Positive signals from the Vietnam U.22 team

In the opening match of the CFA Team China 2025 friendly tournament, the U.22 Vietnam team faced the championship candidate, the U.22 Korea team. However, Van Truong and his teammates played extremely confidently. The opening goal clearly demonstrated that. Our young players constantly changed their state but still maintained accuracy in every move. The reward for the U.22 Vietnam team was Thanh Nhan's goal, which came after a decisive volley. And if they had been a little more alert, coach Dinh Hong Vinh and his team might not have conceded a goal in the 90+1 minute.

Thanh Nhan will be an important factor of the U.22 Vietnam team.

PHOTO: MINH TU

However, the 1-1 draw is also commendable. Mr. Dinh Hong Vinh shared with Thanh Nien Newspaper: "This is a quality test for the whole team. I am satisfied with the players' fighting spirit, especially their confidence in the way they deploy the ball from their home field. We had moments of coherent attacks, daring to hold the ball and creating opportunities against a very strong opponent. However, there are still some points that need improvement, especially the ability to handle pressure when the opponent puts high pressure. These are things that the team needs to continue to adjust to improve in the future."

Without the top stars of the U.22 team such as Khuat Van Khang, Thai Son (concentrating on the national team) or Dinh Bac (injured), coach Dinh Hong Vinh still has a series of quality players with rich experience playing in the V-League and first division such as Nhat Minh, Van Truong, Thanh Nhan, Viktor Le, Quoc Viet... Thanks to that, the quality of the U.22 Vietnam team's playing style is still guaranteed.

U.22 looking for stability

Mr. Dinh Hong Vinh emphasized the importance of experienced players playing in the vertical axis of the team such as Nhat Minh (center back, Hai Phong Club), Van Truong (center midfielder, Hanoi Club) and Thanh Nhan (striker, PVF-CAND Club): "These are all factors capable of creating breakthroughs, controlling the game and leading the way of playing. These players not only help the team maintain the balance between attack and defense but also support young teammates to adapt faster to the international competition environment. Their stability and bravery will be important factors to help the U.22 Vietnam team achieve good results in this tournament."

Among them, Viktor Le, a Vietnamese-American midfielder who played for the U.22 Vietnam team for the first time, received praise from coach Dinh Hong Vinh: "Viktor Le is a player with potential and has shown remarkable qualities in training sessions as well as matches. He has had the opportunity to play and showed his confidence as well as his ability to integrate into the team's playing style."

The next opponent of the U.22 Vietnam team is U.22 Uzbekistan (6:35 p.m. on March 23), also a "big guy" of Asian youth football. Coach Dinh Hong Vinh confidently said that the whole team will play with focus to show themselves and get the best results.