U.23 Vietnam won the championship, who will coach Kim Sang-sik call up to the national team?

After shining at the U.23 Southeast Asian tournament, some players of the U.23 Vietnam team are ready to wear the national team jersey and take on even greater tasks.

An addition to the Vietnamese national team's defense.

Currently, the Vietnam U23 team that won the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship already includes national team players such as goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien, central defender Pham Ly Duc, and midfielder Khuat Van Khang. After the recently concluded tournament in Indonesia, many more players are ready to wear the Vietnamese national team jersey and participate in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

Defender Hieu Minh (4) performed excellently at the 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 tournament.

Photo: VFF

One of the most notable names among them is center-back Nguyen Hieu Minh. The center-back position is in dire need of players in the national team. In the match between Vietnam and Malaysia on June 10th, in the Asian Cup qualifiers, the Vietnamese team was very short of players in this position.

At that time, center-backs Viet Anh and Thanh Binh were injured and unable to travel to Malaysia. Coach Kim Sang-sik was almost out of players to fill the positions of Thanh Chung and Tien Dung, especially since both of them suffered injuries midway through the season. The replacements for Thanh Chung and Tien Dung were Xuan Manh and Ly Duc, who either had physical disadvantages (Xuan Manh is only 1.71 m tall) or lacked reliable defensive cover (Ly Duc).

If the Vietnamese national team adds Hieu Minh (1.84 m), he will contribute to improving the physical attributes of the defense. At the same time, Hieu Minh has a calm playing style, which can provide greater security in covering for his teammates. Furthermore, Hieu Minh's attacking ability is excellent. He scored two goals at the 2025 U.23 Southeast Asian Championship, one header and one with a skillful shot comparable to that of a striker. Moreover, after the U.23 Southeast Asian Championship, Hieu Minh's experience will increase, gradually meeting the requirements of playing for the national team.

A potential addition to the midfield.

Further additions could come in midfield, one attacking midfielder and one defensive midfielder. In the attacking midfield role, Nguyen Van Truong performed very consistently at the Southeast Asian U.23 Championship. Although Van Truong didn't score any goals throughout the tournament, his contribution to the team was still significant.

Cong Phuong will be a useful addition to the Vietnamese national team's midfield.

Photo: Dong Nguyen Khang

This player has good ball control, stamina, passing skills, and decent finishing. He has made significant progress in terms of composure. Two years ago, Van Truong acted impulsively in the semi-final match against U23 Malaysia at the Southeast Asian U23 Championship in Thailand. He nearly clashed with the opposing team, almost causing U23 Vietnam to lose control of the game.

Now, Van Truong plays very calmly; he doesn't tremble under immense pressure and doesn't lose focus in the face of opponent provocation. Van Truong's composure instills confidence in the players around him, helping the entire team play with composure.

Furthermore, Van Truong possesses versatility; he can play as both an attacking midfielder and a forward, and his decent physique (1.82 m) is beneficial for the Vietnamese national team in aerial duels. At least, at the present time, Van Truong is no less capable than Vo Hoang Minh Khoa when playing in the midfield for the Vietnamese national team.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Cong Phuong was a surprising discovery for Vietnamese football at the Southeast Asian U.23 Championship. He scored the winning goal in Vietnam's 1-0 victory over Indonesia in the final.

Cong Phuong is skillful, strong, and possesses good tactical awareness, making him a valuable addition to the central midfield position of the Vietnamese national team. Furthermore, his impressive physique (1.78 m) would be beneficial for Coach Kim Sang-sik's team when they need a player capable of winning tackles and recovering the ball in midfield.

Coach Kim Sang-sik revealed on July 30th, after arriving at Tan Son Nhat Airport (Ho Chi Minh City), that if any U23 Vietnamese players develop well in the future, he will give them the opportunity to play for the national team. It's possible the South Korean coach had a plan in mind!

Thanhnien.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/u23-viet-nam-vo-dich-hlv-kim-sang-sik-goi-ai-len-doi-tuyen-quoc-gia-185250801191719585.htm