U.23 Vietnam Alert
When Van Truong was called up to the U.23 Vietnam squad to prepare for the regional qualifiers, the midfielder born in 2003 was facing a milestone: becoming the first Vietnamese player to participate in the U.23 Asian finals three times.
In 2022, when coach Gong Oh-kyun took over the U.23 Vietnam team from coach Park Hang-seo, he called up unexpected faces to refresh the squad. At the age of 19, Van Truong was named after scoring a superb long-range goal against The Cong Viettel in the national U.19 final.
And then, Van Truong and Van Khang were paired as central midfielders in the opening match against U.23 Thailand in the 2022 AFC U23 Championship (2-2 draw). Smart playing style, effective shielding and turning the ball helped Van Truong be considered the most potential midfielder of U.23 Vietnam.
Van Truong in Hanoi FC jersey
PHOTO: HANOI CLUB
In 2024, Van Truong was again named by coach Hoang Anh Tuan to the list of players participating in the U.23 Asian tournament. He and the team reached the quarterfinals, only to be stopped by U.23 Iraq, the team that later won a ticket to the Olympics. If he does not get injured and the team passes the qualifying round, Van Truong will likely continue to participate in the 2026 U.23 Asian finals.
Thus, for 5 years, Van Truong's "ceiling" only stopped at U.23. He was called up to the national team a few times, and was given a starting position by coach Kim Sang-sik in a friendly match with Russia. However, Van Truong did not stay until the end. He was removed from the list of players for the 2024 AFF Cup, and then absent from the Vietnamese national team for the past 7 months.
Van Truong's story demonstrates a "hanging" generation of Vietnamese football: playing continuously in the U.23 team, but still not approaching the level of the national team.
That generation started with Tuan Tai, Van Tung, Tien Long, Van Chuan (born in 2001), all of whom were SEA Games or U.23 Asian champions, then came the 2003 generation of Thai Son, Van Truong, Van Khang, Quoc Viet.
The future is unpredictable
Coach Kim Sang-sik called up Vi Hao, Van Khang and Van Truong (all born in 2003) to the national team in September 2024. Then in November 2024, Thai Son, Quoc Viet, Trung Kien, and now Ly Duc were added.
All are 22 years old, at the most important gateway to go from youth players to adulthood.
Vi Hao (white shirt) was in good form but got injured again.
PHOTO: NGOC LINH
However, Coach Kim's young generation is still uncertain. In the most recent match against Malaysia, Coach Kim only called up Trung Kien, Ly Duc, and Van Khang to the national team. None of them had a starting position, and only Ly Duc entered the field in the second half when the Vietnam team... had no central defenders to replace.
The weak competitiveness of the U.23 players is shown in both the V-League and the Vietnam national team. At the club level, Van Truong only plays as a reserve in Hanoi, Van Khang and Thai Son have positions in their home teams but have not made an impression, while Quoc Viet plays in the first division.
Other players like Ly Duc, Trung Kien (HAGL), Xuan Tien, Van Cuong (SLNA) although playing more, actually only play for mediocre teams competing for relegation.
The highlight this season is Viktor Le of Ha Tinh , who has played 23 matches in the V-League. However, according to coach Nguyen Thanh Cong, any assessment of Viktor at this time is hasty. He does not even have a place in the U.23 Vietnam team like Van Truong and Thai Son, let alone the national team.
The U.22 generation still has many limitations.
The 2001 generation that won the SEA Games is in danger of fading into the past, and the same danger may come to the 2003 generation. The appearance of the "indifferent" generation is a warning for the increasingly deteriorating quality of youth training in Vietnamese football. Currently, only Hanoi, The Cong Viettel, HAGL, SLNA and PVF are places that truly cultivate people. Other centers, although invested in at different scales, have limited output quality.
In addition, the pressure to achieve results also makes many teams, including powerful teams like Hanoi and The Cong Viettel, more cautious with young players.
The two youngest teams, giving the most opportunities to homegrown players, HAGL and SLNA, are now only hovering around the lower group.
Coach Kim Sang-sik wants to transfer the generation in the Vietnam team, but he cannot ask his students to "force maturity". The rejuvenation process takes time, however, when coach Kim's young generation can "graduate" from U.23 and have a place in the national team, is a difficult question to answer.
Thanhnien.vn
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/the-he-lung-lo-cua-u23-viet-nam-khien-hlv-kim-sang-sik-kho-xu-185250614113744856.htm
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