Coach Kim Sang Sik makes a decision that marks the first occurrence in Vietnam's national team history.

In preparation for Vietnam's official and friendly matches in March 2026, Coach Kim Sang Sik summoned a preliminary squad, leading to a historic phenomenon that has never occurred before.

In March, the Vietnam national team will have a particularly crucial match against Malaysia in the final round of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. This match takes place on March 31 at Thiên Trường Stadium. A few days before this match, Coach Kim Sang-sik's team will "warm up" with a friendly against Bangladesh at Hàng Đẫy Stadium.

To prepare for the two aforementioned matches, Coach Kim Sang Sik decided to call up a preliminary list of 24 players for the Vietnam national team. Although the official list has not been announced by VFF, some clubs such as Ninh Bình FC, CAHN, and Công An TPHCM have revealed which of their players are included in the Korean coach's call-up.

Accordingly, as many as 8 CAHN players are included in this preliminary call-up list: Văn Đô, Văn Hậu, Đình Trọng, Cao Quang Vinh, Lê Phạm Thành Long, Quang Hải, Việt Anh, and goalkeeper Nguyễn Filip. Three players from Công An TPHCM are called up: the striker duo Nguyễn Tiến Linh and Đinh Thanh Bình, and goalkeeper Patrik Lê Giang.

Five players from Ninh Bình FC are called up: goalkeeper Đặng Văn Lâm, defender Trương Tiến Anh, center-back Lê Ngọc Bảo, midfielders Nguyễn Hoàng Đức and Nguyễn Đức Chiến.

All five mentioned individuals have previously "served the national team," notably Nguyễn Hoàng Đức with 54 appearances for Vietnam, Đặng Văn Lâm with 46 national team matches, Trương Tiến Anh with 18, Nguyễn Đức Chiến with 7, and Lê Ngọc Bảo with 2.

A notable aspect of this call-up list is the simultaneous inclusion of three overseas Vietnamese goalkeepers: Văn Lâm, Nguyễn Filip, and Patrik Lê Giang. This is the first time in history that three overseas Vietnamese goalkeepers appear together in Vietnam's national team call-up list.

CAHN contributes up to 8 players for this training session, making it the club with the most players called up. The fact that Công An Hà Nội contributes 8 players is also a noteworthy detail. However, considering their actual performance in this season's V-League, it is not too surprising. The police-affiliated club possesses a balanced, deep squad and maintains stability in both playing style and match results. Many players in their lineup are accustomed to the pressure of big matches, which is essential when entering important games at the national team level.

Besides individual performance factors, Coach Kim Sang-sik's preference for players who are already playing together at the club level is also a reasonable decision. Given that the preparation time for the upcoming two matches is not very long, leveraging existing synergy among players can help the national team quickly establish a tactical framework. Players familiar with coordinating at the club level will adapt more easily to the national team's tactical system, leading to smoother and more effective gameplay.

However, among the three overseas Vietnamese goalkeepers summoned, Nguyễn Filip's case remains quite controversial. While Văn Lâm and Patrik Lê Giang are seen as reasonable choices due to their stable recent form, Nguyễn Filip raises questions for many. The goalkeeper, who spent many years playing in Europe, is still highly rated for his reflexes, international experience, and footwork. Nevertheless, his performance this season has not been entirely convincing.

In some V-League matches as well as continental competitions, Nguyễn Filip has made regrettable mistakes, even situations considered quite basic for a goalkeeper of his caliber. These errors have caused his team to lose points or fail to keep a clean sheet at crucial moments.

Nevertheless, Coach Kim Sang-sik's continued trust in the goalkeeper of Czech-Vietnamese descent certainly has its own reasons. One important factor may be that the Vietnam national team's defense during this training session is likely to be built around the framework of Công An Hà Nội. In that case, using a goalkeeper already familiar with the defenders ahead would enhance cohesion in defensive organization.

Additionally, Nguyễn Filip's advantages in physique, international experience, and good footwork remain significant positives. In modern football, a goalkeeper capable of participating in ball distribution from the back line is always highly valued by coaches.

Still, if considering only current form, many opinions suggest Nguyễn Filip may not be superior to other Vietnamese goalkeepers. This means the competition for the starting goalkeeper position in the Vietnam national team during the upcoming training session promises to be very intense.