Cong Phuong and Van Toan were not called up to the Vietnamese national team.

Coach Toshiya Miura has officially finalized the list of 24 players registered for the match against Thailand in the second round of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

Among the seven U23 players promoted to the national team this time, the striker duo Van Toan and Cong Phuong are not included as rumored. Instead, this "special assignment" group includes Ngoc Hai, Minh Tung, Thanh Hien, Huu Dung, Huy Toan, Tan Tai, and Mac Hong Quan.Among them, Huu Dung - a midfielder who has played every minute for the Vietnam U23 team since the 1-3 friendly loss against Thailand U23 in March - has been identified by coach Miura as the number one replacement for Ngo Hoang Thinh, a key midfielder who had to leave the Vietnam national team due to injury.

The Vietnamese national team (in red) mostly consists of players who are in good form in the V-League this season. Photo: Giang Huy.

During the recent training camp, Cong Phuong was often promoted by coach Miura to train with the senior players. Many hoped he could team up with Cong Vinh to form an attacking duo for the match against Thailand on May 24th in Bangkok. However, immediately after the 1-1 draw in the friendly match against North Korea – a game in which Cong Phuong did not play a single minute – the Japanese coach publicly stated that there was little chance for the Hoang Anh Gia Lai striker because he already had quality strikers like Cong Vinh, Hai Anh, and Van Quyet at his disposal.

After finalizing the squad list, the Vietnamese team will have one more day of training before departing for Bangkok on May 21st. Immediately after the match against Thailand on May 24th, Coach Miura, along with his assistants and the seven aforementioned U23 players, will fly directly to Singapore to participate in the 28th SEA Games. The remaining players will fly back to Vietnam on May 25th.

Cong Phuong and Van Toan have not yet had the opportunity to play for the Vietnamese national team. Photo: Duc Dong.

Meanwhile, Cong Phuong and Van Toan - who both graduated from the HAGL Arsenal JMG academy and rose to prominence while playing for the U19 team - will return to the U23 team to prepare for the 28th SEA Games taking place at the end of May.

According to the plan, the team will play a friendly match against U23 Myanmar at Cam Pha Stadium (Quang Ninh) on May 23rd. After this match, the coaching staff will finalize the list of 21 players (20 official, one reserve) to register with the SEA Games Organizing Committee.

According to VNE