Coach Kim Sang Sik eliminated overseas Vietnamese players from the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 tournament

Bui Alex could not make it into the official list of U23 Vietnam. Photo: VFF

Accordingly, 5 players are not on the final list: Goalkeeper Pham Dinh Hai, defenders Nguyen Hong Phuc, Ho Van Cuong, midfielder Nguyen Duc Viet and striker Bui Alex. Previously, coach Kim Sang Sik reduced the squad from 35 to 28 players after two practice matches with U23 Taiwan (China).

Players practice recovery in the gym on the morning of July 12. Photo: VFF.

Coach Kim Sang Sik highly appreciated the serious training spirit and efforts of all the players throughout the past time. However, due to the tournament regulations only allowing the registration of a maximum of 23 players, the coaching board had to make the most optimal choice based on the role, playing position and performance of each individual.

Among the players who did not participate, the case of Vietnamese-American striker Bui Alex received attention. The player who is playing for the Bohemians Praha 1905 youth team (Czech Republic Third Division) showed a lot of potential in his first time participating in the training session with U23 Vietnam. Staying until the final list stage is considered a positive start for this young striker. Hopefully, Bui Alex will continue to make efforts to expand his opportunities in the upcoming training sessions.

As planned, on the morning of July 14, the Vietnam U23 team will leave for Indonesia to participate in the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship, taking place from July 15 to 29.

In Group B, U23 Vietnam will meet Laos on July 19 and Cambodia on July 22, with the goal of winning the top spot in the group and a ticket to the semi-finals, and further, successfully defending the championship.

Over the past 4 times of organizing, Vietnam has won the U23 Southeast Asian Championship twice, also in the last two seasons (2022, 2023). Coach Kim Sang-sik considers this a proud achievement but also does not want to put too much pressure on his students.

"I always encourage the players to see this tournament as an opportunity to grow and develop, rather than just aiming for results. The results, in my opinion, will be a natural consequence of that process," said Mr. Kim, adding that this tournament is an opportunity for the coaching staff to test and evaluate their squad for the upcoming U23 Asian qualifiers and SEA Games.