Tran Thanh Trung was urgently called up to U.23 Vietnam, coach Kim chose unexpected personnel

On November 21, head coach Kim Sang-sik announced the list of 28 players for the final training session to prepare for the 33rd SEA Games. This is an important step in the journey of more than a year to build a force to compete at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games and towards the 2026 AFC U23 Championship.

Looking at this list, it can be clearly seen that the main frame of the Vietnam U.23 team is still the faces that have been continuously called up since the end of 2024 until now. This is a class of players who have accumulated a lot of experience through many official international tournaments as well as high-quality training trips abroad. In particular, the team has participated in the CFA Team China international football tournament organized by the Chinese Football Association three times - a playground that brings together the top U.23 teams in Asia such as Uzbekistan, Korea and China.

These valuable experiences have helped U.23 Vietnam grow significantly, shape their competitive spirit and improve their expertise. The results are clearly shown through the 2025 U23 Southeast Asian Championship - the third consecutive time the team has won the regional tournament. In this tournament, U22 Vietnam impressed with their confidence and courage, especially in the final match in Indonesia. This is also an important motivation to help the team continue to maintain their impressive form in the 2026 U.23 Asian qualifiers, where U.23 Vietnam excellently won a ticket to the final round with a perfect record of winning all 3 matches.

However, the biggest loss for U.23 Vietnam in the SEA Games 33 campaign is the absence of midfielder Nguyen Van Truong. In the final match of the 2025 Panda Cup international friendly between U22 Vietnam and U22 Korea on November 18, Van Truong unfortunately suffered a knee ligament injury and was forced to undergo surgery. This injury requires a long time to treat and recover, making the midfielder born in 2003 unable to participate in SEA Games 33. This is a big loss for U.23 Vietnam because Van Truong is a factor with a particularly important role in the way the game is played. He can take on both the central midfielder and attacking midfielder positions, possesses an energetic, intelligent playing style and always maintains the playing tempo for the whole team.

In that context, in order to ensure the depth of the U.23 Vietnam squad, coach Kim Sang-sik still maintains the stable framework that has been established over the past time, while adding some factors that have participated in recent training sessions such as Nguyen Le Phat, Tran Thanh Trung and Nguyen Duc Viet. These are all players who are familiar with the team environment, grasp the tactical requirements and integrate well with the general playing style. With not much preparation time left, continuing to give opportunities to proven faces is considered a suitable choice.

According to the plan, the U.23 Vietnam team will gather again in Vung Tau on November 23, before moving to Thailand on December 1 to officially enter the SEA Games 33 campaign. In the group stage, coach Kim Sang Sik and his team will play their opening match against U22 Laos on December 4, then face U22 Malaysia on December 11. These are all important matches, directly affecting the race for the right to continue.

Not only missing Van Truong, U22 Vietnam will also not have the services of midfielder Pham Minh Phuc and striker Nguyen Dinh Bac in the opening match. Due to the schedule of CAHN Club in the 2025 Southeast Asian Club Championship, the duo Nguyen Dinh Bac and Pham Minh Phuc can only join the team on December 4, the same day U.23 Vietnam takes the field against U.23 Laos. This requires the coaching staff to have a flexible personnel plan, carefully calculate the force for each time, and at the same time maximize the cohesion and bravery of the players who have accompanied the team throughout the preparation journey.

Despite some difficulties in terms of personnel, U.23 Vietnam is still completely proactive in following the roadmap that was built early with specific plans. The foundation from the training process and continuous competition in international tournaments over the past long period will be the support for coach Kim Sang-sik and his team to confidently enter the 33rd SEA Games with the highest determination, aiming to compete for medals and continue to affirm the position of Vietnamese youth football on the regional map.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tran-thanh-trung-duoc-goi-gap-len-u23-viet-nam-thay-kim-chon-nhan-su-bat-ngo-185251121180038264.htm