The top scorer of the national U17 tournament was called up to the Vietnam U17 team.

Coach Cristiano Roland closely follows his students during training sessions. (Photo: VFF)

This is a necessary addition in the context that striker Nguyen Le Quang Khoi did not recover from a ligament injury in time and was forced to miss the upcoming tournament.

Currently, the Vietnam U17 team is still actively training under the guidance of head coach Cristiano Roland and his colleagues. The squad was carefully selected after outstanding performances at the 2025 National U17 Finals, with many promising young faces.

The coaching staff is focusing on conveying tactical ideas, shaping the playing style and enhancing the team's coordination. Physical factors are also emphasized through a systematic training program directly developed and supervised by Brazilian expert Brandi Regato Neto, aiming to bring the players to a state of full fitness before the official tournament.

In the past time, the U17 Vietnam team had two quality practice matches with U18 PVF. In the first match, coach Cristiano Roland's students lost narrowly 0-1. The rematch then ended in a 3-3 draw, although U17 Vietnam quickly took a 3-0 lead.

Changing many personnel in the second half with the aim of testing the lineup made the team lose the advantage, but also gave the coaching staff more practical data to evaluate each individual's ability.

On the afternoon of October 22, the team will continue to have a friendly match with U17 Hanoi - an important test to complete the tactical framework and personnel. Then, according to the plan, on November 5, coach Cristiano Roland and his team will leave for Japan for training.

During this trip, the team is expected to play three friendly matches with suitable opponents arranged by the Japan Football Association (JFA). On November 16, the team will return home to enter the final preparation stage before officially entering the 2026 AFC U17 Qualifiers - a pivotal tournament for the next generation of Vietnamese football.