Trung Kien is the best player in the Vietnam U.23 team.
The 0-3 defeat against China U23 ended Vietnam U23's dream of reaching the final. However, a loss cannot negate the efforts of coach Kim Sang-sik's team in the 2026 AFC U23 Championship. There were outstanding players who deserved to compete for the top spot in the Vietnamese team . Among them is Tran Trung Kien.
The goalkeeper, who plays for HAGL, made four saves in the match against China U23. Three of those occurred in the final 15 minutes of the game. When Vietnam U23 was exhausted from defending with ten men, leaving gaps in front of the penalty area, Trung Kien neutralized all of them.
Trung Kien (in the blue shirt) had an outstanding tournament.
PHOTO: TED TRAN TV
The 1.91m tall goalkeeper made excellent judgments to anticipate and block two one-on-one attempts by Behram Abduweli. He also made quick saves to prevent dangerous and powerful shots from the Chinese U23 team, helping to limit Vietnam's goal conceded to just three.
Goalkeeper Trung Kien was only beaten in seemingly unstoppable situations, such as Peng Xiao's close-range header, Xiang Yuwang's left-footed shot into the corner, or Wang Yudong's close-range tap-in that sealed the victory. In this year's tournament, opponents hoping to beat Trung Kien would likely only have close-range shots or extremely difficult long-range attempts. Because in all other situations, Trung Kien's "plastic" hands were ready to neutralize everything.
Trung Kien had a memorable U.23 Asian Championship. The highlight for the 1.91m tall goalkeeper was his extraordinary 90 minutes against U.23 Saudi Arabia, with 5 saves. In that match, U.23 Vietnam was under pressure and constantly shooting at goal, but the home team's strikers couldn't beat Trung Kien despite trying every angle.
Thanks to Trung Kien's clean sheet, Vietnam U23 secured a 1-0 victory to maintain their winning streak, and then went on to beat UAE U23 in the quarter-finals. In the 16 matches played so far, Trung Kien has kept a clean sheet in 9 games, conceding only 10 goals in total (0.63 goals per game).
Trung Kien improved with each match.
PHOTO: NGOC LINH
Trung Kien's performance in Saudi Arabia was one of the best performances by a Vietnamese goalkeeper in Asian competitions, comparable to Bui Tien Dung at the 2018 U.23 Asian Championship or Dang Van Lam at the 2019 Asian Cup.
Straight to the starting goalkeeper position?
Before soaring to great heights with the Vietnam U.23 team and their 15-game winning streak, Trung Kien was the third-choice goalkeeper for the Vietnamese national team.
The 23-year-old goalkeeper is ranked behind Van Lam and Dinh Trieu. This is a reasonable choice by head coach Kim Sang-sik and assistant coach Lee Woon-jae (goalkeeper coach).
Van Lam has proven his class after a decade wearing the national team jersey, with 44 appearances in all competitions. Dinh Trieu was a solid wall for the Vietnamese national team at the 2024 AFF Cup, starting in 6 matches and helping the team win the Southeast Asian championship after a 6-year wait.
Trung Kien was "planned" as a future choice. However, with his remarkable progress in the Vietnam U23 team, the 23-year-old goalkeeper is ready for the number one position. Coach Kim has already considered Trung Kien for the starting spot when he guarded the goal in the return match against Nepal in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers (October 2025). Immediately, the HAGL goalkeeper proved his mettle with timely interventions, controlling the penalty area, and keeping a clean sheet in his debut match.
Trung Kien's progress is not a recent development. The 23-year-old goalkeeper has been the starting goalkeeper for HAGL for two seasons, playing 43 matches. Trung Kien's impressive performance helped HAGL avoid relegation last season despite having one of the youngest squads in the league. This season, as HAGL struggles, Trung Kien is once again one of the most consistent players.
Trung Kien was the starting referee in Vietnam's 1-0 victory over Nepal.
PHOTO: KHA HOA
Playing for a team with a weak defense like HAGL is sometimes a blessing for Trung Kien, as it constantly hones his reflexes and judgment. With his "Western" height, long reach, and impeccable goalkeeping technique, Trung Kien has a good save rate and rarely makes mistakes.
Trung Kien's character is also demonstrated in his never-give-up spirit. He persistently defended the goal when his teammates were "out of steam" in the match against China U23.
The confident, accurate passes under pressure, the shouts of encouragement to teammates, the decisive throws to initiate counter-attacks immediately after saves—all of this shows that Trung Kien has "won," by overcoming his own limitations to shine despite the pressure weighing on the entire team.
Hopefully, after the heartbreaking disappointment at the 2026 U.23 Asian Championship, Trung Kien will claim the number one spot. The HAGL goalkeeper has almost reached his peak to compete on equal footing with his seniors.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/u23-viet-nam-thua-nhung-trung-kien-thang-thay-kim-trao-suat-bat-chinh-doi-tuyen-thay-van-lam-185260121154823849.htm
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