South Korean Coach Apologizes Again After Failing to Win Since Leaving Vietnam National Team

Coach Choi Won Kwon – formerly an assistant to Coach Kim Sang Sik with the Vietnam national team – expressed his apologies to Thanh Hoa supporters amid the club’s ongoing decline in the 2025/26 V.League.

In the 6th round on October 2nd, Thanh Hoa was held to a 1-1 draw by Becamex Binh Duong at home. This marks the seventh consecutive match without a victory for the yellow-shirted team. “I can only say thank you and apologize. Our purpose is to bring joy to the fans through victories, but today we have yet to achieve that,”Coach Choi expressed during the press conference.

Thanh Hoa started the match with strong determination but conceded early in the 15th minute from a diagonal shot by Oduenyi. Shortly after, Mbodji headed in an equalizer, sparking an aggressive offensive from the home side.

Despite creating numerous chances, including a shot by Van Tung in the 84th minute that hit the post, Thanh Hoa failed to secure all three points as Binh Duong’s goalkeeper Minh Toan performed solidly. Coach Choi admitted: “We executed 90% of our prepared plan well. The remaining 10% involved conceding too easily and missing too many opportunities.”

In fact, the disappointment extends beyond this match. Previously, Thanh Hoa lost to Ha Tinh, suffered a heavy 0-4 defeat to Phu Dong Ninh Binh, drew with Da Nang, and came back from two goals down to equalize against Hai Phong. In the National Cup, they were also eliminated early by HAGL. After six rounds in the V.League, Thanh Hoa has only earned 3 points, sitting second from the bottom of the standings, just one point ahead of HAGL but having played two more matches.

The former assistant, who won the AFF Cup 2024, acknowledged that language and cultural differences pose significant barriers to implementing tactical ideas. Nonetheless, he remains confident in foreign players like Mamadou and Mbodji, and awaits the return of Rimario, Okazaki, and Okutani to change the team's fortunes.

Coach Choi Won Kwon affirmed that the team will make full use of the upcoming two-week break to refine their play, aiming for their first victory in the next round to restore morale and regain fans’ trust.