HLV Kim Sang Sik seeks solutions for the ASEAN Cup championship goal

While global attention is on the buzz of the World Cup, the Vietnamese team is quietly stepping into the most critical stage of preparation for their 2026 ASEAN Cup defense. The training trip to South Korea serves not only as an opportunity for Coach Kim Sang Sik to perfect his lineup but also as a trial of courage, stamina, and the future of Vietnamese football.

Amidst the World Cup, where speed, technique, and new tactical trends are constantly on display, Vietnamese football has been less prominent in the headlines.

However, in Coach Kim Sang Sik's homeland, he and his players are diligently training on the field, understanding that future success is not born from global football festivals but is built through closed training sessions, friendly matches, and personnel decisions made right now.

This training camp, lasting from July 2nd to 14th, is considered a key phase in the plan towards the 2026 ASEAN Cup and, further ahead, the 2027 Asian Cup finals. This is also a period for the South Korean coach to answer a series of lingering questions after a long and turbulent season.

The first thing Coach Kim Sang Sik undoubtedly wants is to find the strongest core for the journey to defend the Southeast Asian championship. Three friendlies against Siheung FC (K-League 3), Yongin FC (K-League 2), and especially Gangwon FC (K-League 1) are arranged with increasing difficulty. These are not just for players to regain match sharpness; they are tests of each individual's combat capability before the coaching staff finalizes the 23-player list for the ASEAN Cup.

The competition will therefore be fierce. Young faces like Quang Kiet, Nhat Minh, Ngoc My, Viet Cuong, Gia Hung, Van Khang… all have a chance to impress. Coach Kim Sang Sik has repeatedly stated he wants to create healthy competition to improve the team's quality.

After the 2024 ASEAN Cup victory, the Vietnamese team cannot live on past glories. A capable next generation ready to succeed the seniors is a mandatory requirement if the team aims for the 2027 Asian Cup and bigger goals beyond.

However, rejuvenating the team does not mean discarding the veterans. On the contrary, this training camp is also an opportunity for Duy Manh, Quang Hai, Hoang Duc, Xuan Son, and other key players to prove that their experience remains an invaluable asset. In short tournaments like the ASEAN Cup, experience can sometimes be more decisive than youthful energy.

One of the most troubling problems for Coach Kim Sang Sik is not tactical but physical. Most of the players have just finished the 2025/26 season with a dense match schedule. They had almost no rest time before reporting for national team duty. The overuse injury of Ngo Dang Khoa, forcing the young player to leave the team right before the trip to Korea, is the clearest warning of the existing risks.

Therefore, the coaching staff including players still in recovery, like Duy Manh, on the trip to Korea shows the goal is not merely training. The medical team will closely monitor the recovery process, helping the players gradually regain their fitness to be ready when the tournament officially begins. Keeping the strongest squad available is just as important as building a good playing style.

Coach Kim Sang Sik also understands that the peak of form must be calculated very carefully. After the ASEAN Cup, players return to serve their clubs before the 2026/27 season. No one wants to trade a title for a series of serious injuries. Therefore, managing training load, distributing playing time, and rotating personnel in friendlies will be no simple task.

During these days of the World Cup, trends in modern football are also offering many insights for the Vietnamese team. Processing speed, transition ability, high-intensity group combinations, and increasingly sophisticated set-piece routines are becoming weapons for top teams. With a longer training camp than before, this is a chance for Coach Kim Sang Sik to upgrade the playing style, helping the team not only control the ball better but also create diverse and surprising attacking options.

For Coach Kim Sang Sik, his biggest expectation from this training camp is not just to find the best 23 names, but to build a collective strong enough, united enough, fast enough, and brave enough to remain on top of Southeast Asia, before thinking about bigger milestones on the continent.