Start for SEA Games
Coach Kim Sang-sik only took a 6-day leave before returning to Vietnam on January 17. He does not want to miss any matches when the V.League and National First Division 2024-2025 return. The Korean coach once shared that he wants to put the ASEAN Cup championship behind him, because there are two important campaigns for the U23 and national teams in 2025.
Accordingly, the Vietnam team will play 4 matches in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, respectively against Laos (March 25), Malaysia (June 10), Nepal (October 9) and Laos (return leg, November 18). Basically, coach Kim Sang-sik has a squad structure for the Vietnam team after the ASEAN Cup campaign.
What worries coach Kim Sang-sik is the preparation for the U23 Vietnam team to participate in the 33rd SEA Games taking place at the end of the year. As of now, the host country Thailand has not announced the regulations on the force for men's football. The selection of the U22 and U23 teams, or whether to use 2-3 overage players or not - is still open.
However, from his perspective, the coach born in 1972 understands that zoning the players born in 2003 and later is the most important, because they will be the core of the Vietnamese youth team competing at this Southeast Asian Games.
The problem is that up to now, Mr. Kim has only used 3 personnel in this age group at the ASEAN Cup 2024: goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien, striker Bui Vi Hao and defender Khuat Van Khang. This number is really modest when considering the total of 20-25 players that Mr. Kim needs to choose.
More choices for Mr. Kim Sang-sik
Coach Kim Sang-sik wants to make the most of the V.League and National First Division period to monitor players under 23 years old. In addition to domestic players such as Dinh Bac, Van Truong, Chau Phi, Quoc Viet, Thai Son... Viktor Le - an overseas Vietnamese player who meets the age and nationality criteria - is receiving the attention of the 43-year-old strategist.
Viktor Le is only 21 years old and has just received Vietnamese citizenship for more than a week. Of course, he is under the watchful eye of the coaching staff. Not to mention, Viktor Le has a practical advantage as he was trained at the famous club CSKA Moscow (Russia) and spent 3 seasons playing in the V.League. Up to now, this player has played 37 matches, scoring 1 goal in the Vietnamese professional league. Viktor Le's ability to integrate with his teammates in Vietnam has increased significantly, through the time he played for Binh Dinh before and now Hong Linh Ha Tinh.
Remember, 10 years ago, Mac Hong Quan - a Vietnamese player who grew up in the Czech Republic also returned to play in the V.League quite early. This helped him gradually adapt to the Vietnamese football culture, from the club level to the U23 and national team.
Up to now, Hong Quan is still the most successful overseas Vietnamese player in Vietnam's history when he and the U23 Vietnam team made a splash at the 2014 ASIAD before winning the Bronze Medal at the 2015 SEA Games. The example of integration and adaptation of the midfielder born in 1992 is something that Viktor Le himself has been learning from.
Another name that also meets the age and nationality requirements is Andrej Nguyen An Khanh. This player was once called up by coach Philippe Troussier for the U22 Vietnam team in 2023.
Unlike Viktor Le, midfielder An Khanh is still playing abroad. Therefore, if he wants this player to return to the U22 Vietnam team without overlapping his schedule with a European club, coach Kim Sang-sik will have to arrange for the U23 team to gather during the same FIFA Days as the national team.
Andrej Nguyen An Khanh and Viktor Le could be new choices of coach Kim Sang-sik when recruiting players for U22 Vietnam towards SEA Games 33. The appearance of this overseas Vietnamese couple also partly affirms the diversification of resources of Vietnamese football in general in the coming period.
