In a meeting with the Vietnam U23 team before the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 tournament, VFF Vice President Tran Anh Tu emphasized that defending the achievements is not easy when opponents have invested heavily and upgraded their forces.

However, Mr. Tu affirmed that VFF always accompanies and creates the best conditions for the U23 Vietnam team to be well prepared, from long-term training, organizing international friendly matches to logistical conditions. Mr. Tu also acknowledged the team's spirit of concentration and discipline throughout the training process and asked the players to maintain their desire, overcome pressure to compete with all their might for the country.

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U23 Vietnam actively prepares for the regional tournament. Photo: SN

At the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 tournament, U23 Vietnam will be in an easy group with U23 Laos and Cambodia. However, the challenge from the semi-finals will be really big when coach Kim Sang Sik and his team can meet Thailand, Malaysia or host Indonesia.

Among these opponents, Indonesia, in addition to the home field advantage, also possesses a highly rated force. Similarly, Thailand is always the top candidate for the championship. Malaysia is becoming formidable when using the naturalization policy in both the national team and the youth team.

As for the tournament, U23 Vietnam has just had 2 friendly matches with the result of winning (scoring 7 goals, conceding 1 goal) against U22 Taiwan (China). This is considered an important rehearsal step, helping coach Kim Sang Sik and his team evaluate the force, review the squad and shape the official framework for the goal of defending the regional throne.

In his first time leading the U23 team since coming to work in Vietnam, Coach Kim Sang Sik aims to leave a mark like what he did with the national team. However, it will not be easy for the Korean strategist and U23 Vietnam to defend the title at the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 tournament, when the opponents in the region all bring the strongest force because this is also a tournament to prepare for the 2026 Asian U23 qualifiers and the 33rd SEA Games.

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Coach Kim Sang Sik clearly feels the pressure. Photo: SN

“Thailand and Indonesia are two challenging opponents for U23 Vietnam. Thailand has a solid organization, a solid squad structure, and a technical style of play. Indonesia is very impressive with its muscular strength and speed. When the U23 Vietnam team faces these two opponents, it is always very tense. We need to prepare carefully,” coach Kim Sang Sik assessed.

Having won the championship twice in 2022 and 2023, U23 Vietnam is clearly feeling the pressure in this tournament. The opponents are doing everything to prevent Dinh Bac and his teammates from winning the championship for the third time in a row.

“Winning the U23 Southeast Asian Championship for two consecutive times is a great source of pride for us. However, instead of putting pressure on the team, I want them to focus on showing themselves in every match.

I encourage the players to see this tournament as an opportunity to develop and grow, instead of just aiming for results. When you reach a high level, good results will naturally come,” coach Kim Sang Sik emphasized.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/u23-viet-nam-bao-ve-ngoi-vo-dich-hlv-kim-sang-sik-tung-chieu-2419712.html