Young Vietnamese-Dutch star excitedly practices first session with U17 Vietnam
Hai Hoang•March 3, 2025 20:44
Overseas Vietnamese player Thomas Mai Veeren excitedly had his first training session with the Vietnam U17 team, preparing for the 2025 AFC U17 finals.
On the afternoon of March 3, the Vietnam U17 team entered its first training session at the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) Youth Football Training Center. Photo: Hai HoangIn order to increase the competitiveness of the Vietnam U17 team at the 2025 AFC U17 Championship finals, coach Cristiano Roland decided to give a chance to Thomas Mai Veeren, a Vietnamese-American player playing in the Netherlands. Photo: Hai HoangThomas Mai Veeren was born in 2008 (Vietnamese name is Mai Cong Thanh), his father is Dutch and his mother is from Hai Phong, Vietnam. Photo: Hai HoangThis player is introduced as a versatile midfielder, playing well in the attacking, central or wing positions. Photo: Hai HoangThomas Mai Veeren is playing for HV Quick Club in the Netherlands. In the 2023/24 season, Thomas played 8 matches, scored 9 goals and 4 assists, even had a hat-trick. Photo: Hai HoangIn addition, Thomas has trained at a number of professional clubs such as ADO Den Haag and Feyenoord Rotterdam, and participated in many youth teams of the Dutch Football Federation (KNVB) from 2018 to 2023. Photo: Hai HoangThis midfielder is said to have strong technical skills. In terms of physique, speed and strength, he is not superior to domestic players. Photo: Hai HoangBefore Thomas Mai Veeren, a number of overseas Vietnamese players from Europe returned home to try their hand at national youth teams but were unsuccessful. Photo: Hai HoangAndrej Nguyen An Khanh (Czech Republic) and recently Maxwell James Peereboom (Australia) were eliminated from U23 Vietnam and U17 Vietnam respectively after only a few training sessions. Photo: Hai HoangTo confirm his position, he needs to convince head coach Cristiano Roland in the upcoming training period of the Vietnam U17 team. Photo: Hai HoangVietnam U17 will practice in Hanoi for about 20 days, before going to Oman to train for the 2025 AFC U17 Championship in early April. Photo: Hai HoangRegarding the list of U17 Vietnam, Coach Cristiano Roland summoned 34 players, most of whom are familiar faces who have gone through the challenge with this Coach in the 2025 U17 Asian qualifiers. Photo: Hai Hoang
