U.23 Vietnam is ready to hunt for the championship trophy in Indonesia, the audience will not be "starved" for airwaves

U.23 says goodbye to 5 personnel

On July 12, Coach Kim Sang-sik said goodbye to 5 names: goalkeeper Pham Dinh Hai; defenders Nguyen Hong Phuc, Ho Van Cuong; midfielder Nguyen Duc Viet and Vietnamese-American striker Bui Alex. Among them, the surprise came from Ho Van Cuong - who used to be a regular in the Vietnam national team under Coach Philippe Troussier. Last season, Cuong played more than 20 matches for SLNA on all fronts with quite good performance. However, it seems that Mr. Kim's dismissal of him was more due to technical reasons, as his attacking style of play did not create confidence. In fact, in the 2 matches against U.23 Taiwan, the U.23 Vietnam team witnessed Anh Quan playing very maturely and calmly on the right wing.

U.23 Việt Nam sẵn sàng săn cúp vô địch tại Indonesia, khán giả không bị ‘đói’ sóng- Ảnh 1. — U.23 Vietnam is ready to conquer the U.23 Southeast Asian tournament

Duc Viet's case may be a bit regrettable, but in essence, he was a last-minute call-up to test his level after recovering from injury. In fact, the U.23 Vietnam midfield is full of stars like Thai Son, Van Truong, Van Khang... or young talent Cong Phuong who has progressed rapidly after a season of continuous testing in the V-League. Another highly-anticipated name that had to say goodbye was Bui Alex, who has a very potential profile. However, don't forget that Le Viktor had to wait until the second consecutive V-League season to get used to the way Vietnamese football is played. Bui Alex will need more time to understand Mr. Kim's way of building the game.

QUALITY LINEUP

Coach Kim Sang-sik has proven his ability to see and use people, helping the Vietnamese team win the AFF Cup 2024. Therefore, his willingness to say goodbye to some stars can be seen as confidence in the 23-man force he has. In fact, Mr. Kim owns a U.23 Vietnam team with a lot of potential and especially rich in combat experience. If put on the scale, the current team is much better than the team that won the bronze medal at the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia 2023, especially the midfield and attack line with many names playing for the Vietnamese team.

U.23 Việt Nam sẵn sàng săn cúp vô địch tại Indonesia, khán giả không bị ‘đói’ sóng- Ảnh 2. — List of Vietnam U.23 team

However, from a management perspective, Mr. Kim Sang-sik's vision is further. The U.23 Southeast Asian Championship will only be a stepping stone for bigger goals such as the 33rd SEA Games at the end of the year or the U.23 Asia and ASIAD in 2026. As Mr. Kim shared: "The U.23 Southeast Asian Championship is an opportunity for the coaching staff to evaluate the abilities of each player and find tactical combinations. For young players, this is also a valuable opportunity to accumulate international competition experience. Winning consecutive championships is something to be proud of, but we do not want to put too much pressure on the players. I always encourage the players to see this tournament as an opportunity to grow and develop, rather than just aiming for achievements. The results, in my opinion, will be a natural consequence of that process."

It is expected that after stabilizing the squad in Ho Chi Minh City today, the U.23 Vietnam team will fly to Indonesia on the morning of July 14 and stay and train in the capital Jakarta. Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team will meet U.23 Laos (5 p.m. July 19) and U.23 Cambodia (8 p.m. July 22) with the goal of reaching the semi-finals and being the top team in Group B.