Thomas Mai Veeren was one of four players released in Vietnam U17’s first squad reduction. Alongside Mai Veeren, head coach Cristiano Roland also dropped goalkeeper Ly Xuan Hoa (PVF), defender Tran Hoang Viet (Hanoi), and Nguyen Van Phuc (Ha Tinh), reducing the squad to 30 players.
Mai Veeren shows promise but needs more time to adapt
After more than two weeks of training, Coach Roland assessed that Mai Veeren showed potential but still needs more time to integrate into the team. The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and coaching staff will continue monitoring the midfielder for future opportunities.
Background of Thomas Mai Veeren
Mai Veeren, whose Vietnamese name is Mai Cong Thanh, was born in 2008 in the Netherlands to a Dutch father and a Vietnamese mother. He is a versatile midfielder, capable of playing as an attacking midfielder, central midfielder, or winger.
He trained at the youth academies of ADO Den Haag and Feyenoord Rotterdam and was part of the Dutch youth setup from 2018 to 2023. In the 2023-2024 season, he played eight matches, scoring nine goals and providing four assists for HV&CV Quick’s youth team.
Club background and league performance
HV&CV Quick competes in the Dutch third division (Derde Divisie), which consists of two groups of 18 teams. The Dutch league system has 10 tiers, but only the top two divisions are fully professional, while the rest are considered amateur leagues.
In the 2023-2024 season, HV&CV Quick finished 11th in Group B with 47 points from 34 matches. However, in the current season, they are struggling, sitting at the bottom of the table with just 10 points from 24 matches, 13 points behind the 16th-placed team, which would qualify for the relegation playoff.
Mai Veeren is the second overseas Vietnamese player cut from the U17 squad
Mai Veeren is the second overseas Vietnamese player to be excluded from the final U17 squad ahead of the official tournament. Previously, Coach Roland dropped Maxwell James Peereboom, a Vietnamese-Australian defender, after the September 2024 training camp for the AFC U17 Asian Cup qualifiers.
Peereboom, born in 2008, was playing for Gold Coast Knights FC in the National Premier Leagues Queensland, which is the highest league in Queensland and part of the Australian league system. However, his performances did not convince Coach Roland, and he was not selected for the final squad.
Vietnam U17’s preparation for the AFC U17 Asian Cup 2025
Vietnam U17 began training on February 22 at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center (VYS). The team played two friendly matches, drawing 0-0 against PVF’s second team (March 8) and 1-1 against PVF-CAND (March 12).
Coach Roland will make a final squad reduction before departing for Oman on March 22 for a training camp. In Oman, Vietnam will play two friendlies against U17 Oman before traveling to Saudi Arabia for the AFC U17 Asian Cup finals, scheduled from April 3-20.
The 16 participating teams are divided into four groups, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the quarterfinals.
Vietnam is in Group B, where they will face:
- Australia (April 4)
- Defending champions Japan (April 7)
- UAE (April 10)
The team’s goal is to reach the quarterfinals and secure one of Asia’s eight spots at the FIFA U17 World Cup 2025 in Qatar.
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