Coach Kim Sang-sik will focus on U23 Vietnam; Inter Miami enters Leagues Cup semi-finals despite Messi's injury

Coach Kim Sang-sik will focus on U23 Vietnam

According to information from VFF, the Vietnam National Team is expected to gather from August 29 to September 10 and will have two friendly matches with the Nam Dinh Steel Club on September 4 and the Hanoi Police Club on September 7. This is a gathering to help the Vietnam National Team review its forces and maintain the playing rhythm to prepare for the two matches against Nepal and Laos in the Asian Cup qualifiers.

At the same time, coach Kim Sang-sik will have to pay attention to U23 Vietnam. The team will focus on the 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers at home ground Viet Tri. U23 Vietnam will face Bangladesh (September 3), Singapore (September 6) and Yemen (September 9).

Due to the overlapping schedules and the priority goal for U23 Vietnam, Coach Kim Sang-sik will almost certainly not directly "teach" the Vietnam National Team. Instead, the Korean coach will assign an assistant to take on the role of acting head coach in the two friendly matches with Nam Dinh and CAHN.

It is understandable that coach Kim Sang-Sik prioritizes U23 Vietnam. In front of U23 Vietnam is an extremely important tournament and the Korean coach's mandatory goal is to win a ticket to the 2026 AFC U23 Championship with the whole team.

Previously, in some training sessions, Coach Kim Sang-sik gave priority to the Vietnam National Team, while U22 or U23 were assigned to assistants such as Dinh Hong Vinh to lead in international friendly tournaments. However, since the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 tournament, Mr. Kim has directly taken charge of U23, showing a change in direction and priority.

In the immediate future, U23 Vietnam still has other very important goals to aim for. After the U23 Asian qualifiers at home, U23 Vietnam will continue to prepare for the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand. With careful preparation in all aspects, U23 Vietnam is determined to win a ticket to the 2026 U23 Asian Cup and participate in the SEA Games finals taking place in the Land of the Golden Temple.

Nam Dinh Club recruits European-class defender

On the evening of August 21, Nam Dinh Club continued to announce new recruits for the 2025/26 season. Being allowed to compete in the AFC Champions League allows the Thien Truong Stadium team to recruit unlimited foreign players. Of course, in the V.League, Nam Dinh still has to comply with the regulations of registering a maximum of 7 "Western" players and using a maximum of 3 names in this category on the field. This list will be finalized when the 2025/26 V.League finishes the 3rd round.

The new player that Nam Dinh introduced is Mitchell Clement Dijks. This player was born in 1993, Dutch nationality. He is 1m94 tall, specializes in left back, and can also play center back. Mitchell Dijks grew up at the famous Ajax training center, and was promoted to the first team in 2012. He also went to England to play for Norwich City, and to Italy to play for Bologna. Mitchell Dijks also played for the U16, U18, U19 and U21 teams of the Netherlands.

The presence of Mitchell Dijks promises to bring more “steel” to Nam Dinh’s defense. “I am very happy to join Nam Dinh. This is an interesting experience,” Mitchell Dijks shared.

Mitchell Dijks has played 5 times in the UEFA Champions League, 11 times in the Europa League. This player was a teammate of Donny van Beek, Davy Classen, Andre Onana. He is a student of coach Erik ten Hag, who used to lead MU and is currently the "captain" of Bayer Leverkusen.

The most impressive achievement that Mitchell Dijks ever had was winning the Dutch championship with Ajax in the 2012/13 season. At that time, the coach leading Ajax was the legendary Frank de Boer. The Ajax squad at that time had names alongside Mitchell Dijks such as Daley Blind, Ryan Babel, Siem De Jong,...

The scenario that made MU change owners

According to British media, the terms of the contract to sell the Glazer family's shares to Sir Jim Ratcliffe have entered a decisive stage, opening up the possibility that the Old Trafford team could change ownership in the near future.

One of the key clauses, called "drag-along", was triggered, allowing the Glazer family to force Ratcliffe to sell his shares if the American owner decided to transfer MU to another partner.

