Vietnam's U23 goalkeeper surpasses three overseas Vietnamese players, bright prospects for starting role due to this reason

Goalkeeper Trung Kiên is the youngest among Vietnam's national team goalkeepers but holds the most remarkable performance data.

The roster for Vietnam's national team in the late March training camp is gradually being revealed as clubs announce their summoned players. Notably in the goalkeeper position, all have been disclosed with 3/5 selected faces being overseas Vietnamese including Patrik Lê Giang, Văn Lâm, and Filip Nguyễn alongside two domestic players Trung Kiên and Đình Triệu.

This creates intense competition for the starting spot in Vietnam's upcoming matches against Bangladesh (friendly) and Malaysia in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. Coach Kim Sang Sik will certainly need careful consideration when choosing the guardian of the goal. All five goalkeepers have ideal physique, match experience, and fairly stable recent form.

Notably, despite having three overseas Vietnamese players among the five goalkeepers, the brightest candidate for the starting role could likely be goalkeeper Trung Kiên, the star promoted from Vietnam's U23 team. Least experienced but this young keeper currently has the highest form and clearly possesses good psychological momentum from the 2026 AFC U23 Championship.

According to statistics, after 14 starting matches in V.League 2025/26, Trung Kiên's goalkeeper has made 62 saves, the highest in the tournament and surpassing the remaining summoned senior goalkeepers in Vietnam's national team. Considering only recent performance, Trung Kiên truly deserves to be the starting choice.

The overseas Vietnamese goalkeepers each have their own limitations. Filip Nguyễn is highly rated for expertise but his ability to communicate in Vietnamese with defensive teammates is not yet fully fluent. Meanwhile, Đặng Văn Lâm has extensive national team experience but footwork ability is not his strong point.

Regarding Patrik Lê Giang, he maintains good form at his club, but this is his first national team call-up, requiring additional time to adapt to the national team environment.

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