The Vietnamese team entered the ASEAN Cup 2024 with many doubts. Coach Kim Sang-sik has only been in charge for more than 6 months and has not made any outstanding impression. In the LPBank Cup friendly tournament, the team also did not perform well. After that, during the training trip to Korea, not much information was made public, causing public opinion to be skeptical and not knowing the team's true strength.
After more than 2 years with many failures under coach Philippe Troussier, Mr. Kim Sang-sik was placed with great expectations, much greater than when Mr. Park Hang-seo first arrived. Finally, starting from setting the goal of reaching the final, right after the group stage, Mr. Kim confidently declared that Vietnam could win the ASEAN Cup 2024.
After the best journey in the history of the Southeast Asian championship (winning 7/8 matches and remaining unbeaten), the Vietnamese team can now set a further goal in the Asian Cup qualifiers and once again put the World Cup dream in mind to strive for.
"The ASEAN Cup 2024 starting at the end of 2024 and ending at the beginning of 2025 is a great stepping stone for us to take off in the new year. Next March, the Vietnam team will begin their journey in the third qualifying round of the Asian Cup 2027. The team will be in the same group with Malaysia, Laos and Nepal. The task of coach Kim Sang Sik and his team is of course to be the top of the group.
In 2019, Vietnam reached the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup and was stopped by Japan. Teams that entered the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup do not have to play in the Asian Cup qualifiers. There is still a lot of time for the Vietnamese team to strive, so changing the playing style from now on is very important. We must play with more poise and class if we hope to reach higher goals" - Commentator Quang Huy shared.
Not only taking charge of the Vietnamese national team, coach Kim Sang-sik will have to prepare plans for the youth teams in playgrounds such as the SEA Games or the Asian U23 Qualifiers. In the SEA Games arena, in the most recent tournament under coach Troussier, Vietnam lost to Indonesia in the semi-finals in a match with an extra player.
After the success at the national team level, Mr. Kim has the task of continuing to bring success to the youth teams. This will help Vietnamese football become more consistent, discovering more talents to be the next generation for the national team in the upcoming journey.
"The current U23 team has some strong players who have been called up to the national team, such as goalkeeper Trung Kien, midfielder Van Khang or striker Vi Hao, who appeared at the 2024 ASEAN Cup. If we count the pre-tournament period, we have Van Viet, Tuan Duong, Van Cuong, Thai Son, Van Truong, Dinh Bac, Quoc Viet, Ngoc Son, Thanh Nhan...
The reason we have such a large young force that has played for the national team is because under Mr. Troussier, the national team was rejuvenated strongly, at times using the "2 in 1" method, which means playing for the national team and U23.
Because of Mr. Kim's inherited way of doing things, at the ASEAN Cup 2024, the team has veterans who were successful with Mr. Park, promoted under Mr. Troussier and now brought to light by Mr. Kim. The upcoming force of the team is very thick and deep" - Commentator Quang Huy commented.
After his superb debut at the ASEAN Cup 2024, Xuan Son is the name that is mentioned the most. With such a top striker in the attack, the Vietnamese team can hope for more in future tournaments.
However, Xuan Son's appearance is not limited to success at the ASEAN Cup 2024. This naturalized striker is considered a successful pioneer for other naturalized stars to contribute to the Vietnam national team. The criteria of VFF are very clear, they will not naturalize massively, carefully select those who love, want to devote themselves and are willing to sacrifice for the national team.
Xuan Son’s success will open a new chapter for Vietnamese football. In the trend of naturalization in continental and world football, Vietnam cannot be left out if it wants to reach new heights. After Xuan Son, Hendrio and Jason Quang Vinh may soon join the national team to create another miracle at the Asian Cup, and further in the 2030 World Cup qualifiers.
(Posted on the special edition of Lao Dong Xuan At Ty)
