Ho Chi Minh City Police Club: Great reunion between Coach Le Huynh Duc and Tien Linh

Reunion at the Ho Chi Minh City Police Club

Ho Chi Minh City Police Club set out on the evening of August 8, bringing with it the hope of a successful season in the first time the heroic symbol of Southern football returned to the V-League.

To prepare for the 2025 - 2026 season, Ho Chi Minh City Police Club has brought in a series of talented players, most notably Nguyen Tien Linh, the current Vietnamese Golden Ball.

PHOTO: HCM City Police Club

Having won the domestic top scorer title twice (2018 and 2024 - 2025), becoming the only domestic player in V-League history to score 14 goals or more in two consecutive seasons, Tien Linh will bring the Ho Chi Minh City Police Club a guaranteed "output". In the friendly match against Geylang (Singapore), the 28-year-old striker also scored after a solo dribble past his opponent and then finished with his left foot.

At the Ho Chi Minh City Police Club, Tien Linh will reunite with coach Le Huynh Duc. The two were together in the 2023 and 2023-2024 seasons in the Becamex Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Binh Duong Club). In the 2023 season, Tien Linh only scored 3 goals, even though he had just won the co-top scorer title of the AFF Cup 2022 in the Vietnam national team.

The reason is that coach Le Huynh Duc had difficulty in balancing the two strikers Rimario Gordon and Tien Linh, the striker born in 1997 could not demonstrate his ability.

Because Rimaro played as a center forward, Tien Linh was assigned to play behind to support the game, which is not the 28-year-old striker's forte.

Tien Linh and Rimario repeatedly "stepped on" the Vietnamese team's striker, causing his form to decline, while Becamex TP.HCM struggled to stay in the league until the final round.

In the 2023-2024 season, Tien Linh scored 8 goals in the V-League, but his peak period mainly took place in the first leg. In the second leg, Tien Linh scored less and less, Becamex TP.HCM declined and coach Le Huynh Duc resigned.

PHOTO: HCM City Police Club

Although in the past, Tien Linh never rose to prominence under the coaching of Le Huynh Duc, at the Ho Chi Minh City Police Club, the relationship between two talented strikers from two generations can take a new turn.

The combination worth waiting for

Tien Linh is now a more comprehensive version than when he played under coach Le Huynh Duc at Becamex TP.HCM.

The striker born in 1997 has honed his skills through the ups and downs of his career. At the same time, Tien Linh has gradually become accustomed to the role of dropping deep to help his teammates develop the ball, when in the 2024 - 2025 season he was assigned the task by coach Hoang Anh Tuan.

13 goals in the V-League last season, along with good performances, have shown that Tien Linh is not just a goalscorer, but can lead the attack. This is the type of striker that coach Le Huynh Duc really needs. Ho Chi Minh City Police Club has renewed its squad with many new players, so it needs time to integrate and assemble the playing style. The appearance of an experienced striker in the V-League and able to take on the connecting role like Tien Linh is the "glue" needed to keep the machine running smoothly.

PHOTO: HCM City Police Club

The important thing is whether Tien Linh and his teammates at the Ho Chi Minh City Police Club can keep up with the strict requirements of coach Le Huynh Duc or not.

From the time he was coaching Da Nang until he moved to Becamex Ho Chi Minh City, Huynh Duc has always been famous as a "martial law" strategist, tough and disciplined.

Le Huynh Duc's strictness created a golden period at Da Nang Club with 2 V-League championships in 2009 and 2012. However, sometimes, this personality also has the opposite effect.

However, for a team with new personnel and big ambitions like Ho Chi Minh City Police Club, having a "steel" strategist who understands the team culture like Le Huynh Duc is also a solution to ensure success.

This reunion between Huynh Duc and Tien Linh may lead to a different result.