The strongest rival of Vietnam U23 has taken a very unusual action

The Yemen U23 team has chosen to train at a location 20km away from the main stadium cluster in Viet Tri.

Among the three opponents of Vietnam U23 in the 2026 Asian U23 qualifiers, Yemen U23 is regarded as the strongest and also the most "mysterious" team. The West Asian representative is also taking measures to keep their tactics hidden before the tournament’s opening match.

Specifically, while Vietnam U23, Singapore U23, and Bangladesh U23 all train at the auxiliary field within the Viet Tri Stadium complex (Phu Tho) one day before their first match, Yemen U23 has chosen a different approach. They decided to train at Bai Bang field, which is 20km away from the main competition venue.

Obviously, having to travel 40km round trip just for training will take more time and could tire the players. However, this seems to be Yemen U23’s deliberate strategy to avoid media attention and to protect their game plan.

In the registered squad for the qualifiers, Yemen U23 has only one player currently playing abroad — goalkeeper Muhammad Ramadan Shuey Jumaan (Saudi Arabia). The other 22 players all play for domestic clubs.

Three notable forwards in Yemen U23 are Abdulaziz Masnoum, Qassem Al-Sharafi, and Hamza Mahrous — players who recently featured in Yemen’s senior national team during the FIFA Days matches in June 2025 against Bhutan and Lebanon in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. Particularly, 19-year-old striker Hamza Mahrous has impressed as the third-choice forward for the national team.

Regarding coach Kim Sang Sik’s comment that Yemen U23 is the most unpredictable opponent in the group, coach Ameen Ali Hussein Al-Sunaini expressed his respect: “First of all, I thank coach Kim for his remarks. We do have a balanced squad, but the upcoming matches will certainly not be easy. The whole team will carefully plan for each game, aiming for the best possible results every time we step on the field.”