Impressive series of results
In July 2024, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) appointed Mr. Cristiano Roland as head coach of U17 Vietnam. From the position of assistant to coach Phan Thanh Hung in Binh Duong (predecessor of Becamex TPHCM) and U17 Hanoi, the former Brazilian center-back for the first time took on the role of leading a national youth team.
At that time, U17 Vietnam had just experienced a heavy defeat at the Southeast Asian tournament. The 0-5 defeat to Indonesia under coach Tran Minh Chien caused many doubts about the development prospects of players like Gia Bao, Duy Khang, Viet Anh... However, with the experience of a professional, Mr. Roland realized that he possessed a "mine" with great potential. This coach quickly shaped a new playing philosophy, and at the same time trained players in a more disciplined, organized and effective direction.
In August 2024, U17 Vietnam made a mark at the Peace Cup international tournament. Despite losing to China 0-4, the team still caused a surprise when they defeated Uzbekistan 3-0 and defeated Japan 1-0 - for the first time defeating a young Japanese team at the level of U20 and below.
Coach Cristiano Roland and his team then won a ticket to the 2025 AFC U17 Championship finals and continued to show clear progress. The players matured through competition and training, especially in discipline and organization.
Coach Phan Thanh Hung commented that the highlight that Mr. Roland brought was careful preparation in tactics and psychology, helping 16--17 year old players to strictly adhere to tactics early. U17 Vietnam played impressively when they drew 1-1 with UAE, Japan and Australia. However, the team still left regret when they only needed a victory in the final round to win a ticket to the World Cup.
Continuing the dream
It is not surprising that the Vietnam Football Federation continues to give confidence to coach Roland to develop a generation of players born from 2009 onwards. In addition to some familiar faces such as Chu Ngoc Nguyen Luc, Nguyen Van Duong, Mr. Roland almost had to start over with the task of "building the foundation" for U17 Vietnam.
However, with a coaching philosophy that has followed over the years, based on a familiar team of associates, the "backbone" being the 4-1-4-1 formation and a liberal attacking style, Mr. Roland has gradually trained, selected and shaped an increasingly better framework for the Vietnamese youth team.
Xuan Hoa, Manh Cuong, Anh Hao, Quy Vuong, Minh Thuy, Sy Bach, Dai Nhan... stepped into the light through matches from the U17 Asian Cup qualifiers to the U17 Southeast Asian Championship. The two "youngest brothers" of the team of the past, Nguyen Luc and Van Duong, have become strong, mature and made great contributions to the team's playing style. In the Asian qualifiers, they won all 5 matches against Singapore, the Northern Mariana Islands, Hong Kong (China), Macau (China) and Malaysia. U17 Vietnam scored 30 goals and did not concede a single goal.
High form continues to be brought to Indonesia by U17 Vietnam when competing at the 2026 U17 Southeast Asian Championship. Closing the group stage, Nguyen Luc and his teammates won 2 matches, drew 1 match, scored 14 goals and kept a clean sheet against Malaysia, Timor Leste, Indonesia.
Nearly 2 years have passed, coach Cristiano Roland has reaped positive results for 2 generations of U17 Vietnam players. Up to now, he has won 13 victories, 7 draws and only lost 2 times. The dedicated attacking philosophy of the former Hanoi FC player is clearly shown by the number of goals that U17 Vietnam has scored in 22 matches: 61 goals. In the opposite direction, the defense ability of the youth team is also very commendable when they have only conceded 13 times, mostly against strong continental opponents.
U17 Vietnam and coach Roland still have challenges to conquer. First is the semi-final match against "giant" Australia at the 2026 Southeast Asian tournament. Further, Nguyen Luc and his teammates are also determined to realize the U17 World Cup dream that was unfinished last year. This journey will be full of thorns, but with progress over time, young players can confidently assert themselves in the regional and continental arenas.
