How to improve the level of Vietnam U17 players?

U17 Vietnam makes a splash in the Asian playground, but raising the level of this generation of players is a difficult problem - Photo: VFF

At the 2025 AFC U17 Championship finals, Vietnam U17 is in a very difficult group with the continent's top teams: Australia U17, Japan U17 and UAE U17.

Contrary to initial predictions about the possibility of "padding the way", coach Cristiano Roland and his team had impressive performances with three draws with the same score of 1-1. The most regrettable of which was the final match against U17 UAE, we had one hand on the ticket to the U17 World Cup before the opponent equalized in the 87th minute.

Outline the strategy

In order to have a strong U17 Vietnam team that is not overwhelmed by the top opponents in the continent, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) has outlined a development strategy for this generation of players since the beginning of 2024. In this strategy, besides the goal of creating as many opportunities for competition as possible, the VFF also soon formed a coaching staff with many foreign experts who are knowledgeable about Vietnamese football.

Vietnam U17 has made significant progress since the appointment of head coach Cristiano Roland (former Benfica defender, Portugal) - a veteran at Hanoi FC from 2009 to 2013 and has a type A coaching license issued by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). With a philosophy of confidently controlling the game and changing the state, Vietnam U17 is our first generation of young players who have not lost to Japan, winning 1-0 at the 2024 Peace Cup U16 International Tournament, and drawing 1-1 at the 2025 AFC U17 Championship.

In addition, to help the team compete better in the Asian arena, VFF will strengthen the U17 Vietnam coaching staff with Japanese expert Yutaka Ikeuchi - head coach of Japan's U15, U16, and U17 men's teams from 2003 to 2023.

There is still much work to do for the Vietnam U17 players - Photo: VFF

Much work to do

Just a year ago, this same U17 Vietnam team was criticized and under public pressure after losing 0-5 to U16 Indonesia, only winning 4th place overall at the 2024 Southeast Asian U16 Championship.

Youth football always has hidden surprises and requires perseverance. Fortunately, VFF has been consistent with the strategy of developing this generation of players. However, the career path of these players is still very long and full of difficulties.

Sharing with Tuoi Tre, expert Nguyen Tuan Phong - who has many years of experience training young players (from the generation born in 1997 to 2003) at PVF Academy - said: "The problem with Vietnamese youth football is that players have too little time to compete each year to gain experience. Thailand and Indonesia already have a league for young players, but Vietnam does not.

But I believe that when we really take it seriously, there will be many solutions. For example, we can still do it in a more compact form at the regional and local levels. The matches will take place on Saturdays and Sundays, not interfering with the children's regular school hours.

Vietnam does not have many well-organized academies like PVF, The Cong - Viettel, Hoang Anh Gia Lai. There are too few professional football teams, which makes it easy for young players to lose their goals. And in fact, in the V-League, U19 players who get to play regularly are rare. Lack of playgrounds and long-term goals make it easy for players to quit their careers, especially when they are at the age of U15 and U17."

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HOANG TUNG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nang-tam-lua-cau-thu-u17-viet-nam-bang-cach-nao-20250414105606415.htm