Youth football is nearing the World Cup threshold again
9 years ago, U.19 Vietnam made history for Vietnamese youth football when they reached the semi-finals of the 2016 U.19 Asian Championship, which meant winning a ticket to the 2017 U.20 World Cup.
Despite being in a difficult group, coach Hoang Anh Tuan's team still passed the group stage with an undefeated record (1 win, 2 draws). In the quarter-finals, Tran Thanh's lightning strike helped Hoang Anh Tuan's team overcome U.19 Bahrain to win a ticket to the world tournament. To date, this is still the only time in the history of men's football in the World Cup finals in the 11-a-side tournament.
Quang Hai (number 19) emerged from the U.20 World Cup 2017
Although they did not pass the group stage of the 2017 U.20 World Cup (finishing at the bottom of the table with 1 point), the young generation that participated in the world tournament that year such as Quang Hai, Tan Tai, Tien Dung, Hoang Duc, Van Hau, Dinh Trong, Duc Chinh, Tien Linh... became the core, leading U.23 Vietnam to the runner-up position of U.23 Asia 2018, then creating a successful era with the Vietnamese team under coach Park Hang-seo.
That said, participating in the World Cup (even at the youth level) is meaningful in the journey of "young shoots". Here, young players compete with the strongest football teams to gain experience and hone their battle skills. With the weak youth football team, where young players from U.17 to U.20 only play about 15-20 matches per year, participating in the World Cup is nothing less than a privilege.
Perhaps that is why U.17 Vietnam will receive special investment for the goal of participating in the U.17 World Cup 2025. Because the World Football Federation (FIFA) increased the number of World Cup spots for Asia from 4 to 8 teams, the opportunity has clearly opened up.
From now until the 2025 AFC U-17 Championship finals (taking place in April in Saudi Arabia), the young players have 2 months to prepare. The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) has finalized the candidate to coach the team, a Japanese coach with extensive experience in youth football. It is expected that this month, the team will complete a long-term training plan domestically and internationally (lasting about 2 weeks) to have the best physical strength and form.
The U.17 team (red shirts) needs careful care.
To win a ticket to the group stage (equivalent to a World Cup berth) in a group with U.17 Japan, U.17 Australia and U.17 UAE is an extremely difficult task. However, youth football always has room for surprises. U.17 Vietnam won 3-2 against U.17 Australia at the 2016 U.17 Asian Cup. Or with UAE, Vietnamese youth football also has positive results. The biggest obstacle is U.17 Japan, but believe that with a coach from the land of the rising sun, U.17 Vietnam will have the perfect "brain" to analyze and read the opponent.
U.22 Vietnam: Don't take the SEA Games lightly
Like U.17, the U.22 Vietnam team will enter the big playground called SEA Games 33 (previously the 2026 U.23 Asian qualifiers). Of course, comparing the dream of the World Cup with the SEA Games seems lame.
But remember, with youth football lacking playgrounds for young people, every tournament is very important. This is not purely about achievements, but also about taking advantage of every possible tournament for players to reap lessons. For example, 8 years ago, it was the fall at the 29th SEA Games (2017) that created the motivation for the generation of Quang Hai and Cong Phuong to rise up strongly and create the miracle of Thuong Chau.
Vi Hao is a typical face of the new generation.
The only fear is that young players do not have the opportunity to compete. Any playground, big or small, is important to build confidence. Vietnamese football has reached out to Asia, but it is only at the level of being able to cause surprises. The failure at the end of Coach Park Hang-seo's tenure shows that Vietnamese football still lacks many factors for success, including the fragile foundation of youth football.
The Vietnam national team is approaching a transitional period. The 1995-1998 generation will gradually reach the other side of the slope after 2-3 years. However, is the younger generation ready to replace them? If they want to dream of qualifying for the 2030 World Cup, they still have to succeed in the Southeast Asian arena, then step by step move up the ladder.
Dreaming of SEA Games or World Cup, we also need a roadmap from low to high and seriously strive for each goal. If "haste makes waste", Vietnamese youth football will hardly succeed.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bong-da-tre-viet-nam-lai-mo-sea-games-va-world-cup-185250129195655873.htm
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