Test of new generation of U16 Vietnam players

On the afternoon of May 26, after settling down in Hohhot City, Inner Mongolia (China), the Vietnam U16 team entered their first training session. Coach Cristiano Roland emphasized the need for each player to promote self-awareness and professionalism in both daily life and training.

Although the tournament is a friendly tournament, the Brazilian coach still emphasized to his players the spirit of seriousness, concentration and effort when having the opportunity to wear the national team shirt, striving to achieve the best results in each match. The tournament is a quality test with three strong opponents, creating an opportunity for the players to clearly understand the level of football in the Asian region and accumulate valuable experience.
Before leaving for China, the coaching staff finalized the list of 24 players. Coach Cristiano Roland said: “The finalizing stage of the official list is always the most difficult. The coaching staff has to choose from a group of quality players, finding those who best suit the team's playing style.

Up to this point, the whole team has performed very well. However, this is just the beginning of a long journey towards the 2026 AFC U17 Qualifiers. Players who are not on the list still have many opportunities ahead."

Test of new generation of U16 Vietnam players -0 — Coach Cristiano Roland and the Vietnam U16 players will have quality matches ahead.

“This is the first test for the new generation of players. The three opponents in the tournament are all very strong, so the requirements for the attitude and spirit of the U16 Vietnam team will be pushed to the maximum. These three matches are also an opportunity for the players to clearly understand where they are compared to the Asian level.

The team will make the best use of the matches to gain experience and aim for the important goal ahead, which is the 2026 AFC U17 Qualifiers," Mr. Cristiano Roland emphasized.

During the previous training period at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center, assessing the physical foundation of the players, coach Cristiano Roland said: “I am satisfied with the ability to adapt quickly of many players as well as the efforts of the whole team. The spirit and attitude in training and competition are what I especially appreciate, because the players always show the will to overcome difficulties and proactively find solutions when encountering problems on the field.

Compared to the previous generation, the current players have a better physical foundation, meet the training curriculum and are able to maintain their physical strength in difficult situations. However, this is a long process and they need to continue to accumulate to develop further."

As for coach Cristiano Roland personally, after leaving his mark with the Vietnam U17 team at the 2025 AFC U17 Championship finals, he continues to receive the trust of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) to coach the Vietnam U16 team. Hopefully, his affinity with Vietnamese youth football will help Cristiano Roland achieve more success.

Striker Van Duong shared: “The whole team is gradually getting used to the football philosophy of head coach Cristiano Roland. He requires high discipline and wants the players to play football naturally but within a strict tactical framework. We always try to follow the instructions of the coaching staff, while maximizing our individual abilities in the overall playing style.”
According to the plan, the Vietnam U16 team will have 2 more days of training and get used to the weather conditions in Honhot before entering the opening match against U16 Australia on May 28. The next two matches of coach Cristiano Roland and his team will take place on May 30 against U16 China and on June 1 against U16 Saudi Arabia.

U19 female player shares about coach Okiyama Masahiko's training
After 2 weeks of training at Thanh Long Sports Center with the national women's U19 team, player Nguyen Thi Thuy Nhi said that coach Okiyama Masahiko is imparting good professional lessons to the team, which are very useful for the young players of the Vietnam women's U19 team in their future professional football careers. Talking about the training process in the past time, Nguyen Thi Thuy Nhi said: "The team has had about two weeks of training together. During the training process, we tried to strengthen our physical foundation, practice more on individual techniques and team tactics". This young female player of the Hanoi Sports Training and Training Center also shared that the whole team has been given the best conditions for accommodation and training at Thanh Long Center in the past time to prepare for the 2025 Southeast Asian Women's U19 Football Championship.
However, the exercises of head coach Okiyama Masahiko still create a lot of excitement and motivation for the players. “Coach Okiyama Masahiko is meticulous and careful about tactics. He teaches us many good exercises to learn, accumulate for ourselves, and serve the future. He performs coordination exercises so that almost everyone plays football together, exchanges and connects to perform well in situations on the field. The coach also made adjustments to the technique and coordination within the team to perfect the playing style,” Nguyen Thi Thuy Nhi revealed.
Starting this week, the U19 women's team will have the addition of Nguyen Thi Thuy Linh - Thong Nhat Sports Center. This is a young player who was called up to the national women's team in 2024 and has just completed the journey with Ho Chi Minh City women's club to compete in the Asian women's club championship. The players will continue to practice at Thanh Long Sports Center before the coaching staff finalizes the final list to enter the official tournament starting from June 9.
HH

Source: https://cand.com.vn/the-thao/bai-kiem-tra-lua-cau-thu-moi-cua-u16-viet-nam--i769638/