Without Xuan Son, how will U22 Vietnam win the SEA Games 'gold'?
Unable to use Nguyen Xuan Son, coach Kim Sang Sik is forced to put his trust in the young players of U22 Vietnam at the 33rd SEA Games taking place at the end of this year.
U22 Vietnam has few outstanding players
In order to promote the development of youth football, the Organizing Committee of the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand has issued a regulation to only use U22 players for men's football. This regulation was also applied in the most recent SEA Games held in 2023 in Cambodia. Previously, in the 30th and 31st SEA Games, Vietnam won gold medals when the Organizing Committee allowed the use of 2 older players.
Thus, coach Kim Sang Sik's plan to use Xuan Son at the 33rd SEA Games was "bankrupt". Previously, the Korean coach expected the 27-year-old striker to help U22 Vietnam reclaim the gold medal in Thailand.
Without Xuan Son, coach Kim Sang Sik must plan to prepare for the U22 players of Vietnam. What the strategist born in 1976 worries about is that he does not have many outstanding players.
Three outstanding players of the U22 generation that Mr. Kim promoted to the Vietnam national team to participate in the ASEAN Cup 2024 are Khuat Van Khang, Bui Vi Hao and goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien. Of which, Trung Kien did not play a single minute, while Van Khang started 3 matches, Vi Hao 5 matches.
In addition to the 3 players wearing the national team jersey above, U22 Vietnam also has Thai Son, Nguyen Van Truong, Dinh Bac, Quoc Viet, Thanh Nhan, Tran Ngoc Son, Ho Van Cuong... These are players who were called up to the Vietnam national team under coach Troussier.
From now until the end of the year, Coach Kim Sang Sik and his colleagues will continue to "watch" players in the V-League and First Division, thereby screening the force to choose the best squad for the SEA Games. There is still a lot of time, but the important thing is whether the young players can regularly play for their clubs or not is another story.
All out for SEA Games
In 2025, if the Vietnamese team has the task of passing the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup, U22 Vietnam has the goal of winning the SEA Games gold medal.
VFF President Tran Quoc Tuan said that the Vietnam U22 team will be given maximum conditions, with training trips and friendly matches in 2025 to best prepare for the 33rd SEA Games.
In March, U22 Vietnam will participate in the international U22 football tournament in China, with the participation of 4 U22 teams, including host U22 China, U22 Vietnam and two other quality guest U22 teams announced by the Organizing Committee in the near future.
In addition, it is expected that in September, U23 Vietnam with the core of U22 players will participate in the 2026 U23 Asian qualifiers. This is a tournament in which Vietnamese football sets a "double" goal: Get a ticket to the continental tournament, prepare for the 33rd SEA Games.
Along with the preparation of personnel, VFF continues to closely coordinate with VPF in arranging the competition schedule for the 2025 season, on the principle of ensuring the best for the team and harmonizing and balancing the interests of the clubs.
In fact, the fact that V-League teams release players to serve the youth tournament but the national championship or the first division must be suspended has caused a lot of controversy. In 2025, when the competition schedule is dense, VFF is quite worried because if the clubs do not agree, U22 Vietnam will not have the best preparation.
Therefore, it is not only the plan of VFF or coach Kim Sang Sik, the teams must also create conditions for their young players to regularly compete at their clubs, and at the same time be ready for the training sessions to prepare for the 33rd SEA Games./.
