What is the basis for the Vietnamese U17 team's World Cup dream?

Vietnam has had representatives in the World Cup finals four times in its history. Will the Vietnam U17 team be the next to repeat this feat?

Easy yet difficult

Rarely has the door to the World Cup been so wide open and frequent as it is now. The fact that the U17 World Cup will be held annually for five consecutive years, starting in 2025, allows many mid-level teams across the globe to dream of experiencing this world-class competition. Vietnam is one of them.

Vietnam U17 team is in a tough group.

The ticket to the 2025 U17 Asian Championship finals, secured through a rather hard-fought process, still brings Coach Cristiano Roland's team one step closer to the world stage, considering their qualifying results. To realize their World Cup dream, the remaining task for the Vietnam U17 team is to strive to win one of the top two spots in their group.

In theory, this condition sounds simple. The success rate for qualifying for the World Cup is as high as 50%. Compared to previous years, the path to the global stage is naturally much easier. A decade ago, the Vietnam U17 team, consisting of players like Huu Thang, Thanh Binh, and Trong Long (born in 2001), reached the quarterfinals of the tournament. They were just one win away from a World Cup ticket against Iran in that round. But ultimately, coach Dinh The Nam's team failed, thus leaving their world dream unfulfilled. Indeed, compared to the journey of their predecessors, the current generation of Gia Bao, Anh Kiet, and Viet Anh has a much greater chance of participating in the U17 World Cup.

However, this is only true according to the tournament regulations. In reality, the Vietnam U17 team still faces formidable obstacles in their goal of securing one of the two top spots in Group B of the 2025 AFC U17 Championship. The draw has not been favorable to Roland's team, as their opponents in the group are strong to very strong.

Japan U17 has automatically secured a place in the next round, even topping the group. Despite only having trained for two weeks, the team, honed in Asia's top football league, quickly found their rhythm under coach Hiroyama Nozomi. Most recently, they defeated both Tokyo International University Club and Thailand U17. Not long ago, the young representatives from the Land of the Rising Sun also won both matches against Paraguay U17 with scores of 3-2 and 2-0 respectively.

The two opponents vying for a spot with Vietnam U17 are also not to be underestimated. Australia U17 only lost 2-4 to Saudi Arabia U17 – the host of the 2025 AFC U17 Championship – in a match with a back-and-forth scoreline. Two days earlier, the Australian team won convincingly 5-3 against Yemen U17. It's worth remembering that Yemen had previously forced Vietnam to struggle to even secure a draw in the qualifying round. This demonstrates the impressive strength of Australia U17 in their preparation for the finals. UAE U17 is also not to be outdone. This team had a relatively good preparation, drawing 2-2 against Indonesia U17 in a friendly match on March 27th. In the qualifying round, this young team also defeated another Southeast Asian representative, Malaysia U17, with a score of 2-0. The seriousness of UAE U17 is further demonstrated by their call-up of Jayden Adetiba – a striker who played for the famous Arsenal youth team.

Efforts to overcome challenges

Besides the objective strength of their opponents, the limited stature of the Vietnam U17 team is a subjective issue. Looking at the roster, the "Golden Star Young Warriors" have an average height of 1.75m - the fourth shortest among the 16 participating teams. It can be said that this less-than-ideal physique inadvertently creates many disadvantages for the Vietnam U17 team, especially since two of their three opponents, Australia and UAE, are significantly taller.

Among the challenges they must face, the Vietnamese U17 team's strengths stem from thorough preparation and a cohesive squad built over a long period. The core of the Vietnamese U17 team remains the same players who have been with Coach Roland since the U17 Asian qualifiers six months ago. Furthermore, Coach Roland previously led the Hanoi U17 team to victory in the 2024 National U17 Championship. Many players from the capital's youth team have been promoted and given opportunities to develop under his guidance.

