“2 in 1” plan for the national team
After the Vietnamese team regained the AFF Cup championship from the Thai team, domestic football fans must be looking forward to the national U.23 team regaining the SEA men’s football championship. Games from Indonesia. Besides, we must continue to be successful in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, must top Group D of the 3rd qualifying round (including teams from Vietnam, Laos, Nepal and Malaysia), thereby winning tickets to the final round ( Finals) Asian Football Championship 2027.
Coach Kim Sang-sik will soon calculate the strength of the Vietnamese team in 2025
To be successful with both the national team and the national U.23 team, in two different tournaments, coach Kim Sang-sik must calculate very carefully. He must build a force that is both highly competitive and inheritable. This legacy squad will be applied by coach Kim Sang-sik in the upcoming 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers (starting March 25).
For example, in matches against weaker teams like Laos and Nepal, coach Kim Sang-sik will give many players in the 23-year-old age group the opportunity to try out. This job can not only help 23-year-old players strengthen their bravery and experience, thanks to playing alongside seniors on the national team, but also help Mr. Kim Sang-sik more fully evaluate his abilities. the strength of young players, preparing for the SEA Games.
On the contrary, in the matches against our main opponent in Group D of the third qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup, against Malaysia, coach Kim Sang-sik will prioritize the key players, using his strongest force. Vietnamese football to confront the strongest opponents. In matches against strong opponents, which are decisive for the ticket to the Asian tournament, only players with strong character and experience can withstand the pressure from the opponent and the audience. Brave players will know how to overcome the most difficult times, when their opponents put them in a difficult position.
Different opponents, different nature of the match, maybe coach Kim Sang-sik will use different forces, so that Vietnamese football can both ensure the completion of the goal of qualifying for the Asian Cup and can train players aged 23, heading towards the SEA Games.
Convenient in terms of time
Regarding the time frame, the timelines in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers are also supporting Vietnamese football in 2025. For example, the matches with main rival Malaysia will take place in June 2025 and March 2026, which means away from the time frame of the SEA Games (from December 7 to 19, 2025). It was a time when the national team did not necessarily have to test young players.
Bui Vi Hao (right) is a “2 in 1” player, both a national player and a national U.23 player, that coach Kim Sang-sik owns.
In contrast, the matches against Nepal (October 14) and Laos (November 18) in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers are close to the time frame of the SEA Games. That is, if coach Kim Sang-sik uses many players in the 23-year-old age group, in the national team colors in the matches against Nepal and Laos in the Asian Cup qualifiers in October and November, that is also the way he Kim trains young players right before the SEA Games campaign.
Next thing, this time frame is favorable in that it is easy for VFF and VPF to schedule matches in the V-League. If this tournament were to be suspended from mid-November, domestic clubs would have little reaction, because anyway the tournament would have to be paused for the national team to play during the FIFA Days time frame (match against Laos on November 18 in the Asian Cup qualifiers will be counted as FIFA Days). At that time, the U.23 Vietnam team can also take advantage of the above time to gather troops for training, prepare for the SEA Games, and then head towards the Southeast Asian Games that will open in early December.
