SLNA's 'acupuncture point' and the waste named Vuong Quoc Trung

Midfielder Vuong Quoc Trung was born in 1990, along with the generation of players The Nhat, The Cuong, Dinh Hoang, Nguyen Manh, Dinh Bao, Khac Ngoc, Hoang Thinh. Among them, Quoc Trung is 1 year older but his mark in the youth teams is not strong. Part of the reason is because he plays in the position of defensive midfielder, recovering the ball to serve his teammates.

However, in the 2006 national U17 championship, Quoc Trung also appeared in the SLNA U17 squad. It was not until 2012 that Vuong Quoc Trung truly showed his ability when he and SLNA U21 convincingly won the championship. Playing in the central midfield position, Quoc Trung and Khac Ngoc were an ideal "pair of two swords combined".

Returning after winning the championship with U21 SLNA in Ninh Thuan in 2012, Vuong Quoc Trung was promoted to the first team by coach Huu Thang to compete in the V.League 2013. However, in the first 2 years of becoming a professional, Quoc Trung could not compete for an official position and did not have a single minute of playing time.

Midfielder Vuong Quoc Trung (8) and the generation of players who won the 2012 National U21 Championship. Photo: FBNV

That was the time when SLNA owned a series of excellent central midfielders such as Hoang Van Binh, Ngo Hoang Thinh, Ho Khac Ngoc... Finally, Quoc Trung joined Hai Phong Club as a free transfer and it can be said that the port city team was an ideal destination for him.

In his first season with Hai Phong, Quoc Trung convinced coach Truong Viet Hoang with his fiery playing style and strong physical strength. He played a total of 22 matches alongside other Hai Phong midfielders such as Nguyen Minh Chau and Le Khanh Lam.

It was because of that impressive performance that in 2015, Coach Toshiya Miura included Vuong Quoc Trung in the Vietnam National Team to prepare for the 2018 World Cup Qualifiers. Although he was called up to the national team, Quoc Trung was not retained, but that was also an admission from the head coach of the Vietnam National Team at that time to this midfielder from Nghe An.

After Minh Chau retired, Quoc Trung's role in Hai Phong's midfield became even greater. During the 2015-2018 period, Quoc Trung was a key player, only missing a few matches/season. Especially in 2016, when Hai Phong Club was close to winning the championship and winning the runner-up position, Quoc Trung's performance in this team was even more recognized by the fans of the port city.

Midfielder Quoc Trung is thriving in the Hai Phong Club shirt. Photo: FBNV

In the 2019 season, when Hai Phong FC had some changes, Quoc Trung was forced to leave the Lach Tray Stadium team after 9 matches to join Thanh Hoa FC. However, while playing for the Thanh Hoa team, Quoc Trung did not get to play much and only had 6 matches. His career was at its peak but he was not allowed to play, so the player born in 1990 was called back to Vinh Stadium by Coach Quang Truong.

At the age of 29, Quoc Trung is still very energetic and has a lot of battle experience. Maybe in the first 2 years of joining SLNA's first team, he could not compete with his teammates, but this time Quoc Trung returns with a completely different mindset. When Khac Ngoc, Ngoc Toan leave, Van Binh also retires, he will be one of the oldest with the mission of guiding other young players such as Dang Van Lam, Nguyen Van Duc, Bui Dinh Chau.

However, after 11 matches, the youngest midfielder pair of V.League, Van Lam - Dinh Chau, did not leave much of an impression. Statistics from Instat also show that, on average, SLNA's ball possession in each match is the worst in V.League 2020, averaging 45%, only better than Thanh Hoa Club's 43%.

Midfielder Vuong Quoc Trung has not played a single minute in V.League 2020. Photo courtesy

There were a total of 7 times when SLNA's coaching board had to withdraw Van Lam and Dinh Chau to use Quang Tinh and Sy Sam to strengthen the midfield. However, among SLNA's central midfielders, there was also Quoc Trung. He was only registered to play twice and did not play a single minute. This was clearly a waste even though Quoc Trung did not suffer any serious injuries.

Past matches have also shown that SLNA's midfield is in need of a player who can pass long distances, control the game and defend from afar. Midfielder Quoc Trung may not be as good as expected, but at least his experience is completely useful for a team with many young players like Nghe An.

Vuong Quoc Trung - Coach Quang Truong's expectation

(Baonghean.vn) - When Khac Ngoc and Ngoc Toan left Vinh Stadium and Van Binh retired, Quoc Trung was the most anticipated central midfielder. It seems that coach Quang Truong is placing great expectations on this midfielder born in 1990.