Vietnamese U23 goalkeeper bluntly states the reason for finishing bottom in China tournament

Goalkeeper Cao Van Binh identifies lack of cohesion as the primary cause for Vietnam U23 finishing last at CFA Team China 2026, and also considers this a chance to gather experience for future endeavors.

Following the journey at CFA Team China Xi'an 2026, Cao Van Binh offered candid assessments regarding the reasons for Vietnam U23's bottom-of-the-table finish. The tournament did not yield expected results, but clearly exposed many systemic issues within the young team.

Immediately after the tournament concluded, the entire team split into two groups to travel back home and quickly regrouped safely. Acting head coach Dinh Hong Vinh decided to allow the players to leave camp, concluding the short-term training period. This is seen as a necessary break before the players return to their clubs, continuing to improve themselves for future training camps.

In terms of performance, Vietnam U23 started with a draw against North Korea U23, before suffering two narrow defeats against Thailand U23 and China U23. This outcome partly reflects the disparity in preparation levels and stability in playing style among the teams.

According to Cao Van Binh's evaluation, the biggest limitation of Vietnam U23 lies in the lack of cohesion. The team only had a short training period, leading to players not understanding each other's intentions in ball deployment, attacking coordination, and defensive organization. On-field communication and covering situations were still fragmented, causing the system to operate inefficiently.

Besides collective factors, the 2003-born goalkeeper also acknowledged that individual mistakes were unavoidable. Facing opponents with strong physicality like North Korea U23 or cohesive play like Thailand U23 increased pressure, thereby revealing many basic errors needing correction. However, each match still provided significant experience-gathering value.

Despite ending the tournament in bottom position, Vietnam U23 still considers this an important stepping stone for the future. The immediate goal for the players, including Cao Van Binh, is to maintain form at their clubs, improve individual skills, and aim for better cohesion when regrouping. Further ahead, the whole team hopes to present a more positive appearance when entering official competitions.