Learn Dutch: Dit jonge talent haalt een goede score, vooral in de eerste wedstrijd. - This young talent gets a good score, especially in the first match.

Vooral means "especially" and is a focus adverb. In Dutch, focus adverbs are placed directly in front of the specific word or phrase they emphasize. Here, it highlights the prepositional phrase in de eerste wedstrijd.

Can I move vooral to the beginning of the sentence, like Vooral dit jonge talent haalt...?

You could, but it completely changes the meaning. A focus adverb emphasizes what comes directly after it. If you say Vooral dit jonge talent, it means this specific talent gets a good score compared to other talents, rather than emphasizing their performance in the first match compared to other matches.

Doesn't halen usually mean "to fetch"? Why is haalt used here for getting a score?

While halen often means "to fetch" or "to go get" a physical object, it is also the standard Dutch verb for achieving a result. You use it when talking about getting a certain score, a grade, a diploma, or reaching a goal.

Why do we write dit jonge talent with an -e on jong? Isn't talent a het word?