U13 Song Lam Nghe An is ready to conquer the qualifying round of the 2025 National U13 Tournament

Change of force

Different from the usual image of a defending champion,U13 Song Lam Nghe AnThis year's season has not been stable in terms of force. The reason comes from the fact that the Song Lam Nghe An Youth Football Training Center has resolutely dealt with the age fraud situation, leading to the liquidation or transfer of a series of players who had trained in the U11 and U12 teams. Cleaning up the age of players is necessary, but it also makes the current squad lack many prominent faces and can no longer maintain the strength of previous seasons.

Mr. Tran Quang Dung - Director of Song Lam Nghe An Youth Football Training Center said: "Most of the U13 team this year are newly selected faces. Because there are no outstanding players who were eliminated due to age difference, the current team lacks cohesion and does not have much experience competing in previous tournaments such as U9 or U11. Therefore, we do not set too high a goal for achievements."

Faced with this reality, the team’s coaching staff has determined that training is the core of their policy. For many months now, the players have been training twice a day, both to strengthen their basic techniques and to hone their tactical thinking. Special attention is paid to building cohesion between the lines, as this is the decisive factor for a young and inexperienced team.

Head coach of the U13 Song Lam Nghe An team - Mr. Nguyen Van Vinh shared: "Up to now, the level of cohesion within the team has basically met the requirements. The players have shown discipline and made efforts to follow the tactics. However, some positions still need further improvement in terms of physical strength and thinking in handling situations on the field."

To improve their actual performance, the team has organized many internal matches as well as friendly matches with strong teams such as U13 Bac Ninh and U13 Hong Linh Ha Tinh. Through each match, the coaching staff has the opportunity to accurately assess the strengths and weaknesses of each position in order to make timely adjustments.

“After each friendly match, we clearly see the progress of the players. Each match is better than the previous one. Hopefully, when entering the official tournament, the players will maximize their strengths and minimize their weaknesses,” added coach Nguyen Van Vinh.

Don't focus on achievements

Although they are the defending champions, with the current situation of the team, U13 Song Lam Nghe An does not put much pressure on defending the Gold Medal. The goal set by the coaching staff is to pass the qualifying round and strive to win a medal, which will be more within their ability and, more importantly, create conditions for young players to grow in the right direction.

The 2025 National U13 Championship Qualifiers in Dak Lak region have 15 teams participating, many of which, such as Bac Giang and Quang Nam, have shown clear progress in recent tournaments. According to the coaching staff, thanks to the synchronous investment in youth teams such as U9, U10, and U11, the teams now have a more stable and cohesive force than before.

“In reality, many teams that were not highly rated have now shown impressive performances. They have a balanced force, a cohesive playing style and good technique. The Dak Lak regional qualifying round will therefore be a big challenge for U13 Song Lam Nghe An. Our immediate goal is to pass the qualifying round,” coach Nguyen Van Vinh frankly stated.

A notable point of this year's National U13 Tournament is the adjustment in the regulations to prevent age fraud, which is a serious problem in youth tournaments. The organizing committee encourages teams to provide complete documents, especially player registration books. In addition, when there is any doubt, teams can request cross-checking of related documents.

With this positive change, U13 Song Lam Nghe An is considered one of the teams that will benefit as they have proactively cleaned up their squad early on. In a fair playing field, honest teams that focus on systematic training will have more opportunities to assert their strength.

The 2025 National U13 Tournament is a test of the training capacity and long-term development orientation of football centers across the country. With a receptive spirit, a methodical training strategy and the perseverance of the coaching staff, U13 Song Lam Nghe An, despite being in the process of reconstruction, still shows great determination and a look worth waiting for in this year's season./.