Foundation of Hope
Although it is difficult to compare with the generation of Cong Phuong, Quang Hai... who made miracles at the U23 Asian tournament in Changzhou in 2018, Khuat Van Khang, Van Truong, Quoc Viet, Dinh Bac are currently considered the new hopes of Vietnamese football in the future.
That is because, in addition to writing miracles together at the U23 Southeast Asian tournament for national football, most of the current U23 Vietnam players have made relatively long strides in their careers, from experience to competitive spirit.
And when the U23 Vietnam players and coach Kim Sang Sik just completed the "hat-trick" of winning the U23 Southeast Asian Championship, that expectation is even greater, and more specifically: joining the Vietnam team to participate in the 2034 World Cup as recently proposed.
The reason why fans are looking forward to Van Khang and his teammates, besides the professional story, is because this generation of players will enter the peak of their careers in the period 2032-2034, so the 2034 World Cup is once again mentioned.
And the huge challenges
In theory, U23 Vietnam can be the backbone of the Vietnam team in the next 5-7 years when Van Khang, Dinh Bac, Phi Hoang, etc. enter the prime of their careers.
However, from hope to reality is a big gap. The biggest challenge is the huge difference in level between the regional playground and the world arena.
In addition, another concern is the risk of players stagnating in their development after glory. In fact, not many U23 players who step up to the Vietnam national team succeed quickly but have to go through a long period of competition, even finding themselves again.
The current U23 team is the foundation, but to become the mainstay of the national team, Vietnamese football needs to be persistent and have a specific roadmap. Instead of squeezing them out in youth tournaments, we need to create opportunities for them to compete at a higher level, even in big matches of the Vietnamese team.
If they only stop at regional championships, today's U23 team will be no different from the U23 team of 5-10 years ago: brilliant for a moment, then quietly fading away.
The 2034 World Cup is still nearly 10 years away. But if serious preparations don’t begin today, no one can be sure that dream will come true.
The World Cup dream cannot be placed entirely on the shoulders of a few individuals or a generation of players, but must be the result of a long-term strategy, a professional football ecosystem from training, nutrition, sports medicine to the quality of the V-League.
The current generation of U23 Vietnam has provided the "necessary conditions", but the "sufficient conditions" to reach the World Cup require a coordinated effort and strategic vision of the entire football industry, instead of considering the success of one generation as the foundation.
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/tuyen-viet-nam-va-giac-mo-world-cup-u23-viet-nam-co-the-ganh-vac-2427856.html
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