Preparations for the 2025 AFC U17 Championship have been meticulously carried out by the Vietnam Football Federation and the U17 Vietnam coaching staff, spanning a month and a half, from February 22nd to the present. With the support of 15 assistants, Coach Roland has systematically screened, evaluated, and selected the 23 best players from the initial 34. Furthermore, U17 Vietnam is one of the few teams participating in the tournament in Saudi Arabia with a preparation of 7 friendly matches. The team has had warm-up matches domestically against PVF Youth, PVF U17, Bac Ninh , etc. After finalizing the squad and tactical strategies, U17 Vietnam capitalized on their success by defeating U17 Oman in both legs of a friendly match, right on their opponent's home ground.

In terms of personnel, Coach Roland has also found valuable players for the Vietnam U17 team through these 7 friendly matches. These include goalkeeper Hoa Xuan Tin, center-backs Nguyen Hong Quang and Le Huy Viet Anh; defenders Le Quang Truong and Le Tan Dung; and forwards Tran Gia Bao and Nguyen Thien Phu… Fans are eagerly anticipating the potential performances of the Vietnam U17 players at the upcoming AFC U17 Championship.

Even if they can't qualify for the U17 World Cup, matches against Australia, UAE, or Japan are valuable experiences for young players to improve themselves, learn from their opponents, and contribute to the overall success of Vietnamese football in the near future.

Vietnam U17 squad list for the 2025 AFC U17 Championship (according to AFC)

Goalkeepers (3): Hoa Xuan Tin (Ba Ria Vung Tau), Tran Van Dat (Song Lam Nghe An), Nguyen Van Thang Long (Hanoi),

Defenders: Le Quang Truong (Hong Linh Ha Tinh), Le Huy Viet Anh (PVF Youth Football Training Center), Nguyen Hong Quang (Ba Ria Vung Tau), Le Tan Dung (Song Lam Nghe An), Pham Duc Duy (Hanoi), Bach Trong Duong (Song Lam Nghe An), Nguyen Van Quan (Hanoi), Nguyen Van Khanh (Hong Linh Ha Tinh), Tran Dong Thuc (Song Lam Nghe An)

Midfielders: Nguyen Duc Nhat (PVF Youth Football Training Center), Hoang Trong Duy Khang (PVF Youth Football Training Center), Dau Hong Phong (Hanoi FC), Nguyen Viet Long (Hanoi FC), Chu Ngoc Nguyen Luc (Hanoi FC), Dang Cong Anh Kiet (Hanoi FC)

Forwards: Tran Gia Bao (HAGL), Nguyen Van Bach (PVF Youth Football Training Center), Nguyen Thien Phu (Hanoi), Nguyen Van Duong (PVF Youth Football Training Center), Bui Duy Dang (PVF Youth Football Training Center)

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The exceptional goalkeeper of the Vietnam U17 team.

Hoa Xuan Tin is the tallest player in the Vietnam U17 team. The goalkeeper, who plays for Ba Ria Vung Tau, stands at 1.87 meters tall, despite only being 17 years old. Speaking of Xuan Tin, he was a member of the U11 team that participated in the BRVT Television Cup in 2009. Thanks to his promising performance in that tournament, Xuan Tin was selected for the Juventus Vietnam Academy, the predecessor of the current BMG Football Academy.

With a height of 1.87m, an arm span of 1.83m, good reflexes, and a stable mentality, this goalkeeper is gradually becoming a potential asset for the youth teams of BRVT. Wearing the national youth team jersey, Xuan Tin won the U16 Peace Cup friendly tournament in China with the Vietnam U16 team. He was also the number one goalkeeper for the Vietnam U17 team in the U17 Asian Championship qualifiers.

Coach Nguyen Truong Chinh of the Ba Ria Vung Tau U19 team expressed his expectations: "Xuan Tin will have a brighter future than Dinh Trieu, the current number one goalkeeper of the Vietnamese national team. I worked with Dinh Trieu for 18 months when he was playing amateur football for the Ba Ria oil and gas team, and I also coached Xuan Tin. Therefore, I believe Tin can surpass even his senior."

Source: https://cand.com.vn/so-tay-the-thao/co-so-nao-cho-giac-mo-world-cup-cua-u17-viet-nam--i764032/