Assistant Coach Kim Sang Sik: 'Vietnam U23 Screening Squad for Asian Games'

Assistant Coach Dinh Hong Vinh continues to be entrusted as the Acting Head Coach of the Vietnam U23 national team participating in the CFA Team China International Football Tournament – Xi'an 2026, a crucial preparatory step for the Asian Games 20 in Japan this coming September.

Speaking in an interview before the Vietnam U23 team's training session this afternoon, March 17th, Acting Head Coach Dinh Hong Vinh stated: "This time, the difference is that most of the players called up are young players. Over the past year, they have had few opportunities to compete. Therefore, this training camp is an occasion for us to prepare for the tournaments coming up in September. Simultaneously, it is also an opportunity to screen, evaluate, and select a long-term squad for Vietnamese football."

Regarding the unfortunate absence of midfielder Le Phat (Ninh Binh FC), Coach Dinh Hong Vinh shared: "Le Phat is a very good player, but this time I regretfully received news that he has a shoulder injury. This will certainly affect the team's playing style and squad-building plans in the near future."

According to information from his club Ninh Binh, during the training session on March 15th, forward Nguyen Le Phat suffered a shoulder injury and was promptly taken to the hospital for treatment.

Fortunately, Le Phat's injury does not require surgery, and doctors have successfully reset the bone. He is expected to be discharged from the hospital on March 18th and could resume training in about a month.

Regarding the case of overseas Vietnamese player Moric, Coach Dinh Hong Vinh assessed: "Moric is an overseas Vietnamese player and has been part of the plan. This time, we decided to rotate Moric from the U19 team to train with the U23 squad for one week. This is an opportunity to test and prepare the squad better for the future. If Moric adapts well to the team, he will certainly have the chance to participate."

At this point, we cannot fully evaluate Moric's capabilities. However, based on the initial plan, I have built a pathway including Moric and hope he will perform well in the coming period.

Currently, we have prepared a list of nearly 100 players. Through this training camp, we will carefully screen and evaluate to prepare the best team for the U23s in the near future. We always keep opportunities open to find the best talents and individuals for Vietnamese football."

According to the plan, the Vietnam U23 national team will train in Hanoi from March 17th. It is expected that on March 23rd, the coaching staff will reduce the list to 25 players before departing to China to participate in the CFA Team China International Tournament 2026, held in Xi'an from March 25th to March 31st.

This year's tournament features four teams: host China U23, Vietnam U23, Thailand U23, and North Korea U23, competing in a single-round robin format to determine the final standings. According to the schedule announced by the organizers, the Vietnam U23 team will face North Korea on March 25th, play against Thailand U23 on March 28th, and then compete against host China U23 in the final match on March 31st.