Argentina coach calls 2005 prodigy to join Vietnam futsal team
Coach Diego Giustozzi called up Nguyen Hoang Quan to replace Ngo Ngoc Son who missed SEA Games 33; new player Nguyen Tien Hung was given a chance. Vietnam previously topped Group E of the 2026 Asian qualifiers.
Nguyen Hoang Quan, a talented player born in 2005 for Thai Son Nam, was called up by coach Diego Giustozzi to join the Vietnam futsal team to prepare for the 33rd SEA Games. The decision came after Ngo Ngoc Son missed the Games due to personal reasons. At the same time, the Argentinian coach also gave a chance to Nguyen Tien Hung (2005), a rookie who was just honored as the Best Player of the 2025 Ho Chi Minh City U20 Futsal Open Tournament.
Additional call because Ngo Ngoc Son missed SEA Games 33
In the training list, the team welcomed the return of experienced ala Tran Thai Huy. Initially, Ngo Ngoc Son was also called up but later could not attend SEA Games 33. Coach Diego Giustozzi immediately added Nguyen Hoang Quan (Thai Son Nam Ho Chi Minh City) to fill the gap on the wing.
The close-season personnel changes show the coaching staff's clear priorities: maintaining a stable structure and patching up key positions in a timely manner. With such a short and highly competitive tournament, speed of adaptation and depth on the flanks are key.
Stable frame, fulcrum of experience
Coach Diego Giustozzi continues to put his faith in the pillars that have proven their ability and international experience. Besides Tran Thai Huy, faces like Nguyen Minh Tri and Pham Duc Hoa are still the core. They were the ones who contributed to the historic milestone: bringing Vietnamese futsal to the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2016 for the first time.
Maintaining the framework helps the team maintain smooth operation, while creating a foundation for young players to integrate more quickly in coordination on the flanks and transitions.
Rookie Tien Hung and the competition for the ala position
Notably, Nguyen Tien Hung (Thai Son Nam TP.HCM) was given the opportunity after shining at the 2025 Ho Chi Minh City U20 Futsal Open Tournament. The appearance of Tien Hung and Hoang Quan - both born in 2005 - accelerated the rejuvenation and created competition in the ala (winger) position.
In a densely packed tournament, having additional options on the wing helps the team be more proactive in rotation, limit overload for key players and maintain a stable competition intensity from beginning to end of the tournament.
Form before SEA Games 33
Before the training session, the Vietnamese futsal team showed convincing performance in the 2026 Asian Futsal Qualifiers. Vietnam ranked first in Group E with an absolute record: three wins, scoring 20 goals and conceding only 3 goals.
- Win Lebanon
- Beat China
- Win Hong Kong (China)
Good scoring performance and stable defense are the basis for coach Diego Giustozzi to keep faith in the current structure, while making reasonable additions to refresh the form.
Training plan and competition format
According to the plan, the Vietnam futsal team will train in Ho Chi Minh City until December 10, 2025, then go to Thailand to attend the Games. The men's futsal event at the 33rd SEA Games has 5 teams: Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Myanmar. The teams will compete in a round robin, with the final ranking points calculated.
With a solid experienced core and two 2005 faces adding energy on the wings, the Vietnam futsal team entered the 33rd SEA Games with a balance between stability and freshness – an important factor in a short-term, high-intensity tournament.
