Diversifying scoring stages
U22 Vietnam has spent a full year preparing for the 33rd SEA Games and the 2026 U23 Asian Cup finals. Under the guidance of coach Kim Sang-sik and assistant Dinh Hong Vinh, the team has participated in 4 international tournaments including CFA Team China 2025 (March), Southeast Asian U23 Championship 2025 (July), 2026 Asian U23 qualifiers (September) and Panda Cup 2025 (November).
Throughout these 4 tournaments, coach Kim Sang-sik has quickly concentrated the squad for U22 Vietnam. However, contrary to that consistency, the team's attacking ability is more unpredictable.
According to statistics, 15 goals in the above 4 tournaments were scored by 12 different players. In addition to Thanh Nhan, Hieu Minh, Dinh Bac scoring a double, other factors such as Quoc Viet, Minh Phuc, Van Khang, Ly Duc, Xuan Bac, Cong Phuong, Van Thuan, Viktor Le and Ngoc My also contributed 1 goal.
U22 Vietnam does not depend on any "scoring machine". 1/3 of the team's goals came from the fighting ability of the central defenders and full-backs.
The approach to the opponent's goal also changes with each tournament. If in the U23 Southeast Asian tournament and the U23 Asian qualifiers, coach Kim Sang-sik's students solved the high ball situations well, in the matches against Uzbekistan, Korea or China, the team chose to go down the sidelines, return the ball to the second line or the striker blocked the penalty area to finish.
Against opponents of different skill levels and classes, U22 Vietnam still showed strategy, flexible playing style, the ability to control the game, proactively in situations with and without the ball. This helps Khuat Van Khang and his teammates feel more confident when entering the 33rd SEA Games campaign.
Still need a center forward
The fact that many U22 Vietnam players can score helps the team become more unpredictable when participating in the 33rd SEA Games. Since then, opponents have had a harder time finding a "sharpened edge" in their squad.
However, from another perspective, this also confused the satellites of U22 Vietnam in finding a destination in the coordinated phases of the opponent's 1/3 field.
The 2025 Panda Cup is an example. U22 Vietnam played well in the coordination from home to midfield. However, when approaching the opponent's half, situations often end quickly when the full-back or midfielder cannot find a good striker to press, or choose an open space in front of the opponent's defense to create an assist.
In the match against U22 Uzbekistan, when coach Dinh Hong Vinh brought striker Ngoc My onto the field, the danger and effectiveness of U22 Vietnam in the final phases increased significantly. At a height of over 1m80, Ngoc My's ability to cover and press helps her teammates find a support when performing coordination in the penalty area.
Looking at the successful SEA Games in 2019 and 2022, his predecessor Park Hang-seo once benefited from having center forward Tien Linh, Duc Chinh, Manh Dung...
Obviously, coach Kim Sang-sik also wants to own the main goalkeeper, serving the transition stages in matches or tournaments. Currently, he has Dinh Bac, Vi Hao, Ngoc My ready to play "number 9" for U22 Vietnam.
