How strong an opponent will the Vietnamese team face in Korea?

Identify the opponents of the Vietnamese team

The Vietnamese team will gather on November 21, then leave for South Korea to prepare for the final training trip before the AFF Cup 2024.

Instead of playing friendly matches with national teams like in previous FIFA Days, the Vietnamese team will test their skills against the "blue team" of Korean teams. Specifically, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team will play two matches, one of which will be against Gyeongju KHNP Club.

Gyeongju KHNP currently play in the third tier of Korean football (K-League 3). Last season, the team finished third with 56 points from 30 matches, 4 points behind champions Siheung Citizen FC.

Vietnam team is about to leave for training in Korea

Because they play in K-League 3, information about Gyeongju such as professional quality and squad value is relatively limited. Gyeongju Club finished second in K-League 3 in 2020, and previously won the championship in 2017 and 2018, when the K-League 3 tournament was still called Korea Nation League, part of the Korean semi-professional league system.

The only noteworthy information is that Gyeongju plays in the same league as Changwon FC, the team that coach Park Hang-seo was in charge of in 2017 before coming to work in Vietnam.

Gyeongju FC is led by coach Seo Bo-won, playing at Gyeongju Civic Stadium with a capacity of about 12,000 seats. In the last 8 matches in K-League 3, Gyeongju won 4, drew 1, and lost 3.

The remaining opponents of the Vietnamese team will be determined in the next few days.

Why play with Korean semi-professional team?

Compared to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Club that Mr. Kim Sang-sik used to coach, or familiar names in Vietnamese football such as Ulsan Hyundai, Incheon United, Pohang Steelers... it is clear that Gyeongju is at a much lower level.

This team just lost 1-2 to Daegu's B team in K-League 3, while Daegu is just a mid-level club in K-League 1.

Coach Kim Sang-sik has difficulty finding quality 'teammates'

The question is: why can't the Vietnamese team find stronger opponents like in K-League 1 or K-League 2?

As for K-League 1, this tournament is coming to the end. The final round of K-League 1 will only end on November 24. After that, K-League 1 teams will close the season and enter a state of rest, so it will be difficult for clubs to accept friendly matches.

For K-League 2, the tournament has ended with the final round taking place on November 9. However, like the K-League 1 teams, the second division clubs are on a break. It is not easy to find "green troops" for the upcoming training trip.

Finally, K-League 3 ended on November 2. By now, teams like Gyeongju have had more than 2 weeks off and can be ready for the next match.

Instead of gathering the Vietnamese team for the FIFA Days friendly, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) decided to let the V-League take place during this period, then bring the national team to gather "through" from November 21 to the AFF Cup 2024 to serve the continuity of the training process.

Because the competition is not part of FIFA Days, the Vietnamese team cannot play friendly matches with national teams, but must choose "blue team" which is the club. The end of the year is the time when national championships are still taking place, so playing with which team is a headache.

It is not easy to find strong opponents when the AFF Cup is near. The Thai team also just had a friendly match with Laos (1-1 draw), while Malaysia, the Philippines, and Myanmar have matches within Southeast Asia to test their squads.

This is a common problem for teams that are eliminated early in the World Cup qualifiers. Because strong teams like Japan, Korea, Iran, Australia... are busy competing in the third qualifying round, the teams that are eliminated early have to be satisfied with more suitable opponents.

Over the past two months, the Vietnamese team has played three friendly matches with three opponents. Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team lost to Russia (0-3) and Thailand (1-2), and drew with India (1-1).

The Vietnamese team will begin their journey at the AFF Cup 2024 on December 9, with an away match against Laos. In Group B, Quang Hai and his teammates will face Laos, Indonesia, the Philippines and Myanmar.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-tuyen-viet-nam-sap-gap-doi-thu-manh-co-nao-o-han-quoc-185241118080346221.htm