Xuan Son starts on his return, Nam Dinh faces Long An.

At 6:00 PM tonight at Thien Truong Stadium, Nam Dinh Green Steel will host Long An in the Round of 16 of the 2025/26 National Cup. The highlight is the return of Nguyen Xuan Son: the striker born in 1997 is named in the starting lineup, ending over 10 months of injury treatment and marking his comeback in the colors of the Nam Dinh team.

The first day of a new term on the coaching bench.

The match against Long An also marked the beginning of the tenure of CEO Vu Hong Viet and new head coach Mauro Jeronimo. In that context, the decision to field Xuan Son from the start sent a clear message about a change in the pace of play and Nam Dinh's ambition to compete in the cup competition.

Why was Xuan Son chosen to start?

Before his return to the club, Xuan Son made an impressive comeback for the Vietnamese national team in their 2-0 victory over Laos on November 19th. He came on in the second half, scored a penalty, and was voted Man of the Match. This positive performance gave the Nam Dinh coaching staff the confidence to include him in the starting lineup for the Round of 16.

Personnel calculations and tournament regulations

Despite suffering a long-term injury and not being registered by Nam Dinh for the Asian Club Cup, the Southeast Asian Club Cup, and the entire first phase of the V-League 2025/26, Xuan Son was still included in the National Cup squad from the beginning of the season. Thanks to this, he was eligible to play against Long An – a strategic decision that allowed Nam Dinh to welcome back their "big-name" player at the right time.

• According to the V-League organizing committee's regulations, teams can add players during the second registration period from January 25th to March 17th, 2026, and these players can participate from round 12 onwards.
• Therefore, Xuan Son can only return to the V-League in February 2026, with the opening match scheduled against Hanoi FC on February 1st.
• With this schedule, the National Cup becomes a springboard for him to regain his match fitness before making his comeback in the V-League.

Thien Truong Stadium opens its doors: free stands welcome fans.

To celebrate Xuan Son's return, Xuan Thien Group and Nam Dinh Green Steel Club opened their doors to fans free of charge. Stands A3, A4, A5, A6, B, C2, C3, and D were all free; stand C1 was also opened free of charge exclusively for Long An supporters. The fervent atmosphere in the stands acted as a catalyst for Nam Dinh to increase their home advantage in this milestone match.

Professional impact: a key element in coach Mauro Jeronimo's system.

Xuan Son – a naturalized striker of Brazilian origin – is expected to become a key attacking force in coach Mauro Jeronimo's tactical system. With the rhythm of play restored after the victory against Laos and the feeling of the ball gradually returning through the National Cup, Nam Dinh has an additional attacking option in the crucial stage of the 2025/26 season.

The match against Long An was therefore not only a knockout round, but also the first measure of Xuan Son's readiness after a 10-month break, and a test of Nam Dinh's new tactical framework under the newly appointed leadership and coaching staff.