German-born defender called up to Vietnam national football team

Schmidt is playing for Topenland Binh Dinh in V. League. The 28-year-old defender has a height of 1.85 meters. He has a Vietnamese father and German mother. Schmidt started playing in V. League in 2018 for Hai Phong FC and moved to Binh Dinh before the 2022 season.

He is one of the three rookies in the list of 28 players that Park called up to the national team on Thursday. The two others are Hanoi FC defender Nguyen Van Vi and keeper Vu Tuyen Quang – Schmidt’s teammate in Binh Dinh.

Schimdt will face stiff competition on the national team for the center-back position since Park is spoiled for choice.

The national team will start training on March 15. Later, they will play Oman on March 24 and Japan on the 27th.

After seven straight losses, Vietnam claimed their first victory, beating China 3-1 at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi. This helped them become the first Southeast Asia team ever to win a game in the final round of World Cup qualifiers.