U.23 Vietnam finalizes the puzzle piece for the journey to hunt for SEA Games gold: Necessity is the mother of invention

Coach Kim Sang-sik has made important additions as the U.23 Vietnam team gathers in Ho Chi Minh City, to prepare for the 'gold hunt' journey at the 33rd SEA Games.

U.23 THOMPSON REUNION

After returning from China, U.23 Vietnam is temporarily "uncamped" before regrouping on November 23 in Ho Chi Minh City to once again work directly with Coach Kim Sang-sik. However, most players such as Nhat Minh (Hai Phong Club), Quoc Viet (Ninh Binh FC), Nguyen Tan, Quoc Cuong (Ho Chi Minh City Police Club), Van Khang, Tuan Phong, Cong Phuong (The Cong Viettel ), ... will not be able to rest but will concentrate with the club to play in the round of 16 of the 2025 - 2026 National Cup taking place on the same day. Therefore, on the first day of regrouping, Mr. Kim will work with the group of Phi Hoang, Duc Anh (Da Nang Club); Le Viktor (Ha Tinh Club), Van Thuan, Ngoc My, Thai Son (Thanh Hoa Club); Hieu Minh, Anh Quan, Bao Long, Xuan Bac, Thanh Nhan (PVF-CAND) ...

List of U.23 Vietnam preparing for SEA Games 33

In particular, the trio of Hanoi Police Club players including Dinh Bac, Ly Duc, Minh Phuc are worried about facing a tight schedule with the capital derby against The Cong Viettel on November 23, meeting Beijing Quoc An at AFC Champions League 2 (November 27), and even at the ASEAN Club Championship, playing away against Buriram United on December 3 - just 1 day before U.23 Vietnam plays the opening match of SEA Games 33 against Laos. Coach Mano Polking of course really wants to have good results in these extremely important matches. Therefore, he will have to consider how to balance the need for these 3 players to contribute to the national team and the achievements of the club.

U.23 Vietnam (11) aims to win gold medal at SEA Games 33

PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG

With Van Truong's unexpected injury in the final match of CFA Team China - Panda Cup 2025, protecting the players' legs is the top priority of U.23 Vietnam. In fact, over the past few years, the players have played almost non-stop in domestic tournaments (due to the V-League switching to a 2-year calendar like the world ) and international tournaments, to the point that they only had 2-3 days off for Lunar New Year. Most recently, they are competing in the very harsh V-League 2025 - 2026. Therefore, the U.23 Vietnam coaching staff will anxiously watch the round of 16 of the National Cup with the hope that no more injuries will arise.

MR . NG K IM SUPPLEMENTARY SPERM

The U.23 Vietnam team is in the final stages of preparing for the 33rd SEA Games. Coach Kim Sang-sik's focus is not on building a playing style, as the main structure and the way to operate the 3-4-3 and 3-5-2 formations have all been clearly defined. The reason Mr. Kim chose Ho Chi Minh City as the final training location is to help the team get used to the climate conditions similar to Songkhla (Thailand). Most importantly, this will be the last chance to finalize the plan for who will replace captain Van Truong. At this point, it is basically possible to determine the starting central midfielder pair of U.23 Vietnam at the 33rd SEA Games will be Xuan Bac and Thai Son (replacing Van Truong), with Quoc Cuong on the bench. Mr. Kim is looking for additional options, as shown by the call-up of 28 names, before narrowing down to 23 people to leave. Vietnamese-American midfielder Tran Thanh Trung has convinced the Korean coach. In addition, Mr. Kim also expects surprises from Duc Viet (Ninh Binh FC) who competed at SEA Games 32, ASIAD 2023 and U.23 Asia Finals 2024...

In addition to Van Truong, Mr. Kim also has to calculate for the attack line, specifically Bui Vi Hao (to avoid being too dependent on Dinh Bac) as the highest striker. The SEA Games regulation requires registering 3 goalkeepers, which means that Mr. Kim only has 20 players spread out across 3 lines. The U.23 Vietnam attack line is witnessing a competition between wingers including Thanh Nhan, Van Thuan, Ngoc My, Le Viktor, Quoc Viet, Cong Phuong, Van Khang. But on the contrary, we currently only have Dinh Bac who is good at playing as a striker, along with Vi Hao who is racing against time to regain the best feeling, next to Quoc Viet but this player has a physical disadvantage. Choosing who to choose and leaving who to leave in the midfield and on the attack line will certainly be a very difficult decision for Coach Kim Sang-sik, before flying with U.23 Vietnam to Thailand on December 1, starting the dream of "hunting for gold" at SEA Games 33.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/u23-viet-nam-chot-manh-ghep-cuoi-vi-hanh-trinh-san-vang-sea-games-cai-kho-lo-cai-khon-185251121204613071.htm