‘June debut → November championship challenge’ Coach Kim Sang-sik took the helm of the Vietnamese national team

Former Jeonbuk Hyundai coach Kim Sang-sik continues the myth of coach Park Hang-seo.

The Vietnam Football Association said on the 3rd, “Coach Kim Sang-sik will concurrently serve as the Vietnamese A team and the U-23 team until March 31, 2026. He will take the helm in Vietnam through the inauguration ceremony on the 6th.”

Vietnam replaced Philippe Trusier at the 2023 Asian Cup in Qatar, citing poor performance. After examining nearly 10 candidates, Vietnam finally chose Kim Sang-sik. Vietnam will have two Korean leaders, Park Hang-seo and Kim Sang-sik.

“Based on the cultural similarities and good relations between Vietnam and Korea, Coach Kim Sang-sik hopes to win support from Vietnamese fans and the media. I hope he will contribute to the development of Vietnamese soccer with confidence in his new position,” the Vietnam Football Association said.

Coach Kim Sang-sik will make his debut in front of Vietnamese soccer fans through the second Asian qualifying match for the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup scheduled for June.

Vietnam has one win and three losses (3 points) in Group F. While the top two teams are advancing to the third round of qualifying matches, Vietnam is ranking third, trailing only Iraq (12 points) and Indonesia (7 points). If Vietnam is to face off against the Philippines and Iraq in June, it should win all of them and take a look at Indonesia’s situation.

In fact, it is time for Kim Sang-sik to focus on understanding and adapting to the Vietnamese soccer environment. The real test will be the 2024 ASEAN Football Confederation Mitsubishi Electric Cup, which is scheduled for November. Vietnam, which gave the title to Thailand, its rival at the last tournament, hopes that Kim Sang-sik will regain the hegemony.

“What I expect right now from Kim Sang-sik is integration with Vietnamese players,” said Tuoitre, a Vietnamese media outlet that announced Kim Sang-sik’s appointment. “As a young coach, I expect him to leave new energy and color,” he said. “The World Cup qualifying round is not Vietnam’s goal. We need to focus on the Mitsubishi Cup and lead the team. We may not have enough time for six months before Kim Sang-sik encounters and learns Vietnamese soccer.”

Nevertheless, South East Asia has continued to see success of South Korean coaches since 2017 when Park Hang-seo came to Vietnam. Given the success of coaches Park Hang-seo, Shin Tae-yong (Indonesia), and Kim Pan-gon (Malaysia), the South Korean coach has high expectations for Kim Sang-sik as well. 메이저놀이터

Coach Kim Sang-sik took the helm of Jeonbuk in 2021 and led the team until May last year, winning the K League 1 and the Korea Cup. He has returned to the field for the first time in more than a year after breaking up with Jeonbuk due to poor performance last season.