Coach Yutaka Ikeuchi: 'U19 Vietnam Faces Significant Pressure'

Not having the expected lineup, together with the successes of the U17 Vietnam team in recent times, is placing heavy pressure on the U19 Vietnam team before the 2026 Southeast Asian U19 Championship.

During an interview at the afternoon training session on May 26 at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center, Coach Yutaka Ikeuchi discussed the team's preparation process:

"One month ago, the U19 Vietnam team gathered at the Federation to start training for the Southeast Asian tournament. However, as of now, some players on the call-up list are still unable to join the squad.

Throughout the recent training camp, the coaching staff actively helped the players familiarize themselves with the tactics. My philosophy is unity in attack and defense, ensuring the whole team actively participates in both offensive and defensive situations."

The Japanese coach also spoke highly of the team's recent training trip in Japan:

"During the training camp in Japan, I asked the hosts to arrange quality opponents for U19 Vietnam. In the final match, the team faced a very formidable rival in terms of both physicality and skill. Personally, I feel that the players gained more experience and learned a great deal after the 10-day training camp in Japan."

According to Coach Ikeuchi, the U19 Vietnam team will have to confront significant pressure at this year's tournament:

"The pressure to perform well in the group stage is immense. Additionally, other youth national team levels of Vietnamese football have achieved many notable results recently. That only increases the pressure on the U19 Vietnam team for this competition."

At the 2026 ASEAN U19 Championship, U19 Vietnam is in Group A alongside hosts Indonesia, Myanmar, and Timor-Leste.

Evaluating the opponents, Coach Ikeuchi considers U19 Indonesia the greatest challenge:

"The most formidable opponent for U19 Vietnam will be U19 Indonesia. They have quite a few players who have participated in the U17 World Cup."

The U19 Vietnam team has just completed their final training session at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center before the coaching staff reduced the squad from 29 to 25 players. The team will then travel to Ho Chi Minh City before departing for Indonesia on May 28.

The 2026 ASEAN U19 Championship takes place from June 1 to June 14 in Indonesia. This is seen as a crucial preparation step for U19 Vietnam on their path toward the 2027 AFC U20 Asian Cup qualifiers.