Vietnam national team and the worries surrounding Xuan Son.

Xuan Son only scored 3 goals in 12 appearances for Nam Dinh FC in the V-League 2025-2026, and the naturalized striker even failed to score in his last 5 matches.

Xuan Son during Nam Dinh's loss to Hanoi in round 24 - Photo: VPF

This is a worrying performance for the Vietnamese national team's attack with the ASEAN Cup 2026 just two months away.

The "goal-scoring machine" is overloaded.

Xuan Son is considered one of the top strikers in the V-League over the past three years. Notably, he set a record of 31 goals in 24 appearances in the 2023-2024 V-League season, helping Nam Dinh FC win the championship. Even though he only played for the Vietnamese national team from the final group stage match of the 2024 ASEAN Cup against Myanmar, Xuan Son still scored 7 goals in 5 matches, contributing to Vietnam's victory.

However, after suffering an injury in the second leg of the 2024 ASEAN Cup final, upon his return, Xuan Son struggled to regain his form. He no longer displayed those blistering bursts of speed and lacked sharpness in his final touches.

The two goals he scored against Malaysia in the final match of Group F of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers at Thien Truong Stadium at the end of March could not compensate for Xuan Son's decline. In the 2025-2026 V-League season, he scored two goals in two matches in April and then went goalless from then until now.

"He's played quite a lot recently after recovering from injury. Son has been playing at a relatively high frequency. For a player who has just recovered from a long-term injury like that, it's bound to affect his physical condition," coach Vu Hong Viet assessed.

Hoang Hen in the Vietnamese national team jersey - Photo: TTO

Coach Kim Sang Sik's headache

With Xuan Son's form declining, coach Kim Sang Sik cannot rely on Tien Linh or Pham Tuan Hai. Both strikers are currently in the most difficult phase of their careers.

The lack of a sharp striker capable of dribbling and diverse finishing skills poses significant challenges for coach Kim Sang Sik's tactics. If he wants to be the first-choice striker for the Vietnamese national team, Xuan Son needs a much stronger performance from Nam Dinh FC in the remainder of the V-League season and the 2025-2026 National Cup semi-final.

Otherwise, coach Kim Sang will have to prepare other options for the Vietnamese national team's attack at the ASEAN Cup 2026. He currently has two other naturalized strikers at his disposal: Do Hoang Hen and Nguyen Tai Loc (Geovane Magno).

Hoang Hen joined the Vietnamese national team after the match against Malaysia at the end of March and has integrated very well. Tai Loc may also be called up in the next training camp. However, both are simply attacking midfielders or wingers, not capable of playing as a central striker like Xuan Son. Therefore, hoping Xuan Son regains his form remains Coach Kim's top priority.

Dinh Bac is also an option for Mr. Kim in the context of Xuan Son and Tien Linh's declining form. With 10 goals scored in 6 consecutive matches for Hanoi Police FC in the V-League 2025-2026, the 22-year-old striker has shown impressive form and significant professional progress. The important thing is how Mr. Kim will utilize the training camp for the ASEAN Cup 2026 to finalize the optimal lineup for the Vietnamese national team in their quest to defend their title.

According to the plan, the Vietnamese national team will not be gathering during the FIFA Days in June to allow the V-League and National Cup to complete their final matches of the season. Instead, the entire team will travel to Incheon (South Korea) for training from July 2nd to 14th and play friendly matches against three local clubs.

This will be an important training session for the Vietnamese national team to address many of their problems, including finding solutions to the worrying attacking line.

Only Vietnam, Malaysia, and Laos are not playing FIFA Days in June.

Besides Vietnam, Malaysia, and Laos, the remaining eight Southeast Asian countries will all be competing during the upcoming FIFA Days in June.

Thailand will play friendly matches against Kuwait (June 5-6) at home and China (June 9) away. Indonesia will hold two friendly matches at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium against Oman (June 5-6) and Mozambique (June 9).

Singapore will play friendly matches against Mongolia (May 31) and China (June 5) at Jalan Besar Stadium. Cambodia will play friendly matches against Bhutan (June 4) and Hong Kong (June 9) at the Olympic Stadium. The Philippines will host a three-team tournament from June 3 to 9 at Rizal Memorial Stadium, with the participation of Guam and Myanmar.

Even Timor Leste and Brunei are competing during the FIFA Days in June. Both will play two play-off matches on June 2nd and 9th to qualify for the ASEAN Cup 2026.

NGUYEN KHOI

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tuyen-viet-nam-and-xuan-son's-worry-20260528105004184.htm