Dutch Vietnamese player says goodbye to U17 Vietnam
The Vietnam U17 team said goodbye to 4 players, notably on that list was Thomas Mai Veeren - a Vietnamese-Dutch midfielder.
On the afternoon of March 13, the Vietnam U17 team continued to practice at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center. Before the practice session, coach Cristiano Roland announced the shortlist of the Vietnam U17 team ahead of the 2025 AFC U17 Championship Finals. Among the 4 eliminated players, the most notable is Thomas Mai Veeren - a Vietnamese-Dutch midfielder.
Four players had to say goodbye to the team, including goalkeeper Ly Xuan Hoa (PVF Center), Tran Hoang Viet (Hanoi), Nguyen Van Phuc (Hong Linh Ha Tinh) and especially Thomas Mai Veeren (Quick Academy).
The U17 Vietnam coaching board considers Thomas Mai Veeren a potential player with good ball handling ability and flexible tactical thinking. However, he needs more time to adapt to the Vietnamese football environment.
One of the biggest obstacles for overseas Vietnamese players when returning to play in the country is the language barrier. Not being fluent in Vietnamese makes it difficult for Thomas Mai Veeren to communicate and convey ideas to his teammates.
Currently, the Vietnam U17 team continues to train in Hanoi before leaving for Oman on March 23. Here, the team will have 2 friendly matches with U17 Oman, considered the final preparation step before officially entering the 2025 AFC U17 final round./.
