Xuan Son and the first goal: Nam Dinh enters a season of reconstruction

The seat Brenner occupied at Thien Truong Stadium last season is now empty. No one sits there anymore, but the echo of the goals scored by the Brazilian striker still lingers in every corner of the pitch. Before becoming a name, everyone is just a silhouette running — but when a name departs, one can truly contemplate the void left behind. Thép Xanh Nam Định enter the 2026/26 season with a completely different look. The club has said goodbye to five foreign players: Brenner, Akolo, Lucas Alves, Mahmoud Eid and Mitchell Dijks. That is a farewell called a transfer — a way to make it sound less like a farewell. The team from Nam Dinh did not make noise in the transfer market; they quietly restructured their squad with four new foreign players: Caio Cesar, Romulo, Lu Sambal and Ezequiel Santos Da Silva. The domestic signings also carry a sense of careful calculation rather than extravagance: goalkeeper Trinh Xuan Hoang, midfielder Tran Manh Quynh, defender Dam Tien Dung and striker Pham Tuan Hai. No blockbuster contracts were announced. But this quietness itself speaks volumes. Last season, Nam Định spent heavily to build a squad expected to compete for the championship. They finished sixth, a result that left fans disappointed. Now, the club is rewriting its plan with a different philosophy: leaner, more sustainable, and trusting in domestic talent. On the track, records are measured in fractions of a second; outside, life is measured in breaths. For a club that once spent lavishly, their breathing this season is slower — deliberately so. The most notable bright spot of the Nam Dinh side this season is their main striker Xuan Son. After participating in the 2026 ASEAN Cup with the national team, the forward returned to Thien Truong with the expectation of scoring his first goal of the new season. Expectation is a form of light, but for someone accustomed to confronting silence, it can also cast a long shadow. Nam Dinh's opening match of the 2026/26 LPBank V-League will be a home encounter with Hoang Anh Gia Lai. This is a match that pundits assess as well within the home side's control. However, a great match is never fully told; it just waits for someone quiet enough to listen to the counter-signals from the opposition. HAGL arrive at Thien Truong without being highly rated. The mountain-town team's objective this season is clear: survival. They have parted ways with key players such as Quang Kiet and Chau Ngoc Quang — a quiet erosion of squad depth. For a team accepting their underdog status, they do not carry the weight of expectation — the same weight that rests on Nam Dinh's shoulders. Nam Dinh coach Vu Hong Viet has expressed confidence ahead of this match. He believes that with the current squad and the quality of the new signings, the home side can take all three points against HAGL for a favorable start. In football, confidence is a tonic but can also be a subtle trap when it blinds awareness. New signing Pham Tuan Hai is expected to form a striking partnership with Xuan Son. This is a relatively fresh combination, untested in official matches. The chemistry between two strikers cannot be formed merely in training sessions; it is forged in breathless moments on the pitch, where players must read each other without words. The most fascinating story of this match lies not in tactics or formations, but in a symbolic detail: Xuan Son's first goal. He is Nam Dinh's most important player this season. Scoring in the opening match would relieve pressure and build psychological momentum for the matches ahead. Conversely, continued failure to find the net would turn the narrative of a burdened main striker into endless scrutiny. Vietnamese football is renowned for the invisible pressures players must carry. A great match is never fully told; it only waits for someone quiet enough to listen. For Xuan Son, his silence on the pitch will be the clearest answer to doubts. An empty seat still holds its occupant — we simply no longer hear their applause. The empty seats at Thien Truong are waiting for new cheers. For HAGL, this fixture is not just about three points. It is a survival equation for the entire season. Losing two midfield anchors is a significant blow. HAGL must find resilience from those who remain, from young talents given opportunities in difficult circumstances. In football, crises sometimes give birth to unexpected turning points. Beyond the Thien Truong fixture, the opening round of the LPBank V-League also features Thanh Hoa against SHB Da Nang. Thanh Hoa, having resolved their financial issues, are determined to beat their Da Nang opponents. Their strong return promises to intensify the competition at the top of the table. Meanwhile, a new breeze emerges as SLNA's stadium hosts attention toward a new team called New Bac Ninh. Their arrival signals that the map of Vietnamese football keeps shifting — old forces are challenged and new forces seek their place. What makes the Nam Dinh-HAGL match valuable is not merely the standings. When the opening whistle blows, Thien Truong will be where two opposing stories converge. One side is a team under reconstruction, carrying the desire to prove they can return stronger after a disappointing season. The other is an underdog, carrying the sentiment of the forgotten and the determination to rewrite destiny. For Xuan Son, this match carries an even deeper meaning. He is not just running to find a goal; he is running to prove that the journey from an anonymous silhouette to a name fans chant is not something fleeting. In Moscow that night, I learned that the final whistle is just a rest mark. Everything is truly decided before that whistle — in the silences of preparation. When the match ends, whatever the score, lessons will be drawn on both sides. Nam Dinh may leave with all three points, but if they fail to demonstrate cohesion among new signings, the season will remain long and arduous. HAGL may return empty-handed, but if they show resilient fighting spirit, that will be a precious foundation for their survival battle. Xuan Son's first goal, if it comes, will not be merely a sporting moment. It will be a declaration that patience and belief from fans have been rewarded. People often measure time through victories and goals, but few realize that the most precious period in sports is the silence between matches — when a player sits alone in the dressing room, looks at his boots, and asks himself: am I ready? Thien Truong tonight will answer that question. The opening whistle is only the beginning; the real story is written through the rhythm of runs, passes and split-second choices. In the middle of it all, the empty seat where Brenner once sat remains — a quiet testament that everything can change, as long as someone is brave enough to write a new chapter.