On March 8, according to information from the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), goalkeeper Nguyen Filip asked to be absent from the Vietnam national team training session during the FIFA Days in March 2025.
The reason is that Filip's relatives are sick, so he plans to return home.
VFF also sent wishes for good health to Nguyen Filip's relatives and waited for his return in the following training sessions.
Immediately after receiving the information, coach Kim Sang-sik decided to call up goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien from the U22 Vietnam team to replace him.
Tran Trung Kien was born in 2003, 1m91 tall, and is one of the promising young faces of Vietnamese football. Recently, the goalkeeper of Hoang Anh Gia Lai team was also one of three goalkeepers of the Vietnamese team that won the 2024 ASEAN Cup.
The call-up of Trung Kien helps the team maintain a deep squad, while creating opportunities for the young goalkeeper to accumulate experience when working with his seniors.
Currently, the Vietnam team is actively preparing for the friendly match with the Cambodia team and the match against the Laos team in the third qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup. This adjustment will not affect the team's overall plan.
