Vung Tau, 28 November 2025 – With 28 players currently in camp and only 23 slots available, Coach Kim Sang-sik admits he is struggling to make final selections for U22 Vietnam ahead of SEA Games 33, especially after the late arrivals of key players and the absence of captain Nguyen Van Truong due to injury.
Coach Kim Sang-sik has revealed that choosing the 23 best players for U22 Vietnam’s SEA Games 33 campaign has been one of the toughest decisions he has faced since taking charge of Vietnamese football. After five days of training at Ba Ria Stadium, the team has only just reached full numbers, with 28 players present. The final three—Nguyen Dinh Bac, Pham Ly Duc and Pham Minh Phuc—joined camp today after helping Hanoi Police FC defeat Beijing Guoan to secure qualification in the AFC Champions League Two 2025/2026.
The Korean tactician will trim the squad to 23 players tomorrow. Speaking before the afternoon training session, Coach Kim admitted the challenge has caused him sleepless nights. “All the players have trained very hard and conducted themselves well, so eliminating anyone is extremely difficult for me,” he said. “I genuinely lost sleep trying to identify the best squad to bring to the SEA Games.”
The biggest blow for Coach Kim is the loss of captain Nguyen Van Truong, who recently underwent knee ligament surgery and requires around eight months to recover. Kim shared that watching his midfielder suffer a serious injury was heartbreaking. Due to a packed schedule, he has not been able to visit in person but has asked his assistant interpreter to deliver a gift of encouragement to Van Truong.
Since arriving in Vietnam a year and a half ago, Coach Kim has enjoyed notable success, including winning the ASEAN Cup 2024, the U23 ASEAN Championship 2025, and securing qualification for the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026. However, SEA Games 33 will be his first appearance at the regional multi-sport event. “I am nervous but also excited. I’m looking forward to the challenges ahead. My staff and players will try our best to bring the best results for Vietnam,” the 48-year-old shared.
U22 Vietnam will begin their gold-medal quest with two group matches: against Laos on 3 December and Malaysia on 11 December in Group B. The Korean coach emphasised that the team must stay fully focused. “Laos are weaker, but we cannot be complacent. The players must score as many goals as possible,” he stated. “As for Malaysia, we will analyse their match with Laos to prepare the right approach. But the goal remains clear: we need to beat Malaysia to top the group.”
U22 Vietnam will depart for Thailand on 1 December and will have two training sessions before their opening match at Rajamangala Stadium.
Huu Tung
Leave a Reply