Moric has been dropped from the Vietnam U23 team.
Vietnam U23 narrows down its squad to 25 players before the tournament in China; Moric is dropped from the Vietnam U23 team and returns to the U19 squad as part of the professional development plan.
Vietnam U23 team drops 5 players before departure.
On the morning of March 22nd, coach Dinh Hong Vinh finalized the Vietnam U23 squad, reducing it to 25 players in preparation for their trip to China for a friendly tournament. Notably, Vietnamese-born striker Antonio Moric was not included in the final list.
Five players had to leave the team: Nguyen Le Phat, Antonio Moric, Truong Nhac Minh, Le Nguyen Van Tho, and Nguyen Trong Tuan.
Nguyen Le Phat and Truong Nhac Minh withdrew due to unrecovered injuries. Le Phat dislocated his shoulder while training with Ninh Binh Club, while Nhac Minh suffered a knee injury during the first training session on March 17th.
The remaining two players, Le Nguyen Van Tho and Nguyen Trong Tuan, were not retained because they did not meet the coaching staff's professional requirements.
The reason Antonio Moric is not included in the Vietnam U23 team.
Antonio Moric's absence from the official squad has attracted considerable attention. According to the Vietnam U23 coaching staff, this adjustment was part of a pre-planned tactical strategy.
Moric was originally a member of the Vietnam U19 team and was given the opportunity to train with the U23 team during the recent training camp. After assessing his abilities and adaptability, the player born in 2008 returned to the U19 team to continue training according to the development plan.
During the training camp, Moric spent nearly a week training and playing internal matches with the Vietnam U23 team. Despite growing up in Europe, he impressed with his Vietnamese communication skills and positive training spirit. The player once shared his pride in wearing the national team jersey and always strived to do his best in every training session.
Vietnam U23 has two overseas Vietnamese players participating in the tournament.
Although Moric is absent, the Vietnam U23 team still has two overseas Vietnamese players participating in this tournament: Tran Thanh Trung and Vadim Nguyen. These are players who are expected to contribute to the team's overall playing style.
Also on the morning of March 22nd, players who had just completed their duties in the National Cup, such as Le Van Thuan, Nguyen Cong Phuong, and Thai Ba Dat, joined the team, helping the Vietnam U23 team finalize its squad before departure.
