Second Division and the story of Minh Trong and Van Binh

Because of "losing to the younger brother, being inferior to the older sister", the 2023 National Football Second Division - a semi-professional football tournament just started on May 24, while the professional V-League 1 and 2 have reached the 8th and 4th rounds, the National Cup has been playing since April and is preparing to compete in the round of 16. This year's National Second Division is divided into 2 groups, selecting the top 2 teams in each group to compete in the final to win 2 spots in V-League 2, the remaining spot to be promoted and stay in V-League 2 is the match between the 3rd team in the Second Division to compete with the second-to-last team in V-League 2, meaning there is still fierce competition to win the right to play in the professional football league next season.

The reason why we have to tell the story of the Second Division at length is because among the 14 participating teams, there is a famous name that won the National Championship twice in 1989 and 1996, from the time when it was competing with the powerful The Cong, the Dong Thap team, which produced many big names contributing to the national teams. Unfortunately, when operating professional football, this team from the Mekong Delta has struggled, from V-League 1 to V-League 2 and is currently playing in the Second Division.

And it is worth mentioning that despite falling behind so miserably, Dong Thap still has an important name that contributed greatly to U22 Vietnam at the recent 32nd SEA Games, defender Minh Trong. This player often plays as an attacking full-back on the left wing, is an excellent creator for Van Tung, Van Khang... to score, creating a solid position in the attention of fans and especially the trust of experts as well as coach Philippe Troussier in the process of implementing the new philosophy and new playing style of Vietnamese football.

The story of Dong Thap and Minh Trong is both a good and a bad sign that many people pay attention to. The good news is that even Second Division football can contribute talent to the national team and if they play well and achieve high performance, they can be considered for calling up to the national team anywhere. The bad news is that a locality with a football movement and a good training center like Dong Thap can also wither in the harshness of professional football. It is sad but we still have to stand up, have to start over to strive step by step from Second Division to V-League 2 and then to V-League 1. Hopefully Minh Trong will be the main factor, the leading pillar to help Dong Thap compete better, truly return "more formidable than before" in the near future.

Regarding the story of the Second Division, it is also necessary to mention a new requirement of the process of consolidating the real strength of the teams, first of all in V-League 1. In this 2023 Second Division, there are notable names participating such as: SHB Da Nang Youth, Ho Chi Minh II, Quang Nam Youth... which are the youth teams of the teams playing in V-League 1 and 2, namely SHB Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City and Quang Nam. While the Vietnam Football Federation has not yet organized a youth tournament for the teams in parallel with the competition process of the V-League 1 and 2 teams like developed football, this is a specific step through the Second Division. It is worth mentioning that the number of teams with enough potential to play in the two tournaments mentioned above at the same time is still too small. The Second Division is therefore made up of amateur teams that are gradually striving to improve, relegated teams such as Dong Thap, Dak Lak, Tien Giang, Lam Dong, names that recall the past of Quang Ninh football such as Luxury Ha Long...

Many Song Lam Nghe An football fans must remember that when the new sponsor recently took over the team, the idea of ​​establishing a Song Lam Nghe An youth team to compete alongside the first team was put forward as a long-term strategy to improve the team. But everything was then forgotten, although the Song Lam Nghe An youth team participated in the Third Division in 2022 but was unsuccessful and returned to grassroots football through the U teams. Although it did not do as expected, Song Lam Nghe An also had some consolation in that from the U teams, specifically U19, U17, it was still possible to contribute bright names such as Van Binh, Nguyen Hoang, Long Vu... to teams such as U20 Vietnam, U22 Vietnam. The number of young Song Lam Nghe An players who caught the eye of Mr. Hoang Anh Tuan or Troussier in the youth teams could be counted in the dozens, which is not something that every training center can do today.

To say that, taking care of grassroots football, U teams, having resources to participate in the Second Division as mentioned above is a necessary task to consolidate the strength, depth of the force, ensuring inheritance and development for V-League teams. It is also an opportunity for young talents from grassroots football, in the Second Division with potential to be discovered and used "above level" such as Van Binh as a backup goalkeeper, like Minh Trong who was extremely mature when playing in U22 Vietnam at SEA Games 32. Opportunities are open to everyone, especially young players under Mr. Philippe Troussier as we have known in reality when he was in Japan or in Vietnam itself where a series of U19, U20 players were trusted as specific, convincing examples./.