U17 Vietnam is not just Thomas Mai Veeren...
On March 23, the U17 Vietnam team will fly to Oman to prepare for the final training session before participating in the 2025 U17 Asian Cup finals. In the first phase of the competition in Hanoi, coach Cristiano Roland and his students played about 4-5 friendly matches with opponents U17 PVF, Tre PVF, Bac Ninh, Tre PVF-CAND...
Through these matches, Mr. Roland has gradually screened the best quality squad for U17 Vietnam. Accordingly, 8/34 players have parted ways with the team, one of whom is Thomas Mai Veeren. Overseas Vietnamese players from the Netherlands almost "dominated the wave" throughout the training period of U17 Vietnam.
However, with the criteria of prioritizing individual quality and integration with the whole team, coach Roland decided to eliminate Thomas Mai Veeren before U17 Vietnam went to Oman, because Thomas needed more time to develop his playing skills. In addition, the obstacle in integrating with the team is something that overseas Vietnamese players must strive to overcome if they wish to return to try out at the Vietnam youth teams in the near future.
Without Thomas Mai Veeren, coach Cristiano Roland still has many other quality factors. Tran Gia Bao is considered the brightest name.
A series of notable names
In addition to Gia Bao, U17 Vietnam also has Nguyen Van Bach - a player who participated in training in Japan in the training program of Shonanmare Club Academy. Not only did Van Bach and U17 PVF win the Bronze Medal at the 2024 National U17 Championship, they also participated in the National U19 Championship and the National Second Division. In particular, he made a great contribution to helping the U17 Vietnam team win a ticket to the 2025 U17 Asian Cup finals. Two other young talents in midfield and forward, Nguyen Viet Long and Dang Cong Anh Kiet, also received the attention of experts. This duo once won the title of National Top Scorer U17 in 2024.
In addition, Nguyen Thien Phu is considered a promising face of U17 Vietnam and received many compliments from coach Cristiano Roland. The Brazilian coach affirmed that with his significant contributions to the Hanoi youth team, from U17, U19 to the Second Division, Thien Phu is a player worth watching for the current U17 Vietnam team.
In defense, central defender Le Huy Viet Anh (PVF), Nguyen Hong Quang (Ba Ria - Vung Tau) and goalkeeper Nguyen Van Thang Long (Hanoi) are reliable supports. In particular, Thang Long was the best goalkeeper in the National U17 finals last year and is currently the number 1 choice of Mr. Roland in the U17 Vietnam goal. Viet Anh and Hong Quang are highly appreciated for their calmness and maturity in defense. Viet Anh alone can also support the attack well. In the 2025 U17 Asian qualifiers, the captain of the U17 Vietnam team took a harmful shot, sending the ball through many U17 Yemen players into the net to help the home team win a ticket to the final round.
According to the schedule, U17 Vietnam will go to Oman for training from March 23 to March 29. Here, the team will have 2 "fire-tests" matches with host U17 Oman before traveling to Saudi Arabia to participate in the 2025 U17 Asian tournament. In this year's tournament, U17 Vietnam is in a group with the participation of the defending champions U17 Japan, U17 Australia (those who have reached the semi-finals 3 times) and U17 UAE. Although he is expected to face many difficulties against strong opponents, head coach Cristiano Roland is still confident in the competitiveness of U17 Vietnam.
The 49-year-old coach said that the challenge for U17 Vietnam is very big, but with careful preparation and determination, the whole team is striving towards the goal of passing the group stage, getting deep into the tournament and winning a ticket to the 2025 U17 World Cup finals.
