U20 Vietnam and Duong Vu Lam's Warning: The Issue Is Not Naturalized Players

People call it a rough gem, but I call it an unfulfilled promise. U20 Vietnam have just suffered two defeats in the Asian U20 qualifiers: 0-3 to North Korea and 1-2 to Palestine. These results are not simply about winning or losing. They expose a deep problem inside the way the team is built, the way players are used, and the way the coaching staff respond to continental pressure. I have followed Vietnamese youth football for many cycles. I have seen underrated generations rise at the right time, and I have also seen talented groups fall into deadlock because of one seemingly small detail: the leader does not understand the pain and ambition of his players. Right now, U20 Vietnam are showing signs of repeating that unfortunate scenario. In a recent analysis, former VFF official Duong Vu Lam said bluntly that U20 Vietnam did not coordinate smoothly and did not play like the national team, the U23 team, or the U17 team. He suggested the side may have misjudged their opponents and failed to use their squad strengths. That warning comes from someone who was once inside the system, not from a random voice in the stands. What interests me most is how Duong Vu Lam frames the issue. He does not talk about a lack of naturalized players. He does not talk about fitness or luck. He talks about the responsibility of the head coach. Ikeuchi Yutaka is judged to lack experience in handling situations at U20 Vietnam and seems not to fully understand his players. When a young team has no connection between tactical intentions and the specific players on the pitch, every beautiful lesson plan becomes meaningless. The story becomes clearer when we look at the squad. U20 Vietnam have players who have featured in the V-League, players with strong personalities and high-level habits. But Ikeuchi Yutaka has not found a way to put them into a common structure. Centre-back Dinh Quang Kiet, 1m95 tall, is a clear example. This type of defender can mark the best strikers in Asia, has aerial power and reading ability. Yet he has not been used much while the U20 Vietnam defence kept being broken. I remember sitting at a training ground when a coach told me that young players do not need to be taught how to run; they need to be put in the right place so they know why they are running. Dinh Quang Kiet, Tran Gia Bao and Nguyen Le Phat are names that can make a difference if they are operated inside a clear system. Their poor performances are not due to a lack of talent. The problem lies in how the team is organised from the dressing room to the pitch. One important detail in Duong Vu Lam's analysis is his rejection of the naturalized-player excuse. Many fans may wonder whether U20 Vietnam need more foreign-born players to improve their quality. But looking at U23 Vietnam under Kim Sang Sik and U17 Vietnam under Cristiano Roland, it is clear that a team does not need naturalized players to compete if guided properly. The U23 side built a strong position in Asia, and the U17 side also left clear marks in Southeast Asia. None of those teams depended on naturalized players. Youth football reflects the training quality of each football nation. A youth team playing with poor coordination, lacking pressing ideas, lacking escape routes or failing to use aerial balls is a signal from the curriculum, from player selection and from the coaching staff's flexibility. A naturalized player may patch a position in the short term, but cannot patch a system that lacks mutual trust. I also noticed a subtle point in Duong Vu Lam's words. He believes it is too early to conclude that Japanese coaches are not suitable for Vietnamese football. After only two matches, there is not enough evidence to blame the coach's nationality. The issue lies in his ability to handle specific situations, in the way he reads the game and communicates with his players. This is a skill that can improve, but it requires time and honest assessment. The match against U20 Iran on September 6 will be a decisive milestone. If U20 Vietnam lose, their path to the U20 Asian Cup final tournament will almost close. The consequence is not limited to missing a place. It affects the whole development chain of Vietnamese youth football, from keeping players, maintaining trust from V-League clubs, to Vietnam's status in the region. The pitch may become quiet after the final whistle, but the heartbeat of a generation of players still follows every touch of the ball. I have witnessed matches where the score was forgotten, but the look in the players' eyes after conceding was not. U20 Vietnam need a decisive tactical adjustment and a realistic view of the players they have in hand. Nobody demands the team play perfectly overnight. But fans have the right to expect a group that knows what it is doing, knows its strengths, and knows how to protect a result under pressure. Stars are not born on the pitch; they are nurtured in forgotten lands. U20 Vietnam's problem is not a lack of rough gems. The problem is whether those gems are being polished properly before it is too late. The match against U20 Iran is therefore not just another game. It is the answer to the question Duong Vu Lam has raised: by whom, for whom and with what ability is Vietnamese youth football truly being run? If that question is not answered, even if the team passes this qualifying round, Vietnamese youth football will keep repeating the same loop of regret. I once wrote that every contract is a farewell and a rebirth. For young players, every match is the same. They can say goodbye to a big dream or be reborn from defeat. U20 Vietnam still have a chance, but that chance only truly opens when the coaching staff dares to look directly at their own problems. Duong Vu Lam's warning is a mirror. The question is whether that mirror will be placed properly before September 6.