Brilliant V-League season of overseas Vietnamese goalkeepers in V-League

"Not just this match, Ho Chi Minh City Team has this position not only because they have a good structure... they also have an exceptionally outstanding individual, Patrik Le Giang. After today's match, Coach Phung Thanh Phuong told me that if voted, Le Giang would be the best goalkeeper of the tournament. That speaks to his performance. I think it's worth it and agree with Phung Thanh Phuong's opinion."

Those were the compliments that coach Nguyen Duc Thang gave to Le Giang after the goalless draw between The Cong-Viettel and Ho Chi Minh City Club in mid-June. That day, The Cong's star-studded front line was helpless against the Vietnamese-American goalkeeper.

They are not the only big names to surrender to Patrik Le Giang. The defense of Ho Chi Minh City Club with Le Giang in the strong goal is considered the most solid in V-League this season with only 26 goals conceded. That wall is the reason why Ho Chi Minh City climbed to 4th place overall, even though the attack only scored 30 goals, among the worst in V-League.

Le Giang's achievements are even more impressive when he is facing only mid-level or past-peak players such as Ngo Tung Quoc, Nguyen Minh Tung, Sam Ngoc Duc. This is Le Giang's best season since he returned to V-League in 2023.

This goalkeeper is hoping to soon have Vietnamese citizenship and will make the battle in the goal of the Vietnamese National Team even more fierce in the future.

That is a special position in the national team, which both brings peace of mind and causes headaches for coach Kim Sang Sik. Peace of mind because Mr. Kim has two other high-class Vietnamese goalkeepers, Nguyen Filip and Dang Van Lam. Headache because the one with a higher level (Nguyen Filip) is playing worse.

Night Wolf V-League 2023/24 has witnessed a series of mistakes, in many different matches, against different opponents from Nguyen Filip.

On the other hand, Van Lam showed incredible stability. Despite the upheavals at Binh Dinh, this goalkeeper still did his job well. With 28 goals conceded, Van Lam's Binh Dinh had the second best defense, after Ho Chi Minh City's main goalkeeper Patrik Le Giang. Van Lam also helped Binh Dinh finish the season in the runner-up position.

Together, they make the V-League goalkeeper picture brighter. Vietnamese football has never had so many top-class, European-quality goalkeepers in its squad.

The tendency of overseas Vietnamese to shine in defense is also unchanged. Behind the three goalkeepers above, Adriano Schmidt, Mac Hong Quan and Martin Lo are all playing in defense or midfield. The first two have affirmed their abilities in V-League for many years, while Martin Lo has also found opportunities in Hai Phong. 18 matches, including 5 starts, show that Martin Lo is still a strategic card of coach Chu Dinh Nghiem. For a player who is less than 1.7m tall and plays as a central midfielder, this achievement is a testament to Martin Lo's great efforts.

On the other hand, overseas Vietnamese players in the attack line are struggling to compete. From Ryan Ha (Hanoi Club), Viktor Le (HCMC) to Cyrus Ryuichi Tran (Binh Duong) or Truong Quoc Minh (Quang Nam), all of them rarely get to play.

The common point of this group of players is that they are young, have little professional experience, and even have certain misunderstandings about the level of V-League. A few compliments, a little technical quality, and some experience in lower leagues in Europe are not enough for them when V-League is not lacking in skillful players.

These four players also have to compete fiercely with foreign players, who are always the priority of Vietnamese clubs for their attack.

The real opportunities for overseas Vietnamese players are only bright if they play in defense. The front line is still the story of foreign players.