Song Lam Nghe An proactively trains the next generation of players

Peace of mind in the goalkeeper position

One of SLNA’s biggest successes this season is the brilliance of young goalkeeper Nguyen Van Viet. Born in 2002, 1m80 tall, Van Viet made his debut in the V.League in a 2-2 draw against Hong Linh Ha Tinh. Although the home team only got 1 point in that match, surprisingly, Van Viet showed no signs of the mentality of a young player starting for the first time.

The brilliance, courage and maturity of this goalkeeper caught the eye of coach Philippe Troussier. After only 2 matches in the V.League, Van Viet was called up to the Vietnam U23 team and the national team to train during the recent “FIFA Days”.

Currently, Van Viet has played 5 full 90-minute matches for SLNA and can be affirmed that, surpassing Van Hoang and Van Tien, the 21-year-old goalkeeper is SLNA's number 1 goalkeeper. The fact that a young goalkeeper like Van Viet has been given the opportunity to play more and mature helps SLNA feel more secure about the goalkeeper position in the following seasons.

In recent years, SLNA has been reaping the sweet fruits of goalkeeper training. In the youth team, goalkeeper Nguyen Bao Ngoc (born in 2007), 1m83 tall, in the SLNA U17 team, is the number 1 goalkeeper of the Vietnam U17 team at the U17 Asian Cup. Another goalkeeper who will certainly promise to shine is goalkeeper Cao Van Binh (1m82 tall), who is also Van Viet's teammate in the Vietnam U23 team.

In addition to Van Viet, Cao Van Binh and Nguyen Bao Ngoc, SLNA has many good goalkeepers with ideal physiques in the youth teams. At least in the next 5 years, the Nghe An team will not have to worry about the goalkeeper position because there are too many talented goalkeepers with plenty of opportunities for development.

Rough gems waiting to "shine"

The list of Team 1 participating in V.League 2023 has a series of players under the age of 21 and most of them are playing quite regularly and this is their 2nd and 3rd season playing at the highest level of Vietnamese football. The most typical are the young players Dinh Xuan Tien and Ho Van Cuong, born in 2003. The SLNA duo have both played 11 matches and scored their own goals in V.League 2023.

Also born in 2003, if not for injuries, central defender Trinh Hoang Canh and defender Tran Ngoc Dung, the two players who won the National U17 Championship with Dinh Xuan Tien in 2020, would have had the opportunity to try their hand at the V.League.

Meanwhile, another face, Tran Nam Hai (born in 2004), has also had 7 matches, 6 times in the starting lineup. Even the opportunity to come to Nam Hai is more than his seniors because the player from Thanh Chuong has a height of over 1m80 and can play many different positions such as attacking midfielder, defensive midfielder and central defender.

Also in the midfield position, Nguyen Van Bach (born in 2003) after 1 year playing for Quang Nam on loan is gradually integrating into the team's playing style. It can be said that not bringing Nguyen Manh and Khac Ngoc back is truly a gift for young players in the goalkeeper and midfield positions such as Van Bach, Nam Hai or Xuan Tien.

In September and October, the National U21 Football Tournament will start and half of SLNA's U21 squad will be reinforced from Team 1. SLNA will even have the opportunity to test a series of young players who are ready to be promoted to play in the professional tournament such as Nguyen Quang Vinh, Le Nguyen Hoang (U20 Vietnam) or Trinh Hoang Canh, Tran Ngoc Dung.

According to experts, in the near future, the faces of the Vietnam U17 Team such as Le Dinh Long Vu, Phan Van Thanh, Pham Nguyen Quoc Trung, Phung Van Nam or Nguyen Trong Tuan (Captain of U17 SLNA)... will have the opportunity to perform in the U21 SLNA team and may wear the SLNA Team 1 shirt one day in the near future.

With the U21 tournament, SLNA will certainly be considered a candidate for the championship. As for the professional playground, within the next 4-5 years, SLNA will be completely proactive in training the next generation of players in the context that senior players such as Que Ngoc Hai, Trong Hoang, Dinh Hoang are on the other side of the career slope. This is a significant advantage compared to the remaining teams of V.League./.