Overseas Vietnamese players in national teams
The March gathering shows a colorful picture of overseas Vietnamese players in Vietnamese national teams. In the national team, two goalkeepers Nguyen Filip and Dang Van Lam continue to participate as familiar choices of coach Kim Sang-sik.
In the adjacent lines, U19 Vietnam has Nguyen Ba Nhat Ka (2007, Ryukei University in Japan) and Antonio Moric (2008, NK Trnje club in Croatia). Notably, Moric has been promoted to the U23 Vietnam team to train with seniors for a short time.
The appearance of overseas Vietnamese players is not simply a movement experiment, but reflects the consistent orientation of the Vietnam Football Federation to create conditions for Vietnamese-origin factors to gradually access the domestic football environment. However, as the teams are deploying, opportunities do not come with privileges.
Talking to Lao Dong, expert Phan Anh Tu said: "Perhaps we know that there is currently a very abundant force of overseas Vietnamese players. However, to adapt to the Vietnamese football environment, adapt to the national team environment, they must gradually approach. If they do not overcome the V. League threshold, it will be difficult to enter the national team.
From a professional perspective, according to Mr. Tu, "hearing the name" is not enough to ensure a position. The training environment at the U19 or U23 Vietnam teams is considered a direct test.
I think that a player with good qualities is recognized by experts, so pushing him to the U23 environment is very beneficial. This is an environment for coaches to assess their true ability, because in fact some overseas Vietnamese players sometimes hear that, but they have to go through challenges to have enough basis for evaluation.
Criteria and adaptability
Not only in the national team or U23 Vietnam, the story of overseas Vietnamese players is also expanded to U19 with new faces. This is a signal that the process of searching for and recruiting Vietnamese-origin players by VFF is taking place continuously with many subjects, many ages, instead of just focusing on the national team.
According to expert Phan Anh Tu, opening the door for overseas Vietnamese players is in line with the general trend: "I think that if there are many talented Vietnamese-origin players contributing to football, contributing to other sports, they are all very valuable. Anyway, they also carry Vietnamese blood and they are oriented towards the Fatherland. If there are many overseas Vietnamese players returning to play for the Vietnamese national team, we welcome them very much because their physique and innate qualities are very good. Besides, they are trained in a relatively modern and advanced environment. The most important issue is whether they can adapt and whether their real ability meets the requirements well.
However, according to expert Phan Anh Tu, the key point is still the ability to adapt. Many players are expected when they return but cannot meet professional requirements or are not suitable for the domestic playing environment. Even naturalized players who come to play in Vietnam, although there are many faces mentioned, only a few can stay and become famous.
From a long-term development perspective, the path for overseas Vietnamese players is also more clearly defined.
I think young players must go through youth tournaments. From there they mature. For example, Khuat Van Khang and Dinh Bac played well at the SEA Games, U23 Asian Championship, and then had the opportunity to join the national team to participate in the ASEAN Cup.
Of course, overseas Vietnamese players are also not outside that process, they must train through tournaments and prove their ability. Then, they will be ready to be in the national teams to contribute to the Fatherland," Mr. Phan Anh Tu emphasized.
