A series of key players absent
U19 Vietnam is preparing to participate in the 2026 Southeast Asian U19 Championship after 1 month of preparation. This is one of the 2 tournaments that are important for young players this year, besides the 2027 AFC U20 Championship qualifiers which will kick off at the end of August.
Throughout the training process, coach Yutaka Ikeuchi could not have the best squad. Up to this point, U19 Vietnam is still lacking a series of potential pillars.
Nguyen Le Phat - a young talent who won a bronze medal with U23 Vietnam at the 2026 AFC U23 Championship is busy competing in the 2025-2026 V.League in Ninh Binh colors. Similarly, Dinh Quang Kiet and Tran Gia Bao and Hoang Anh Gia Lai are competing in the relegation race. Dong A Thanh Hoa Club also needs Le Van Hoan because the team has not ensured a relegation spot this season.
Notably, the absence of overseas Vietnamese player Antonio Moric as he is trying to find opportunities to play in Europe, so he cannot return to join his teammates. Another overseas Vietnamese player, Pham Anh Khoi, missed the U19 Vietnam match for the 2nd time in a row due to a ligament injury a few weeks ago.
In addition to the above faces, U19 Vietnam also has some players born in 2008 who could not participate in the tournament due to high school graduation exam schedules.
It's a pity that some factors that I want cannot be included for objective reasons. However, this is also a common story for players of this age group, because they still have to fulfill their learning obligations as well as participate in the professional league system.
Anyway, in 1 month of training, I have also found some potential faces. I and the coaching staff have also focused on improving their skills, helping them to play as best as possible at the 2026 U19 Southeast Asian Championship," coach Yutaka Ikeuchi shared.
From a positive perspective, the absence of many key players is an opportunity for factors who have made their mark at the Vietnam U17 team to show their abilities.
1 year ago, goalkeeper Hoa Xuan Tin, center-back Le Huy Viet Anh, midfielders Dau Hong Phong, Nguyen Trong Duc Vu or forwards Nguyen Van Bach, Hoang Trong Duy Khang, Nguyen Thien Phu... almost helped U17 Vietnam participate in the 2025 U17 World Cup. They have enough qualities to help U19 Vietnam go deep in the regional playground.
New challenges
U19 Vietnam will have to decipher the challenges from the host Indonesia as well as the tournament regulations.
The U19 Southeast Asian Championship is divided into 11 teams into 3 groups, with only 3 first-placed teams in each group and the second-placed team with the best results qualifying for the semi-finals.
Due to the difference in the number of teams in the groups (1 group of 3 teams and 2 groups of 4 teams), the 3 second-placed teams in the groups will not be considered for achievements with the corresponding 4th-placed team. This is a disadvantage for U19 Vietnam.
In Group A, U19 Timor Leste is rated lowest. The opportunity for coach Yutaka's team to win 3 points with a large score is entirely possible. But everything would be meaningless if U19 Vietnam only ranked 2nd and U19 Timor Leste was at the bottom of the group. At that time, Thien Phu and his teammates would only be considered for achievements against U19 Indonesia and U19 Myanmar when compared to the two runners-up teams in Groups B and C.
Therefore, to ensure a ticket to the semi-finals with the top spot in Group A, U19 Vietnam must overcome U19 Indonesia. This is a difficult problem for Mr. Yutaka Ikeuchi's team, because in addition to not having the strongest force, the players also have to face the home team, which has been training more thoroughly in the past year.
Indonesia will be the biggest obstacle that U19 Vietnam must overcome. But in fact, the opponent is holding a very strong squad. We will have to try our best in the direct confrontation with Indonesia," coach Yutaka Ikeuchi expressed.
