The tall and promising players of U.23 Vietnam, only missing...

U.23 Vietnam has a competitive and promising squad, however, experience is still a shortcoming that the young players need to supplement soon.

Fierce competition in U.23 Vietnam

To prepare for the 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 tournament, coach Kim Sang-sik has called up 35 U.23 Vietnam players. This number says a lot.

First, there will be around 10 players eliminated before the final list is finalized. Coach Kim Sang-sik wants to create fierce competition for each position.

For example, there are 4 goalkeepers competing for the starting position, 11 defenders fighting for 5 starting positions, 12 midfielders competing to find 3 or 4 names to play, or only about 2 or 3 out of 8 strikers are trusted by Mr. Kim.

List of U.23 Vietnam

PHOTO: VFF

Maintaining competitive motivation is essential for every team. Coach Kim Sang-sik has repeatedly shuffled the roster, willing to remove even the "veterans" to create fierce competition for the Vietnamese team.

Thanks to that, every player has to shape up and change himself so as not to fall behind. U.23 Vietnam also needs a similar fierce competition, so that the Korean strategist can see which players are truly progressive and brave to choose.

Coach Kim Sang-sik has a squad of promising players. Eight players contributed to the 2023 Southeast Asian U.23 Championship, including: goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien; defender Nguyen Hong Phuc; midfielders Nguyen Van Truong, Khuat Van Khang, Dinh Xuan Tien; and three strikers Nguyen Dang Duong, Le Dinh Long Vu and Nguyen Quoc Viet.

Among them, Trung Kien, Van Truong, and Quoc Viet have "eaten the national team's rice". Some young players have had the opportunity to wear the national team's shirt, even playing in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers or the 2023 Asian Cup, such as Nguyen Thai Son, Nguyen Thanh Nhan, and Nguyen Dinh Bac. They are all "rough gems" with full potential.

The U.23 generation also has good physique, with many players over 1.8 m tall such as Trung Kien, Van Truong, Dinh Bac, Quang Kiet... With ideal height, U.23 Vietnam won the Southeast Asian championship in 2023 and entered the quarter-finals of Asia in 2024. The young players can compete fairly with many opponents, thanks to their solid muscles and good fighting ability.

U.23 Vietnam players are ready

PHOTO: VFF

However, U.23 Vietnam still lacks experience. This is the factor that Mr. Kim needs to fill for his students.

Wrong, fix it

It must be frankly acknowledged that although there are no less than 7 U.23 players who have played for the national team, their contributions to the national flag are still limited.

Among the young players, Dinh Bac stands out. The striker born in 2004 scored a goal against the Philippines (2026 World Cup qualifiers), before having a memorable match against Japan at the 2023 Asian Cup.

Dinh Bac is a well-rounded striker. He has good height, a nice body, diverse personal skills and daring moves. However, the player who plays for the Hanoi Police Club (CAHN Club) lacks experience and alertness. In many matches, Dinh Bac made mistakes or missed opportunities because he could not keep a cool head.

That is not the case with Dinh Bac alone. Midfielder Van Truong once "exploded" when he collided with his opponent in the semi-final against U.23 Malaysia at the Southeast Asian tournament 2 years ago, leading to disciplinary action by coach Hoang Anh Tuan. Van Truong still remembers this story and takes it as a lesson to warn himself.

Although the Vietnam U.23 team is young and strong, they are like "young horses eager to fight". Mr. Kim's students lack experience, have not had enough real-life matches at the national team level and have not played regularly at the club level. That is why the Southeast Asian Football Federation (AFF) has created the Southeast Asian U.23 tournament.

Young players need more playgrounds to prove themselves. No matter how precious a gem is, if it is not polished, it will be no different from a rock.

Coach Kim Sang-sik came up through Korean school football, and was a young player who had to cherish every match he played to prove himself. Mr. Kim clearly understood the excitement and desire in the eyes of the U.23 Vietnam team. In the first training session, he told his students not to think too much, just play football and enjoy.

In the hands of Coach Kim is a pool of "hot blood" waiting to flow. If used properly, the Korean military leader will create a formidable and combative team.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dan-cau-thu-cao-to-va-trien-vong-cua-u23-viet-nam-chi-con-thieu-185250621133715756.htm