Nguyen Filip - out of luck or a specialist in 'difficult cases'?

Nguyen Filip has not yet built trust in the Vietnam national team.

As for the Vietnamese team, coach Kim Sang-sik seems to have no interest in the Vietnamese-American goalkeeper for the upcoming away match in Laos.

Perhaps, on November 6, Nguyen Filip started the new day with joy when coach Mano Polking announced that he officially returned to the CAHN club's goal after a period of absence. It was a faster-than-expected recovery thanks to the Vietnamese-American goalkeeper's training efforts.

However, the joy was short-lived. Nguyen Filip and his teammates had to accept defeat against Macarthur (1-2) in the AFC Champions League Two. The sadness continued to double when at the same time, coach Kim Sang-sik announced the list of the Vietnamese team preparing for the match against Laos in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers but did not include Nguyen Filip. Instead, the Korean strategist named 2/3 goalkeepers - Nguyen Dinh Trieu and Nguyen Van Viet - whose reputation cannot be compared to this European-class "goalkeeper".

Going back in time, Nguyen Filip’s fate was really turbulent in the Vietnamese national team. Under coach Troussier, this goalkeeper was called up to the national team and was expected to create a solid wall. But the French coach’s personnel revolution went off the winning track when the players in the front line were considered “forced” due to their inexperience, so under the goal, Nguyen Filip had to suffer the consequences.

How can Nguyen Filip not be infamous when he often has to pick up the ball from the net due to consecutive defeats. In total, in 5 matches in the 2026 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers against opponents such as Japan, Iraq, Indonesia... Nguyen Filip conceded 12 goals.

When Mr. Kim came to replace Mr. Troussier, the Vietnamese team regained its winning instinct thanks to the return of many bright and experienced faces. But fate did not smile on the CAHN goalkeeper.

Nguyen Filip was absent from the national team training session in November.

Coach Kim did not choose a seasoned Nguyen Filip to stand in goal, instead he chose a Nguyen Dinh Trieu who is not yet famous in the international arena. In the 2024 ASEAN Cup championship, Nguyen Filip only played a "secondary" role when he was only the main goalkeeper in 2 group stage matches against Indonesia and the Philippines.

The goalkeeper's career in the Vietnamese national team has declined in 2025. Nguyen Filip was only called up once and given a chance but suffered a heavy 0-4 defeat against Malaysia in June. In the March gathering for the two matches against Laos and Cambodia, the CAHN goalkeeper was not named. The situation is similar when the Vietnamese national team met Nepal in two matches in October and the upcoming away match in Laos.

His frequent absences, most recently during the training camp in mid-November, have raised the question: Is Nguyen Filip out of luck with the Vietnam national team or is Mr. Kim's "strategic card" only used for "difficult cases" like the match with Malaysia's "illegally naturalized army" last June?

Mr. Kim once explained that communication is Nguyen Filip's weakness because he is not fluent in Vietnamese, so he chose Nguyen Dinh Trieu to be the main goalkeeper in the ASEAN Cup 2024. That could be a reason, but above all, expertise is another factor that makes Mr. Kim put this Vietnamese-American goalkeeper out of sight for the "goalkeeper" position of the Vietnam National Team.

Honestly, Nguyen Filip has not created a belief for stability in a long journey even at CAHN Club. When the success or failure of the Vietnam National Team is decided by just a few matches and not "mistakes have the opportunity to correct" like the long journey in V.League, it is understandable that Mr. Kim does not trust Nguyen Filip who often makes elementary mistakes.

Source: https://znews.vn/nguyen-filip-het-duyen-hay-chuyen-tri-ca-kho-post1600681.html