Thép Xanh Nam Định vs HAGL: When Xuân Sơn Reclaims His Rhythm at Home Ground

At the Groupama Stadium training ground, the atmosphere in the final session before the LPBank V-League 2026/26 season opener feels entirely different from last season. New faces appear more frequently than familiar ones. Caio Cesar, Romulo, Lu Sambal, Ezequiel Santos Da Silva — four names replacing five foreign players who departed. Trịnh Xuân Hoàng brought in from Hai Phong, Trần Mạnh Quỳnh from Binh Duong, Đàm Tiến Dũng from Hanoi, Phạm Tuấn Hải from Thanh Hoa. Thép Xanh Nam Định's squad this season is younger, cheaper, and full of uncertainty. Last season, head coach Vu Hong Viet's side finished sixth in the league table. With a heavily invested squad, this was a result nobody was satisfied with. The boos from the stands after the home defeat to Binh Duong still echo in the memories of those who follow the club. At the start of this season, club leadership announced a reduction in ambitions, focusing on the V-League and National Cup instead of continental competitions. This decision reflects a reality: it's time for Nam Định to prove their worth through results, not money. Their opponents in the season opener are Hoang Anh Gia Lai. The highland club this season has only one sole objective: survival. Quang Kiet and Chau Ngoc Quang have departed, two pillars they couldn't keep. HAGL is in another rebuilding phase, a familiar cycle for those who have followed this club through many seasons. In theory, this is a match Nam Định are expected to win three points easily. But football doesn't operate on theory. They say girls don't understand tactics, so I bring the entire season as evidence. Last season, Nam Định had an average possession rate of 58.3% per match, but only scored 1.2 expected goals (xG) per match. This figure shows the team created chances, but converting them into goals is a different story. The team's goal-scoring prowess has been questioned for months. Five foreign players departed, including Brenner with 8 goals last season, Lucas Alves with 6 assists, and Mahmoud Eid with 4 goals. A total of 18 goals and decisive passes have left the squad. Four new foreign players need to fill that void. Xuân Sơn stands at the center of this story. The 26-year-old striker just completed his duty with the national team at AFF Cup 2026, playing 270 minutes across three group stage matches, scoring one goal and providing two assists. Strong personal performance, but fitness is something no one can be certain about. He returned to his parent club later than teammates by nearly a week, with two international matches in his legs. Before writing this, I listened to voices from the Nam Định locker room during a training session three days ago. "I want to score in the very first match," Xuân Sơn told me, his voice calm but his eyes revealing the weight of expectations. "The national team gave me confidence, but the club is where I have to prove myself every week." Phạm Tuấn Hải is the name expected to accompany Xuân Sơn in attack. The 23-year-old striker from Thanh Hoa was brought in with hopes of creating a new combination for the attacking line. But in reality, neither has ever played together in an official match. Training sessions are all they have. The rhythm-keeper rarely appears on the big screen, but the entire match dances to his beat. If Phạm Tuấn Hải cannot create space for Xuân Sơn, if the two cannot find mutual rhythm, Nam Định's attack will repeat last season's problem: creating chances without being able to finish. HAGL won't make it easy for them. The highland club this season is expected to play defensive counterattack, positioning their defensive line deep in the final 40 meters, waiting for opponent mistakes. This is the survival playstyle that relegation-threatened teams typically employ against possession-oriented opponents. In the reverse fixture last season, HAGL made things difficult for Nam Định for the first 70 minutes before losing 1-2 with a goal in the 85th minute. That result wasn't surprising to those who followed closely. Data is only a map; the real path lies in the stands. The Groupama Stadium stands tonight will be the true test for both teams' mentality. Thép Xanh Nam Định have won 4 of their last 6 home matches against HAGL. Head-to-head statistics lean completely in favor of the home team. But statistics don't tell the story of what happens in the locker room, of worried glances when the opening whistle blows, of the pressure from an entire season's expectations placed on a young player's shoulders. Xuân Sơn is at the prime of his career, 26 years old, peak fitness, accumulating international experience. If he doesn't score in this match, the story won't end, but the noise will increase. On the bench, head coach Vu Hong Viet faces his own pressure. Last season he was criticized for failing to maximize the quality squad. This season, the squad is thinner, younger, but expectations remain. He needs a victory to soothe whispers from the stands. Victory against HAGL, the underestimated side, is a prerequisite for a fresh start. On the other side, HAGL arrives in Nam Định with a completely different mindset. They have nothing to lose. This match is an opportunity to prove critics wrong. The young team of Coach Chim Sẻ Đất may not be highly rated, but precisely because of that, they are freer. Empty stands don't silence a match — they just change the tone so I can hear more clearly. The cheering at Groupama Stadium tonight will determine the match atmosphere, and that emotion will travel through screens to millions of viewers. Thanh Hoa is also preparing for their match against SHB Da Nang. The Thanh Hoa side has resolved their financial issues, determined to take all three points from the opening round. The new Quang Nam team is also receiving special attention at Vinh Stadium, a signal that the V-League landscape this season is changing. Teams once overlooked are rising, creating competition across every position in the league table. But tonight, all eyes will be on Xuân Sơn. The number 9 of Thép Xanh Nam Định stands before the opportunity to open his season scoring account in the very first match. A goal will push back doubts, soothe pressure, and open a new journey for the entire team. A goalless match won't destroy anything, but it will double the questions that have existed since last season. They say girls don't understand tactics, so I bring the entire season as evidence. I have followed Xuân Sơn since qualifying matches at the U21 level, through turbulent V-League seasons, until he became an integral part of the national team. What I've learned through 12 years of following the sport is: the best players aren't always those who score the most goals, but those who know when to explode and when to be patient. The opening whistle is about to blow. Empty stands don't mean no one is listening — they just chose silence to hear the ball rolling more clearly. Xuân Sơn steps onto the pitch with familiar legs, eyes fixed on the opponent's goal. All that needs to be done is wait, observe, and record. Transfer windows tick — whoever blinks first loses. But the match isn't a transfer window; it's where all plans are tested against reality. V-League 2026/26 starts here.