Coach Cristiano Roland: “U17 Vietnam strives to handle each match at the U17 Asian Cup”
On the afternoon of March 3rd, the U17 Vietnam officially entered an important training phase to prepare for the 2025 AFC U17 Asian Cup. This was also the first training session with the full squad, featuring the best-performing U17 players at the moment.
05/03/2025 10:46:28
With only about a month of training time to finalize the squad and strengthen their playing style, it is easy to see that the players who participated in the 2025 AFC U17 Asian Cup qualifiers continue to dominate the list of 34 players called up. In fact, they are also considered the best performers, according to head coach Cristiano Roland’s evaluation.
However, the opportunity for “newcomers” is also wide open, as the competition within the U17 Vietnam is very positive and fair. “In the list of 34 players called up this time, there are some players who are joining the national team for the first time. During the training phase, the coaching staff will observe and evaluate them, then gradually shorten the list to select the best possible squad,” said head coach Cristiano Roland.
Speaking about the case of Vietnamese-French player Thomas Mai Veeren, who has been attracting a lot of attention, coach Cristiano Roland said: “I have researched information about Thomas through the videos I received. In the coming time, I will directly assess his ability through training, which will allow for comparison, evaluation, and decision-making. We will continue to observe and support him in integrating with the team. As for whether he will be helpful to the national team, it will require more time. Hopefully, he will bring positive things to the team.”
According to the plan, the Vietnam U17 national team will continue training at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center until March 23, when they will depart for Oman for a training camp. In Oman, the team will play two friendly matches against the host nation’s U17 team, which is also preparing for the 2025 AFC U17 Championship. Coach Cristiano Roland highly appreciates the arrangements made by the Vietnam Football Federation for the team during this crucial period and emphasized that they will make the most of the available time to ensure the U17 Vietnam enters the tournament in peak form. “Similar to the qualifiers, we will try to handle each match at the final tournament. The areas that need improvement were addressed by me after the qualifiers, and we have already planned for daily training to address them. We are always focused and aiming for the highest goal for Vietnamese football,” Coach Cristiano Roland emphasized.
