An interesting experiment by coach Kim Sang Sik

Up to 8 players from the Vietnam U23 team are included in the 24-player squad for the national team’s training camp preparing for the two matches against Nepal in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers this October. Is this a move to "rejuvenate" the team or merely a minor test by coach Kim Sang Sik?

One detail to note is that some of these players are only young in age but are not new to the national team, like Khuất Văn Khang, Thanh Nhàn, Đình Bắc… They have actually been with the national team for 2-3 years and are just "specially sent" back to the U23 squad as key players rather than being "promoted." Nevertheless, the presence of many U23 members creates an intriguing situation.

Looking at the playing positions of these young players, it’s easy to imagine that coach Kim Sang Sik might separate the squad into two distinct teams during this training camp: one main team and one secondary team consisting entirely of young players.

In other words, for the two matches against Nepal, the Korean coach might conduct this interesting experiment instead of mixing young players into the main lineup. For example, the first leg might be played by the younger team, and the second leg by the main team. If the young team performs well, they might even play both legs.

This is not surprising. The two matches against Nepal are almost like practice games. The opponent is weak, and both matches will take place in Ho Chi Minh City, likely at Binh Duong Stadium and Thong Nhat Stadium. Although these are official matches, theoretically, even fielding the strongest lineup would not solve any major issues.

These two matches against Nepal occur amid the ongoing naturalization scandal involving the Malaysian team, which has not yet concluded with final penalties, linked to Vietnam’s 0-4 away loss in Kuala Lumpur. The results against Malaysia are the real crucial point; scoring many goals against Nepal is not the way to advance in the qualifiers.