Tran Tien
Football Tribe Vietnam
There are no specific expectations for this generation of U18 Vietnam after two disappointing tournaments in 2017 and 2018, where Vietnam eliminated in group stages. The fans now have not shown too much enthusiasm for the youth regional tournaments. That does bring some relief in a sense, reducing the pressure on the team to achieve victory. This is in spite of the fact that the team is coached by Hoang Anh Tuan, the man who guided the Vietnamese U19 team to qualify for U20 World Cup in 2017.
This generation of the U18 Vietnam team has had a lot of chances to play in international matches together. In March, they played in the U19 Four Nations tournament in Nha Trang (Vietnam). In April, they had the trip to Hong Kong Jockey tournament and had two training trips to Japan in April and July respectively.
Player to Watch:
Y Eli Nie, 18, Goalkeeper – 18 The Rade (an ethnic minority in Vietnam) goalkeeper is one of the most important players in this U18 squad for Vietnam. Despite his young age, he has two years of experience with the national youth teams of Vietnam, ranging from U16 to U23. In 2017, he was the first choice keeper of the U18 squad at the age just 16. Last year, he was the first choice GK of U19 Vietnam in AFC U19 Championships in Indonesia.