"New Era, New Beginning, New Journey!" Guangzhou soccer once again embarked on a journey in pursuit of its dream! On May 20, the inauguration ceremony of Guangzhou Shadow Leopards Football Club was held at Tianhe Stadium. The club members and the team made a brand new appearance. Captain Liang Xueming waved the battle flag, heralding the official launch of Guangzhou's new army. In addition to the clear goal of hitting the Central B League this season, head coach Li Bing also revealed a longer-term development plan - hoping that through the club's efforts in recent years, two or three players will be trained to be selected for the national team in the future.
Guangzhou Shadow Leopard Football Club Establishment Ceremony
Bringing the old to the new to create a localized identity
Since its incorporation on March 23, Guangzhou Shadow Leopard Club has continued to recruit, and many Guangdong players or players who have played for Guangdong teams have voted, such as Xiao Zhi, Zeng Chao, Zhou Yuchen, Wang Peng, Wen Yongjun, Wu Chengru, Ling Chuanbin and other veterans of the Guangzhou City team, and Liang Xueming who has played for the Meizhou Hakka team and was awarded the local Golden Boot Award in the 2021 season of the Central League were all recruited.
Head coach Li Bing revealed that most of the players are from Guangdong, including those from Guangzhou, Meizhou, Zhanjiang and Shanwei. In recent years, they all have records of playing in the Chinese Super League, the Chinese First League or the Chinese Second League. For example, captain and Guangzhou boy Liang Xueming has been selected for China's U-19 and U-22 national teams at all levels several times. Players such as Xiao Zhi and Zeng Chao have extensive experience in the Chinese Super League. "We want to build a team that is based on local culture, technical expertise, flexible, fast and full of fighting spirit to gradually realize our goal." Li Bing said.
At the inauguration ceremony, Chen Xiushan, chairman and general manager of Shadow Panther Club, said in his speech, "We are not only based on the immediate future, but also planning for the long term, one step at a time, and constantly participating in professional leagues at all levels." Obviously, the goal of Shadow Panther Club is not only this season, but also to enter a higher level league through several years of hard work. Clues can also be seen in the club's signings. In this team, there are not only veterans over 30 years old such as Xiao Zhi and Zeng Chao, but also potentials such as 19-year-old Wen Yongjun and 18-year-old Ling Chuanbin. The veterans can play the role of passing on the role of the young players to promote the growth of the young players, and the young players also make this young team more dynamic and creative.
For the team's future structural plan, Li Bing hopes that the young players can challenge and compete with the older players by showing themselves on the court through their own efforts. "Only in a good competitive atmosphere can the team gradually move up. In the next three to five years, I hope more young players will become the backbone of the team. In fact, there are a few good seedlings in the team, and I hope that through the exercise in the next few years, two or three players will be selected for the national team in the future."
The venue attracted a large number of fans to enter and cheer
Li Bing: Maintaining a Calm Mind and Focus
Li Bing has been leading the team's preparations since taking over as head coach of Shadow Leopards FC.On April 12, the team completed its first training session, completing basic team work after 11 days of training selection.On April 23, the team traveled to Meizhou to begin the first phase of its two-week preparations, focusing on fitness reserves and basic tactical training. During this period, they played two warm-up matches against the Meizhou Hakka first team substitutes and the Meizhou Hakka U21 team. Thereafter, the Shadow Leopards conducted the second phase of training in Guangzhou and Shunde, further honing their technical and tactical play by increasing the intensity of training and technical and tactical training. During this period, the team played warm-up matches against the Champions League in Guangxi and Quanzhou to prepare for the upcoming Champions League through a combination of matches and training.
Li Bing has coached Guangzhou twice. He admits he has a deep relationship with Guangzhou. "Guangzhou is a city that my coaching team and I have special feelings for. We are willing to look forward to this new challenge!" In Li Bing's opinion, although the team has only participated in the fourth tier league this year, the team has shown enough professionalism in training and life to meet the club's expectations. "Next, I hope to strive for a good ranking and successfully advance to the finals to achieve the first goal. I also strongly believe that the club will be better and better in the future!"
It is understood that 64 teams participated in the Champions League this year. After the group stage of the regional tournament, the four teams from the top two groups in the same region will form a promotion group and play two rounds of single round robin (two teams from the same group will not play again), and the two teams with the best results will enter the final. The final will be a home and away game system. Starting on the 22nd, Guangzhou Shadow Leopards will play three group matches at the University City Sports Center, and if they advance, they will play two rounds of single round robin matches in Sanshui. Li Bing said the number of matches for teams has increased under this year's new Champions League system. "It's good for teams with some strength to minimize chance. For us, it is more important to keep a calm mind and focus. The club's goal this year is to make it to B!"
