U.23 Vietnam has many ADVANTAGES...
The 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 Championship will take place from July 15 to 29, the V-League stage of this season has ended. Therefore, coach Kim Sang-sik can call up the best players to the Vietnam U.23 team. The Korean strategist's squad is also very good at the moment, with many experienced players spread across all three lines. In the goalkeeper position, Cao Van Binh (SLNA), Tran Trung Kien (HAGL) will compete for the starting position. Pham Ly Duc (HAGL), Nguyen Manh Hung (The Cong Viettel ), Nguyen Nhat Minh (Hai Phong Club), Nguyen Duc Anh (Hanoi Club) ... are all experienced central defenders who have played in both the V-League and regional and continental youth tournaments. Ho Van Cuong (SLNA), Khuat Van Khang (The Cong Viettel) are formidable strikers on both flanks.
In the midfield, Nguyen Thai Son (Thanh Hoa Club), Nguyen Van Truong ( Hanoi Club) or Viktor Le (Ha Tinh Club) are becoming more and more mature. The series of young stars in the attack will also give Coach Kim a pleasant "headache" with Nguyen Thanh Nhan (PVF-CAND), Nguyen Quoc Viet (Ninh Binh Club), Dinh Xuan Tien (SLNA) or Nguyen Dinh Bac (Hanoi Police).
Player Bui Alex gets attention
Photo: VFF
Ly Duc (middle), with experience playing in the V-League and training in the Vietnam national team, is expected to shoulder the defense of the U.23 Vietnam team in upcoming tournaments.
Photo: VFF
What the U.22 Vietnam team showed at the CFA China Team 2025 friendly tournament in March also brought a lot of hope. At that time, under the leadership of coach Dinh Hong Vinh, coach Kim's right-hand man, the U.22 Vietnam team had 3 draws with strong opponents Korea, Uzbekistan and host China. In each match, the young Vietnamese players created sharp coordination situations, had clear playing styles, and improved with each match. It is worth mentioning that the U.22 Vietnam team at that time did not have the strongest force when key players such as Van Khang, Trung Kien, Ly Duc were busy training with the Vietnam team, and Dinh Bac had not fully recovered from injury. Therefore, we continue to hope that, with the best players, the U.23 Vietnam team will bring a more impressive performance to be able to complete the "hat-trick" of winning the U.23 Southeast Asian Championship.
Coach Kim Sang-sik and assistant Dinh Hong Vinh (right) have the task of helping the U.23 Vietnam team successfully defend the U.23 Southeast Asian Championship.
PHOTO: NGOC LINH
The schedule of the 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 Championship is also very favorable for the U.23 Vietnam team. Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team are in a group of 3 teams, only having to face weaker opponents Laos and Cambodia and will be able to watch these two teams face off directly in the first round. This means that Mr. Kim will be able to assess the strength of Laos and Cambodia, come up with a plan to use personnel, and rotate the squad appropriately so that the U.23 Vietnam team can enter the semi-finals in the best physical condition as well as "hide their cards". This is an extremely important factor in tournaments taking place in a short time.
NOT SMALL PRESSURE
However, the journey to defend the title of U.23 Vietnam at the 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 tournament will not be easy, as regional opponents all bring their strongest forces to prepare for the 2026 Asian U.23 qualifiers as well as the 33rd SEA Games. The current SEA Games champion, U.23 Indonesia, is certainly formidable. With home field advantage, cheered on by tens of thousands of spectators at the "fire pit" Gelora Bung Karno, along with a team rich in physical strength, speed and carefully invested (with some players naturalized from Europe), the team from the archipelago is an extremely dangerous opponent if they meet in the semi-finals or finals.
Not only Indonesia, the U.23 Thailand team also possesses a talented squad of players with experience playing in Thai League 1 and is led by an experienced coaching team. After consecutive failures in regional and continental youth tournaments, the Thais are eager to show off and will not come to Indonesia for tourism . The U.23 Malaysia team, in the rising spirit of a rebuilt football industry, also promises to be a big challenge. It is not impossible that they will introduce more quality naturalized or Malaysian players, as the whole of Southeast Asia has witnessed in the Malaysian team.
If he cannot help U.23 Vietnam successfully defend the championship, coach Kim Sang-sik will face great pressure. Before the U.23 Southeast Asian tournament started, he and the Vietnamese team had just suffered a 0-4 defeat against Malaysia in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. Therefore, the journey in Indonesia will be an opportunity for coach Kim to regain confidence and prove his coaching ability. On the contrary, if he continues to fail, his future with the team may also become uncertain. Therefore, this tournament is not only a professional milestone but also a test of confidence for coach Kim Sang-sik.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/se-rat-buon-va-lo-neu-thay-kim-va-u23-viet-nam-khong-vo-dich-u23-dong-nam-a-185250616212652347.htm
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