When Mr. Kim thinks differently
Coach Kim Sang-sik, unlike his predecessor Philippe Troussier, has had the hands of two overseas Vietnamese goalkeepers, Dang Van Lam and Nguyen Filip, since taking over the Vietnam national team. The competition between them lasted throughout the national teams from June to October. Mr. Kim rotated to use both, knowing clearly that he had top-quality overseas Vietnamese goalkeepers.
At the end of November, when the Vietnam National Team was preparing to enter the ASEAN Cup 2024, coach Kim Sang-sik decided to eliminate Dang Van Lam because a persistent calf injury prevented him from being able to compete. At that time, Nguyen Filip was expected to become the number 1 goalkeeper of the team.
However, Filip only started 2 matches against Indonesia and the Philippines. In the remaining six matches, Coach Kim put his trust in Nguyen Dinh Trieu. Despite many controversies, Dinh Trieu proved that Mr. Kim's choice was correct when he won the title of "Best Goalkeeper of the tournament", contributing greatly to the two victories against Thailand in the final.
The story of overseas Vietnamese players continues to be a topic of discussion in March when the Vietnamese team enters the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying campaign.
The Korean coach did not choose Dang Van Lam, despite the goalkeeper playing steadily in the First Division. Nguyen Filip also did not accompany the team due to family matters. However, Mr. Kim can still rest assured when Dinh Trieu is firmly established against the "Golden Star Warriors".
It should be added that even if Nguyen Filip stays in the Vietnam national team, his playing opportunities are not many.
Must make more efforts
At the end of March, coach Kim Sang-sik emphasized a necessary shift for the Vietnam team. He told the Korean newspaper: The Vietnam national team needs change.
We will actively look for overseas Vietnamese and naturalized players to help the team become stronger. This is a common trend in world football as well as Asia. This helps to enhance the competitiveness of Vietnamese football".
At first, Mr. Kim's sharing was quite contradictory to the way he used people in the Vietnam National Team, because inherently, even when Nguyen Filip and Van Lam, this strategist chose goalkeeper Dinh Trieu. Many overseas Vietnamese players playing in the V.League such as Adriano Schmidt, Kyle Colonna or Pierre Lamothe are not in coach Kim Sang-sik's plan.
However, this is a strong message that Mr. Kim gave during the player selection process: not every overseas Vietnamese or naturalized player would have a chance to play for the Vietnam national team. Instead, overseas Vietnamese players will have to try to prove themselves if they want to compete with domestic players in the national team.
The story of Viktor Le being given a chance but Andrej Nguyen An Khanh having to sit on the bench at U22 Vietnam is a typical example. Mr. Kim Sang-sik can open the door to the national team for players with the desire. But they still have to go through a filter of performance and form at the club level before entering a more strict selection process.
Nguyen Filip clearly understands the requirements of coach Kim Sang-sik and is trying to integrate and improve his Vietnamese language to meet the criteria for being called up to the national team.
Meanwhile, Quang Vinh - a player successfully naturalized in March - is also actively studying his opponent to compete for a place in the national team. However, for now, he needs to continue to show good form in the Hanoi Police shirt.
Recently, Quang Vinh has played steadily in the V.League and Southeast Asian Club Championship, but still needs to make more efforts to score points with Coach Kim.
