U.23 Vietnam is given priority

Coach Kim Sang-sik's top priority at the FIFA Days in November is to have the best players for the U.23 Vietnam team to compete against strong opponents in a friendly tournament in China.

Important preparation step of U.23 Vietnam for SEA Games 33

It is expected that on November 10, the Vietnam national team and U.23 Vietnam will both gather at the Vietnam Youth Football Center in Hanoi , then separate with different goals. In the FIFA Days in November, the Vietnam national team will only play 1 match in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers against Laos (lost to Vietnam 0-5 in the first leg - PV). Meanwhile, U.23 Vietnam will fly to Chengdu City, Sichuan Province (China) to participate in the 2025 Panda Cup international friendly tournament. The opportunity to compete with 3 quality "blue teams" including China (November 12), Uzbekistan (November 15) and South Korea (November 18) is considered by coach Kim Sang-sik to be a very important preparation step for the U.23 Vietnam team for the 33rd SEA Games. Therefore, Mr. Kim may decide on a balanced plan to directly take charge of the Vietnam team to win all 3 points in Laos, while prioritizing the strongest force for U.23 Vietnam led by interim coach Dinh Hong Vinh. According to this calculation, the Korean strategist is expected to call up a streamlined Vietnam team with only 23 names, while the younger U.23 Vietnam team will concentrate with 26 players.

The U.23 Vietnam team will likely be given priority for the strongest force in the upcoming training session.

Photo: Minh Tu

Coach Dinh Hong Vinh was trusted by Mr. Kim to lead U.23 Vietnam to compete in the CFA Team China 2025 tournament in China in March. U.23 Vietnam at that time was missing many key players such as Van Khang, Thai Son, Ly Duc... due to focusing on the Vietnam national team, but played well, with 3 draws against Korea, Uzbekistan, and China. From here, the U.23 Vietnam team introduced many names that later became key players such as goalkeeper Van Binh, center back Hieu Minh, Nhat Minh; midfielder Xuan Bac, Le Viktor... In this training session, Mr. Vinh will have the opportunity to bring a stronger squad to review the force one last time, before Mr. Kim directly coaches in the second preparation phase (from November 23 to 29) in Ba Ria Ward (Ho Chi Minh City), then fly to Chiangmai (Thailand) to attend the 33rd SEA Games.

Vietnam team lacks personnel but not worrying

In the two matches against Nepal last October in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, coach Kim Sang-sik gave the opportunity for U.23 Vietnam players such as Trung Kien and Hieu Minh to debut for the Vietnam national team. Thanh Nhan had his first official match under the Korean coach, alongside Van Khang and Dinh Bac, who entered the field in the second half (Phi Hoang and Xuan Bac were registered but did not play). At this time, Mr. Kim will have to carefully consider whether to call them up to the Vietnam national team to participate in 1 match (it is likely that sitting on the bench would be a waste) or to play 3 quality matches in the U.23 Vietnam shirt.

In fact, the Vietnamese team is lacking in personnel due to a long injury list with important names such as Van Thanh, Tan Tai, Vi Hao, Thanh Binh, Viet Anh, Nguyen Filip, Ngoc Quang... This will more or less affect the coaching staff's calculations regarding personnel for U.23 Vietnam. However, with the way Vietnam defeated Laos 5-0 in the first leg, it is possible to believe that the Vietnamese team will complete the task in the match on November 19.

The good news is that Ngoc Tan's return will help Hoang Duc have a compatible and effective partner in the Vietnam national team, so Xuan Bac will likely join the U.23 Vietnam team. In defense, Van Lam and Dinh Trieu are in good form; Duy Manh, Thanh Chung, Xuan Manh, Tien Dung, Quang Vinh, Tien Anh... are all getting better, so it is likely that Phi Hoang and Nhat Minh will not go to Laos but join the U.23 Vietnam team. What makes Mr. Kim think at this time are Dinh Bac and Van Khang, because the personnel in the Vietnam national team's attack line is quite limited, with only Tien Linh and Tuan Hai left. However, it is not impossible that Dinh Bac and Van Khang can still be named in the U.23 Vietnam team.

Coach Kim Sang-sik's top priority is to ensure the strongest squad for U.23 Vietnam to compete effectively in China, thereby preparing best for the 33rd SEA Games at the end of the year. Therefore, U.23 Vietnam will likely have the strongest squad for the tour in China next November.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/u23-viet-nam-duoc-uu-tien-185251030212350034.htm