Coach Kim Sang Sik had to break the norm to call Xuan Son up to the Vietnam national team.

Calling both Xuan Son and Bui Vi Hao shows that Coach Kim Sang Sik genuinely deviated from usual practice during this squad selection.

The lists for both the Vietnam national team and the U22 Vietnam team, announced on the afternoon of November 6th, have sparked quite a bit of debate. Notably, this includes the return of Xuan Son to the national team and Bui Vi Hao to the U22 squad. Both were called up very soon after recovering from injuries.

Both Xuan Son and Vi Hao have just come back from serious injuries. While Xuan Son suffered a bone fracture, Vi Hao tore his ankle ligament. Xuan Son was out for nearly 10 months, and Vi Hao was sidelined for about 8 months. Neither has played any club matches since their recovery, yet both were summoned to the Vietnam national and U22 teams respectively.

Coach Kim Sang Sik truly had to break his own rules to call up both Xuan Son and Vi Hao this November for special reasons. The Korean strategist has previously stated that when selecting players for the national team, he prioritizes those in peak form rather than calling players just based on reputation. However, this time he made an exception for long-term goals.

Xuan Son has just returned and only played a few minutes in an unofficial friendly, so his form is not yet assessable. However, his call-up to the Vietnam national team carries more significance. This training camp helps Xuan Son reconnect with his national teammates and regain his passion for playing. Therefore, even though his selection was not guaranteed, Xuan Son did take the field against Laos.

Vi Hao’s situation is similar. He has just resumed training and has not played any matches for Becamex TP HCM yet. Nevertheless, as a striker who is regularly called up to the national team, he was still selected for the U22 Vietnam squad. This is mainly because the upcoming SEA Games 33 is a very important tournament.

Vi Hao will have over a month to regain his rhythm before SEA Games 33, and joining the U22 Vietnam team for training camps and friendly matches is crucial. Like Xuan Son, Vi Hao’s role in the U22 team is vital since the squad lacks a high-caliber and experienced striker.