Young players with "bright prospects" to attend Asian Cup 2023 with Vietnam team

Through the first two matches of the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia, head coach Philippe Troussier continued to show that he is determined to build a balanced squad for the Vietnamese team by assembling 11 players with the best cohesion on the field - regardless of the players' names and reputations.

Mr. Troussier's path to conquering youth tournaments

At the time the Uzbek referee, Mr. Rustam Lutfullin, blew the whistle to end the match between the Vietnamese team and the Philippine team in Group F of the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia, there were a total of 6 players in the U23 age group in the "Golden Dragon Army" squad.

They are defenders Phan Tuan Tai (born in 2001, The Cong-Viettel Club), Vo Minh Trong (2001, Becamex Binh Duong), Ho Van Cuong (2003, Hanoi Police), midfielder Nguyen Thai Son (2003, Dong A Thanh Hoa) and strikers Nguyen Van Tung (2001, Hanoi FC), Nguyen Dinh Bac (2004, Quang Nam).

In the next match against Iraq, it was the turn of midfielder Khuat Van Khang (2003, The Cong-Viettel) and striker Nguyen Thanh Nhan (2003, PVF-Cong an nhan dan) to be given the opportunity by coach Troussier to "test the waters" in the regional qualifying round.

According to journalist-commentator Vu Quang Huy, the 7 young players mentioned above are capable of competing fairly with their seniors for an official place in the Vietnam national team in the next tournament, the 2023 Asian Cup - if they continue to maintain stable performance in professional club tournaments.

"Creating opportunities for many young players to compete may be coach Troussier's plan to optimize the force towards youth tournaments such as the 2024 AFC U23 Championship finals and further the dream of participating in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. After the U20 generation of Vietnamese Football has fulfilled their dream of participating in the World Cup, continuing to focus on improving achievements at other youth levels will help players accumulate more practical experience, gradually getting closer to the goal of participating in the World Cup in the future," commented commentator Quang Huy.

Outstanding efforts of young faces

"Without flour, there is no glue" - the basis for coach Troussier to confidently put young faces in the starting lineup of the Vietnam team comes from the excellent performance of the players at both club and national team level.

Among them, midfielder Nguyen Thai Son (Dong A Thanh Hoa Club) is considered to be a player with a great leap forward, leaving a clear mark in 2023. Having not been named by coach Hoang Anh Tuan to the list of players participating in the AFC U20 Asian Cup 2023 tournament at the beginning of the year and absent from the first training session of U23 Vietnam, Thai Son ended the calendar year with two full 90-minute matches for the national team in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, while always maintaining his starting position for Dong A Thanh Hoa Club in the V-League.

By the end of November 2023, Thai Son had played a total of 40 matches in the calendar year, including 6 matches for the Vietnam national team, 12 matches at the Vietnam U23 level and 22 matches for Dong A Thanh Hoa Club - numbers that confirm the remarkable progress of the midfielder born in 2003.

According to former player Tran Cong Minh, Thai Son's excellent performance when playing with his senior Nguyen Tuan Anh in midfield is one of the reasons why star Hoang Duc had to temporarily accept a reserve position in the national team.

"Thai Son and Tuan Anh are a pair of central midfielders who complement each other very well. While Tuan Anh plays with a soft and experienced style of play, Thai Son shows diligence in his tasks of tracking, recovering the ball, intercepting... to compensate for the strength of the pair of central midfielders," the former Golden Generation player of Vietnamese football praised the young midfielder of Dong A Thanh Hoa.

According to former player Tran Cong Minh, two young strikers Nguyen Dinh Bac and Nguyen Thanh Nhan can be "new winds" in the Vietnamese national team's forward line if they continue to be trained at club level.

"With Mr. Troussier's style, it is difficult to say which players will be sure to be in the national team because the coach's choices also depend on the player's form, the opponent's level or home-away playing conditions... Besides, many other young players in the V-League can also be given opportunities at the club, so young players need to continue to maintain their progress to keep their position in the national team," former player Tran Cong Minh concluded.