Coach Polking: Cao Quang Vinh, Adou Minh are eager to join Vietnam team, Kim Sang Sik will be satisfied

When CAHN left the pitch with another clean sheet, coach Alexandre Polking spent most of the press conference talking about the Vietnam national team. He did not hint: Cao Quang Vinh and Adou Minh are two names that coach Kim Sang Sik should look at carefully before the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026. What seemed like simple praise opened a longer story about how CAHN has become a personnel anchor for the national team in a tournament outside FIFA Days. Polking confirmed that both players really want to wear the Vietnam shirt. For Cao Quang Vinh – a left-back previously called up to the national team – returning is a clear goal. For Adou Minh – a centre-back who just completed legal procedures to be eligible – this milestone is even more special as he could be on the official list for the first time. What Polking emphasized was not tactical schemes but attitude. He said his two students performed excellently, trained with great desire, and if coach Kim Sang Sik watched them in CAHN training sessions, Mr. Kim would certainly be satisfied. Polking did not stop at encouragement; he also expressed his readiness to release players for the national team. CAHN did that in the previous ASEAN Cup when six players were called up, and those players contributed to Vietnam’s title. More remarkable is the relationship between Polking and Kim Sang Sik. Polking revealed they have met several times, not only to discuss the squad but also how to keep players in rhythm when moving between club and national team. In an environment where club coaches often keep players, this coordination is an invisible asset for Vietnamese football. However, the story is more complicated than the praise. One clean sheet by the Cao Quang Vinh - Adou Minh pair at club level cannot be enough evidence to conclude they will succeed with the national team. Adou Minh has just become eligible; integrating with home central defenders such as Bui Hoang Viet Anh or Do Duy Manh takes time. Meanwhile, the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 comes right after the early stage of the V-League, and CAHN must balance releasing players with their title ambitions. Polking’s commitment therefore needs to be tested by the call-up list and how Kim Sang Sik uses them in friendlies. At the previous tournament, players released by CAHN helped Vietnam defend the Southeast Asian title; Dinh Bac shared the top scorer award with Xuan Son, scoring five goals, is one example. But Dinh Bac is a striker, while the role of this defensive duo requires more consistency and mutual understanding. A centre-back can score from set pieces, but his main job is to keep the goal untouched during a short tournament. Whether Cao Quang Vinh and Adou Minh are called up is probably no longer a question. For a Southeast Asian champion, the important thing is whether they truly earn Kim Sang Sik’s trust when the ball rolls, or whether they remain only pre-match praise. After more than thirty years holding a microphone, I have learned this: sport is not only about results, but the defence of a big team is always measured by clean sheets.