Midfielder Nguyen Minh Thuy – the only hope of Song Lam Nghe An at the international U16 tournament
Midfielder Nguyen Minh Thuy is the only player from Song Lam Nghe An to be on the list of 24 players of the Vietnam U16 team participating in the CFA Team China 2025 international U16 tournament, taking place in Honhot city, Inner Mongolia, China.
On the morning of May 25, the Vietnam U16 team officially departed for the U16 International Tournament organized by the Chinese Football Association. Before that, the team had a friendly match with U17 Viettel to review the squad and finalize the registration list. After the final training session, head coach Cristiano Roland and the coaching staff finalized the list of 24 players, saying goodbye to 6 players.
Among the names retained, Nguyen Minh Thuy - midfielder born in 2009, currently captain of the U16 Song Lam Nghe An team, is the only representative of the Nghe An team to be present. Minh Thuy's inclusion in the official list is a testament to the player's ability and progress over the past time.
Playing in the central midfielder position, Minh Thuy impressed with her ability to control the tempo of the game, flexible tactical thinking and highly creative passes. In particular, this young player possesses the ability to finish with both feet, often creating dangerous situations from the midfield.
During this training session, Minh Thuy was tested by coach Cristiano Roland in the role of attacking midfielder, a position that requires flexible ball handling ability and sharp tactical vision.
Sharing before the departure, Minh Thuy said he is trying hard every day to adapt to the new role and is determined to win an official place in the competition. “I will try my best. If given the opportunity, I want to perform well to contribute to the team,” Thuy said.
Head coach Cristiano Roland said finalizing the squad is always the most difficult stage when choosing between many potential players. However, he affirmed that all players still have many opportunities ahead, because this is just the beginning of the journey towards the 2026 AFC U17 Championship qualifiers.
According to the match schedule, U16 Vietnam will meet U16 Australia (May 28), U16 China (May 30) and U16 Saudi Arabia (June 1). The team will have two days to get used to the weather in Honhot before entering the opening match.
The Standing Committee of the Vietnam Football Federation also assigned Mr. Nguyen Minh Chau - Deputy General Secretary of VFF, to be the head of the Vietnam U16 team delegation during the competition trip to China, to ensure the best support for professional and logistical work./.
