U22 Vietnam also added familiar elements such as Nguyen Le Phat, Tran Thanh Trung and Nguyen Duc Viet. These are all players who have appeared in recent training sessions, understand how to operate tactics and integrate well with the team's playing style. This addition helps U22 Vietnam maintain the depth of its force in the context of the tournament approaching very soon.

Since the beginning of the journey to prepare for the SEA Games and further the 2026 AFC U23 Championship, U22 Vietnam has always been maintained by a core group of players with a wealth of experience. They have been continuously trained through official international tournaments and most recently, facing top Asian teams such as Uzbekistan, Korea or China in the Panda Cup Friendly Tournament. These encounters have helped the team mature significantly, from their competitive spirit to their ability to maintain the tempo in tense matches.

Unfortunately, at SEA Games 33, U22 Vietnam will not have the services of midfielder Nguyen Van Truong. The player born in 2003 suffered a knee ligament injury in the match against U22 Korea on November 18 and was forced to undergo surgery. This is a big loss because Van Truong can play many positions, from central midfielder to attacking midfielder, and is the one who maintains the tempo of the whole team's play.

List of U22 Vietnam players. Photo: VFF.

Not only missing Van Truong, U22 Vietnam also temporarily missed Nguyen Dinh Bac and Pham Minh Phuc in the opening match due to CAHN's schedule in the 2025 Southeast Asian Club Championship. Both can only join the team on December 4, the time the team plays its opening match against U22 Laos. This forced the coaching staff to carefully calculate the personnel in the first matches.

According to the plan, U22 Vietnam will gather in Vung Tau from November 23 before leaving for Thailand on December 1. The two group stage matches against U22 Laos (December 4) and U22 Malaysia (December 11) will directly decide the situation to go further. U22 Vietnam will eliminate 5 players before entering the official competition.

Source: https://znews.vn/hlv-kim-sang-sik-goi-tran-thanh-trung-cho-sea-games-33-post1604802.html