Rich source of young players
Closing the 2024 ASEAN Cup journey, coach Kim Sang-sik quickly started planning for 2025. In addition to the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers with 4 matches of the national team, the task of building the U22 Vietnam team towards the 33rd SEA Games taking place at the end of the year is also focused on by the Korean coach.
At the recent Southeast Asian Championship, Mr. Kim only registered 3 players aged 22 and under: goalkeeper Trung Kien, defender Khuat Van Khang and striker Bui Vi Hao. Obviously, coach Kim Sang-sik and his colleagues have to look for new faces in the V.League and the National First Division this season. An optimistic signal for the 47-year-old strategist is that in the 2024-2025 V.League alone, after the first 10 rounds, clubs have used 58 players aged 22 and under.
Notably, among these, there are up to 30 young players who have played 5 rounds or more, which is half of the current V.League matches. This confirms the trust of football teams in young players. On the other hand, Ha Chau Phi, Nguyen Thai Son (Dong A Thanh Hoa), Dinh Bac (Cong An Ha Noi), Van Khang (The Cong Viettel), Van Truong (Ha Noi FC) ... also showed their qualities, abilities, and bravery to be given opportunities by the head coach.
Zone the “double main”
Currently, the host country Thailand has not announced the age criteria for men's football at the 33rd SEA Games. However, players aged 22 and under have the potential to compete at the Southeast Asian Games later this year.
About 30 players in this age group are playing regularly in the V.League. For example, at Thanh Hoa club, Nguyen Thai Son has played all 11 matches. He is one of the three irreplaceable players of coach Velizar Popov, along with seniors A Mit and Doan Ngoc Tan. Two other midfielders, Ha Chau Phi and Doan Ngoc Ha, have played from 7 to 9 matches this season.
At Hanoi club, Hanoi Police or Viettel The Cong, Dinh Bac, Van Khang, Van Truong... also played continuously. The story is similar with striker Bui Vi Hao (10 matches in Binh Duong), goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien, defender Pham Ly Duc (9-10 matches in Hoang Anh Gia Lai), or 2 players who were mentioned a lot in Da Nang, Phi Hoang and Dinh Duy, also played 9 matches.
In its strategy to rejuvenate the squad, Song Lam Nghe An has introduced a number of potential faces in the 2024-2025 V.League. In addition to the previously known group of players such as Van Viet, Xuan Tien, Van Cuong, Nguyen Hoang..., Le Dinh Long Vu, Nguyen Quang Vinh and Bui Thanh Duc are young players trusted by the coaching staff to give them opportunities.
