Special period of Vietnamese football, U.23 team practiced behind closed doors on the first day

Both the national team and U.23 Vietnam gathered yesterday (August 29) to begin the journey to conquer an important goal in September.

U.23 Vietnam and the Asian Challenge

After the miracle of Changzhou in 2018, getting a ticket to the final round of the U.23 Asia has become a vital task for Vietnamese football, with the goal being included in the football development plan. The U.23 generation can be seen as the closest and most important successor to the national team. Therefore, attending the Asian finals is an opportunity for players to accumulate, mature and have an important boost in their careers.

Vietnam team gathers for friendly match

Photo: VFF

U.23 Vietnam has participated in the U.23 Asian Cup continuously since 2016. That is, although the strengths and weaknesses of the players vary from time to time, compared to the Asian level, U.23 Vietnam is still a formidable name and is capable of being in the top 16. Under coach Kim Sang-sik, the standards will be raised, especially when U.23 Vietnam has just won the Southeast Asian Championship. That is, besides having a ticket to the U.23 Asian Cup 2026, Mr. Kim's students need to demonstrate a cohesive, convincing playing style and have a real professional change. Because the ultimate goal of the young players is still the Vietnamese team. Quoc Viet and his teammates are enough for the U.23 generation, but to be enough for the national team, they still have a long way to go.

In Group C of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers, U23 Vietnam will meet U23 Bangladesh (3.9), U23 Singapore (6.9) and U23 Yemen (9.9) at Viet Tri Stadium ( Phu Tho Province). This is a favorable group for U23 Vietnam. Two years ago, the young team coached by Philippe Troussier defeated U23 Yemen (1-0) and drew U23 Singapore (2-2) also at Viet Tri Stadium. U23 Vietnam is capable of taking all 3 points, but these are all opponents strong enough to make coach Kim Sang-sik and his team struggle.

U.23 Yemen is an unknown in West Asia, with a muscular, direct style of play, favoring aerial balls. U.23 Singapore has many skillful and agile players. Facing opponents with different football styles requires U.23 Vietnam to adapt flexibly, control the game more tightly, have many ways to approach the goal, and above all, adjust the finishing. At yesterday's meeting (August 29), the players were carefully reminded by Mr. Kim to be frugal and careful. "I want the players to be more enthusiastic and passionate. We must find victory in the qualifying round first," Coach Kim Sang-sik emphasized.

According to VFF, the training session on August 30 and 31 of the U.23 Vietnam team is an internal training session, with no media activities organized.

Vietnam National Team Purifies Its Forces

Also gathering on August 29, the Vietnamese team is preparing to play friendly matches with Nam Dinh Club (September 4) and Hanoi Police Club (September 7). This is the most special training session of the year, when Hoang Duc and his teammates will not play in an official tournament but will only test their skills with the "blue team". Doan Ngoc Tan has a broken rib so he will miss the national team this time. Replacing him is Phan Du Hoc, born in 2001, a full-back of HAGL (who was called up to the Vietnamese team under Coach Park Hang-seo and Troussier).

The 0-4 defeat to Malaysia shows that the Vietnamese team needs to reorganize its squad. The generational transition should be carried out now, as the key players are gradually approaching 30 and losing their physical strength and form. Although he will not be in charge of the Vietnamese team in September, coach Kim Sang-sik has given the green light for acting head coach Dinh Hong Vinh to bring new players to the team.

Hoang Phuc (Ho Chi Minh City Police Club), Van Chuan ( Hanoi Club), Quang Kiet (HAGL), Gia Hung (Ninh Binh Club), Hoang Anh (Nam Dinh Club)... will bring a new breeze to the Vietnamese team. Although it takes time to answer whether the new players can stay or not, at least the new players are strong enough to fan the flames of competition.

At the same time, the story of Ngoc Tan, Ngoc Quang, Dinh Trieu, Tien Anh, Hai Long... from "supporting actors" to "main actors" in the Vietnam national team under Mr. Kim also strongly inspired: every player has a chance, as long as they have enough ability and determination. When coach Kim Sang-sik's coaching staff is determined to clean up the team, many positions may be disrupted. Most recently, both goalkeepers Nguyen Filip and Dinh Trieu were no longer called up, paving the way for the appearance of young people like Van Chuan (2001) or Van Viet (2002).

After U.23 Vietnam finishes the Asian qualifiers, young players can join the national team in the October training sessions (playing 2 matches against Nepal) and November (against Laos) in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/giai-doan-dac-biet-cua-bong-da-viet-nam-doi-u23-tap-kin-ngay-buoi-dau-tien-185250829203059851.htm