Vietnam U22 team practices in Ba Ria on the afternoon of November 28 - Photo: NK
"This is the first time I have led the U22 Vietnam team to participate in the SEA Games. So, to some extent, I feel quite nervous and also expectant. I will try my best with the whole team to create the best results at the 33rd SEA Games," the Korean coach shared.
Priority to win big against U22 Laos
The U22 Vietnam team welcomed Dinh Bac, Minh Phuc and Ly Duc to the afternoon training session on November 28 in Ba Ria after all three of them played with the Hanoi Police Club in the AFC Champions League Two 2025-2026. Coach Kim Sang Sik was very pleased that the whole team was in good shape and no players were injured.
According to the new schedule, the U22 Vietnam team will play their opening match against U22 Laos on December 3. Although it was moved up a day earlier than the old schedule, Mr. Kim is still confident in his preparation when he said: "Compared to U22 Malaysia, it can be said that U22 Laos is a bit weaker. So right from the first match, we will try to prepare well to get a good result.
We need to try to score more goals to have more advantages in the match against U22 Malaysia in the last round on December 11."
With 8 U22 players in the squad, the Laos team caused many difficulties for the Vietnamese team before losing 0-2 at home in the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup on November 19. However, coach Kim Sang Sik still maintained his goal.
"The first match is extremely difficult. Through the match in the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup, we will try to analyze and study our opponents and through training we will try to score as many goals as possible. That is my wish," said Mr. Kim.
Coach Kim Sang Sik is even confident that he will beat U22 Malaysia in the final round of the group stage on December 11, and gradually move to the final match.
Practice to round out the list
The last-minute injury of midfielder Nguyen Van Truong in the 2025 Panda Cup has made coach Kim Sang Sik regretful. Because not only is Van Truong an experienced player, he is also the leader of the U22 Vietnam team.
He said: "Van Truong's dedication has contributed to the success of the Vietnam U23 team in the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship and the recent 2026 Asian U23 qualifiers. Therefore, Van Truong's absence makes me regretful and heartbroken. We will try to find a new factor to replace him."
During the short 5 days in Ba Ria, Mr. Kim tested and observed midfielder Nguyen Duc Viet and Vietnamese-American player Tran Thanh Trung (Bulgaria) on the training ground in the hope of finding a suitable replacement alongside the remaining central midfielders such as Thai Son, Xuan Bac, Cong Phuong...
However, all have not emerged to become the midfield leader for the Vietnam team. Therefore, coach Kim Sang Sik said that through the internal competition today (November 29), he will evaluate and find a suitable replacement player for Van Truong.
But what Mr. Kim had the most trouble thinking about was eliminating 5 players and narrowing down the list of 23 players to participate in the 33rd SEA Games. "I must say I lost sleep thinking about how to select the best team to participate in the tournament.
The hardest thing for a coach is choosing the list of players, so I will try to be careful and try to find the best lineup to announce today," he said.
Thank you Coach Polking and Hanoi Police Club
Coach Kim Sang Sik thanked Coach Polking and Hanoi Police Club for allowing Dinh Bac, Minh Phuc and Ly Duc to join the national team early.
He said: "Initially, these 3 players were not allowed to join the U22 team early but only joined on December 4, after playing with the Hanoi Police Club. Therefore, I must thank Coach Polking and the Hanoi Police Club for their attention and for Vietnamese football, for allowing the players to join the training camp early. That makes me extremely grateful."
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/sea-games-33-u22-viet-nam-san-sang-san-vang-20251129103140277.htm
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