Coach Kim Sang-sik finds 'trump card' for U.23 Vietnam at SEA Games 33

Coach Kim Sang-sik is quietly preparing special advantages for U.23 Vietnam to conquer the men's football gold medal at the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand.

New factor of U.23 Vietnam

U.23 Vietnam will gather again in early November for two training sessions including an international friendly tournament in China, then be directly trained by coach Kim Sang-sik before officially opening the campaign to conquer SEA Games 33.

Obviously, VFF has been creating conditions for U.23 Vietnam to have the best possible preparation, after 2 friendly matches with U.23 Qatar in UAE in October, it will be the top teams in the continent such as Korea, Uzbekistan and China in November.

Coach Kim Sang-sik is still constantly looking for new factors for U.23 Vietnam.

Photo: Minh Tu

The good news is that in the hands of coach Kim Sang-sik, interesting new faces are emerging, promising to help create positive competition for U.23 Vietnam, and could even become formidable "trump cards" at the upcoming 33rd SEA Games.

First of all, we can mention Dinh Xuan Tien, the U.23 Southeast Asian champion who is shining in the The Cong Viettel shirt. The move from SLNA Club to the capital seems to be giving wings, helping the career of the guy who won the U.23 Southeast Asian championship twice to turn to a new page.

Dinh Xuan Tien is continuously scoring for The Cong Viettel

Photo: Minh Tu

In the last 2 matches in V-League, this attacking midfielder entered the field and scored 2 important goals, helping The Cong Viettel with only 10 men snatch 1 point against Ninh Binh FC, then opened up a 2-1 comeback against Da Nang Club.

In addition, U.23 Vietnam also has overseas Vietnamese midfielder Tran Thanh Trung who is adapting better and better to Vietnamese football, and was sent onto the field by coach Albadalejo Castano Gerard in the last 4 consecutive matches of Ninh Binh FC.

The progress of these two midfielders promises to bring quality ball control and especially improve the ability to approach and penetrate the opponent's penalty area of ​​U.23 Vietnam Mam.

Interim coach of U.23 Dinh Hong Vinh commented: "The training session in UAE, along with two friendly matches with U.23 Qatar, was a great opportunity for new faces to show themselves, and I must say that many players left a positive impression.

Tran Thanh Trung (red and black shirt) is gradually adapting to Vietnamese football.

Photo: Ninh Binh FC

Players like Tran Thanh Trung, Vadim Nguyen, Nguyen Tan, Long Vu, Le Phat... show confidence, desire and good spirit of integration.

Although they still lack international competition experience, they are improving through each training session and each match, and I believe that if they continue to maintain this progressive attitude, they can absolutely compete for a position at the upcoming 33rd SEA Games."

Determined to hunt for gold at SEA Games 33

The Vietnam U.23 team will certainly be the top candidate for the gold medal in men's football at the 33rd SEA Games, alongside host country Thailand and another very strong name, Indonesia, the defending champion.

In fact, the trio of Vietnam - Thailand - Indonesia have taken turns dominating youth tournaments in Southeast Asia in recent years. In particular, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team are receiving respect and great caution from their opponents.

U.23 Vietnam is still constantly renewing itself.

Photo: Minh Tu

The reason comes from the way U.23 Vietnam overcame all teams, including host Indonesia in the final match to win the 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 Championship, completing a hat-trick of championships in the region's highest youth playground.

In addition, the solid playing style, with a mix of confidence and boldness in the opponent's third of the field with a stubborn defense that certainly stifles the opponent's play, makes U.23 Vietnam even more difficult to defeat.

But we will certainly have to face many challenges, the first coming from the host country of SEA Games 33, Thailand, after 3 consecutive times watching their opponents crowned champions, including 2 consecutive defeats against U.23 Vietnam and Indonesia at SEA Games 31 and 32.

The advantage in all aspects of the field and climate, combined with the strong support of a large number of home fans, promises to create great motivation for the "War Elephants" to regain the glory of the most successful football country through the SEA Games.

In addition, Indonesia is also full of desire to avenge the defeats at the 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 tournament. They will come to Chiangmai as the defending champion, with a huge investment to successfully defend the first gold medal in history won 2 years ago.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hlv-kim-sang-sik-tim-quan-bai-tay-cho-u23-viet-nam-o-sea-games-33-185251023111615302.htm