The condition for the clause to take effect is that the Glazers must pay Ratcliffe £26 per share. However, the Daily Mail revealed that Sheikh Jassim and the Qatari side apparently have no plans to continue pursuing the acquisition of MU after the previous failed takeover.

In contrast, Jim Ratcliffe invested $300 million in the team. He believes that MU will come back stronger after restructuring. By upgrading the Carrington training center, Ratcliffe shows his long-term commitment to the club, while continuing to push for changes at MU.

The Red Devils have been owned by the Glazer family since 2005, when Malcolm Glazer bought a 98% stake in the club. After Malcolm's death in 2014, the running of the club was passed to his two sons, Joel and Avram.

However, Ratcliffe and INEOS will take a 25% stake in December 2023, creating a major change in the power structure at Old Trafford. Ratcliffe will mainly manage the sporting side, while the Glazers will have little involvement in decisions.

Trent Alexander-Arnold receives harsh warning from Real Madrid

According to Diario Sport, Trent Alexander-Arnold is likely to lose his right-back position to Dani Carvajal in the coming weeks.

In the opening match of La Liga 2025/26, Real Madrid beat Osasuna 1-0, Alexander-Arnold was chosen by coach Xabi Alonso to start but did not make the expected mark. In the 68th minute, he had to leave the field to make way for Dani Carvajal, who entered the field with a fierce spirit and helped the team play better.

Marca commented: "The right-back position at Real Madrid has never been as fierce as it is now." Carvajal has been at the Bernabeu for nearly a decade and has always been a difficult name to replace. The appearance of Alexander-Arnold has made the competition even more fierce.

Previously, the former Liverpool star started 5/6 matches at the FIFA Club World Cup, only missing the semi-final against PSG due to a minor injury. Meanwhile, Carvajal has just returned from a long-term injury since October 2025.

Coach Xabi Alonso said Carvajal has been training very hard and is gradually regaining his form: “I have many positions covered by two players, and right-back is one of them. Carvajal and Alexander-Arnold are both excellent. This is necessary competition to improve the squad. Real Madrid will have many matches and the whole team must maintain their best form.”

According to Marca, President Florentino Perez also sent a clear message to Alexander-Arnold: "Either you have to perform well, or Dani Carvajal will still be the number one choice."

That also means Carvajal must be determined to keep his starting position if he does not want to lose his place, especially after a long injury. For Xabi Alonso, the problem is the balance between Carvajal's experience and Alexander-Arnold's creativity. A mistake in the choice can make "Los Blancos" pay the price.

In the next match, Real Madrid will be away at Oviedo in round 2 of La Liga, at 2:30 a.m. on August 25.

Inter Miami into Leagues Cup semi-finals despite Messi injury

Messi could not play due to injury but Luis Suarez shined in his place with a double from the penalty spot, Inter Miami defeated Tigres UANL 2-1 to get a ticket to the Leagues Cup semi-finals.

Tigres entered the game with determination, pressing and trying to break down Inter Miami's defense. However, the away team failed to take advantage of the opportunity, while Inter Miami gradually regained their rhythm, actively deploying the ball on both flanks.

The turning point came in the 22nd minute, when Suarez coolly converted a penalty kick, opening the scoring and sending the crowd into a frenzy. The early advantage helped the MLS representative play with enthusiasm, ending the first half with a 1-0 advantage.

In the second half, Tigres came out strong. After much effort, Angel Correa shone in the 67th minute, bringing the match back to balance. The equalizer helped Tigres become more excited, continuously pressing and creating terrible pressure on Miami's goal.

In that situation, Mascherano and his team were forced to retreat deep, relying on quick counter-attacks and individual brilliance.

In the 90th minute, Inter Miami was awarded a penalty after the referee checked VAR. Suarez completed his double by defeating goalkeeper Guzman from the 11m mark, sealing a 2-1 victory and a ticket to the semi-finals.