U.23 Vietnam: Coach Kim Sang-sik seeks 'real gold' for World Cup goal

Although the U.23 Southeast Asian playground is still young, this is an opportunity for coach Kim Sang-sik to evaluate the potential of the U.23 Vietnam team and build the future for the national team.

Mission of U.23 Vietnam

This morning (July 14), U.23 Vietnam left for Indonesia to prepare for the 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 tournament. This is a youth football tournament that Vietnam has won twice in 2022 and 2023, both with an unbeaten record and the fewest goals conceded in the tournament.

In terms of U.23 football alone, Vietnamese football has been number 1 in Southeast Asia for the past 8 years, with outstanding achievements such as runner-up at U.23 Asia 2018, champion of SEA Games 30 (2019) and 31 (2022), champion of U.23 Southeast Asia 2022, 2023, reaching the quarter-finals of U.23 Asia 2022 and 2024.

However, achievements are not the measure of success or failure of youth football. After all, this is purely a cradle of "growing people". The goal of U.23 is to nurture and polish potential "rough gems" so that the young generation can accumulate experience and easily shine in the national team.

U.23 Vietnam has completed the training phase.

PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG

In this aspect, it cannot be said that U.23 Vietnam is successful. In fact, the U.23 generation is clearly regressing when only 1 player of this age group (Vi Hao) has a starting position in the Vietnam team at the AFF Cup 2024. Coach Kim Sang-sik actively gives opportunities to young people, but from Van Truong, Thai Son, Quoc Viet, Ly Duc, Van Khang to Trung Kien, all have not been able to compete for positions.

From 2015 to now, this is the period of time when the U.23 Vietnam factor is the most obscure in the national team.

This is not a positive signal for the Vietnamese team to think about a ticket to the third qualifying round of the 2030 World Cup and a place in the 2034 World Cup finals, as mentioned in the project to develop Vietnamese football.

Do a simple calculation: the Vietnamese team will compete in the 2030 World Cup qualifiers from 2027, then compete in the 2034 World Cup qualifiers from 2031. The period 2027 - 2031 also coincides with the peak period of the current U.23 generation, with players mainly born in 2003 and 2004. To participate in the World Cup, Vietnamese football must nurture the current U.23 generation, while also nurturing the next generation of U.20 and U.17.

The mission of U.23 Vietnam is not necessarily to be the champion. Because as mentioned, the U.23 Vietnam team in 2022 led by coach Dinh The Nam, or the U.23 team in 2023 led by coach Hoang Anh Tuan have both won the Southeast Asian championship, but their contribution to the Vietnam team is insignificant.

U.23 Vietnam must take advantage of each match to progress.

PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG

The 2000 generation of Manh Dung, Hoang Anh, Thanh Minh, Duy Cuong won the 31st SEA Games (2022), but up to now, the number of players still capable of competing can be counted on the fingers.

The task of the young generation at this time is to accumulate experience and mature to get closer and closer to the national team level.

Take it one step at a time

Of course, we cannot deny the role of the U.23 Southeast Asian tournament.

In the context of young players increasingly "hungry" for playing fields due to the great pressure of achievements at club and national team levels, having a tournament (even a very short one) to compete is already valuable.

Coach Kim Sang-sik's students, especially those who are on the verge of making the national team, such as Trung Kien, Ly Duc, Van Truong, Thai Son..., must take advantage of each match to prove their abilities.

With Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia all investing heavily in their youth, this is a high-quality arena for truly elite players to showcase their potential. The pressure of this tournament, as well as the upcoming tournaments such as the U.23 Asia or the SEA Games, will be a stepping stone for the U.23 Vietnam team to become more resilient.

If it is real gold, it is definitely not afraid of fire. Where is the "gold" in the U.23 Vietnam team? This is a question that coach Kim must find the answer to soon. The mainstay generation is gradually entering the other side of their career and no longer has much motivation. The young generation needs to be trained to rise up right now.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/u23-viet-nam-hlv-kim-sang-sik-tim-vang-that-vi-muc-tieu-world-cup-185250714094920743.htm