Is Mr. Kim still waiting for Cong Phuong?

Cong Phuong will not be able to reunite with Van Lam in the Vietnamese national team.

Dang Van Lam is the only player currently playing in the First Division to be called up to the Vietnamese national team by coach Kim Sang-sik, in preparation for two friendly matches against India (October 9th) and Lebanon (October 15th), while Binh Phuoc Club's new signing, Cong Phuong, is absent.

Furthermore, striker Dinh Thanh Binh, who was called up and played in the previous training camp, is noticeably absent. Does coach Kim Sang-sik have a preference for the Vietnamese-born goalkeeper?

In reality, the answer probably lies in form and physical condition. Although currently playing in the First Division, Dang Van Lam is a name that has proven his ability in many major and minor tournaments such as the 2018 AFF Cup, the 2019 Asian Cup, and the 2022 World Cup qualifiers…

Recently, Lam "Tay" has played in the LPBank friendly tournament in Ho Chi Minh City with the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Club, joined the Vietnamese national team, and played in a friendly match against the Russian national team at My Dinh Stadium.

List of players called up to the Vietnam national team for FIFA Days in October 2024

With his abilities and professionalism already proving themselves, it's reasonable that Dang Van Lam was called up by coach Kim Sang-sik, as he remains a top contender against Nguyen Filip for the starting goalkeeper position in the Vietnamese national team.

Similar to Van Lam, striker Dinh Thanh Binh was also called up by Kim during the FIFA Days in September, playing in both matches against Russia and Thailand.

However, the striker born in 1998 unfortunately suffered an ankle ligament sprain in the match against Thailand, preventing him from playing in recent friendly matches for the Ho Chi Minh City Youth team, and he is still training separately.

According to Thanh Nien Newspaper's investigation, coach Kim Sang-sik is well aware of his player's health condition. It is known that the coach, born in 1976, proactively contacted, inquired about, and encouraged the striker who came from the LPBank HAGL youth academy.

Coach Kim Sang-sik is still waiting to see Cong Phuong play.

But the case of Cong Phuong is completely different. The last time "Chairman Duc's darling" played for the Vietnamese national team was more than a year ago, precisely on September 11, 2023.

Despite scoring against Palestine after coming on as a substitute, Cong Phuong was subsequently left out of coach Philippe Troussier's plans until the latter left, and later when coach Kim Sang-sik took over the Vietnamese national team.

Even more noteworthy, Cong Phuong hardly got any playing time during his two years with Yokohama FC, appearing in only 3 matches in the Emperor's Cup with a total of 85 minutes of playing time.

Football expert Doan Minh Xuong assessed: "Coach Kim Sang-sik's decision to call up Dang Van Lam is reasonable because he knows the goalkeeper's abilities, professionalism, and eagerness to improve."

Cong Phuong is actively training in Binh Phuoc.

It's worth remembering that Van Lam still regularly plays in training camps for the Vietnamese national team. In fact, he still plays an important role for the Vietnamese national team. Dinh Thanh Binh is a regrettable case as he has not yet recovered from his injury.

Conversely, Cong Phuong remains a nobody under this regime, as Kim Sang-sik has never seen him play. The striker has just returned to Vietnam after two years of almost no playing time for Yokohama FC.

Cong Phuong is a former player, but coach Kim Sang-sik has almost no data on him. Coach Kim has stated that he only calls up players who are guaranteed to be in good form, so he can't take risks, as that would mean depriving others of opportunities.

But Công Phượng doesn't need to worry because the national first division league will be played in October, giving him plenty of time to impress coach Kim Sang-sik if he performs well. I believe that Mr. Kim will be very eager for Công Phượng to return to his best form."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-tuyen-viet-nam-ong-kim-van-cho-cong-phuong-185241002130618639.htm