4 players have to say goodbye to the Vietnam U.17 team

The Vietnam U.17 team has just finished the third practice match in Hanoi. After that, head coach Cristiano Roland shortened the team list from 34 to 30 players. The 4 players who had to say goodbye were Ly Xuan Hoa (PVF Center) along with players Tran Hoang Viet (Hanoi Club), Nguyen Van Phuc (Ha Tinh Club) and notably, overseas Vietnamese player Thomas Mai Veeren (HV Quick).

Thomas is assessed by the coaching staff as having potential for development. The midfielder's greatest strengths are his ability to handle the first step relatively well, play with a mindset, and handle well in a small area. However, he needs more time to integrate with his teammates. He does not communicate well in Vietnamese, so he has difficulty in training and living with the Vietnam U.17 team.

PHOTO: VFF

Who is Thomas Mai Veeren?

Thomas Mai Veeren was born in 2008, also known by his Vietnamese name Mai Cong Thanh, with a Dutch father and a Vietnamese mother. In terms of expertise, Thomas is said to be able to play well in many positions in midfield, including attacking midfielder, central midfielder and winger. This player is currently playing for HV Quick Club in the Netherlands. In the 2023-2024 season, Thomas played 8 matches, scored 9 goals and had 4 assists, even scored a hat-trick. In addition, Thomas had the opportunity to train with professional teams such as ADO Den Haag and Feyenoord Rotterdam, as well as participating in the youth teams of the Dutch Football Association (KNVB) from 2018 to 2023.

The Vietnam U17 team will continue to train in Hanoi before leaving for Oman on March 23 and have two friendly matches with the host U17. These will be the last two matches of coach Cristiano Roland and his team before officially entering the 2025 AFC U17 Championship finals .