According to the established program, China's women's soccer team will complete more than a month of intensive training in Qingdao, is expected to July 17, alongside China's U23 men's football team, take a special plane from Qingdao, direct flight to Nagoya, Japan, to participate in the East Asia Cup Football Championship (East Asia Quarterfinals). Although our women's soccer team just won the Asian Cup in February, according to sources, the CFA has not set any specific performance target for our women's soccer team to participate in this tournament. The team's goal for this tournament is clearly: "to go all out in the tournament, to accumulate experience in international tournaments, and to lay a solid foundation for the upcoming Asian Games and the next World Cup".
In order to prepare for the new cycle of important tournaments, China's women's soccer team plans to fly directly from Japan to the United States after the end of the East Asian Cup, that is, July 28, to start a 4 to 5 weeks of training, during which at least 10 warm-up matches will be played with the U.S. women's professional Major League Soccer team. In addition to the return of Tang Jiali, Shen Menglu, Shen Mengyu, Yang Shuhui, Zhao Yujie, Tu Linli and other five overseas players will then arrive in the United States to meet with the team.
On June 11, China's women's football team regrouped in Qingdao to prepare for the new East Asian Cup Football Championships (Women's East Asian Quarterfinals) to be held in Japan in late July. Despite the organizing committee's restriction on the number of player quotas for participating teams, 35 players still showed up at the training site in Qingdao. This is because the country's women's soccer team will also travel to the United States for training and matches after the East Asian Cup.
As the champion of this year's Asian Cup, what are the goals of our women's soccer team on this trip? According to the Beijing Youth Daily reporter, the Chinese Football Association (CFA), from the perspective of supporting and cooperating with the team's preparation for the new cycle, did not put forward any specific performance or ranking requirements for the women's football team on this trip, but it does not mean that the team lacks the goal to fight for. It is reported that the preparation of China's women's soccer team will focus on the Asian Games Women's Soccer Tournament and the next World Cup, so the current East Asia Cup is regarded as an important practice opportunity for the team to impact the above two competitions. "The core objective of the team's trip to the East Asian Games is to make every effort to accumulate experience in international tournaments and lay a solid foundation for the Asian Games and the World Cup.
In view of the great significance of the Asian Games and World Cup preparations, China's women's soccer team, with the strong support of the CFA, has implemented a series of overseas training and warm-up programs. According to the plan, the team will fly directly from Japan to the United States on July 28, followed by 4 to 5 weeks of training in the United States. Although affected by the two sides "schedule conflict", China's women's soccer team and the U.S. women's soccer team direct warm-up possibility is low. However, during the period in the United States, the team will still participate in 10 to 15 warm-up matches, the opponent is mostly for the United States women's professional Major League Soccer team, so as to ensure the quality of warm-up matches.
Considering the long cycle of visiting matches and training in the next phase, head coach Shui Qingxia decided to bring as many players as possible. In addition to the 35 players who have already arrived, six players playing overseas will also return.
Of the six, only Tang Jiali, who played for Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur last season, will be with the team for the East Asian Cup. It is reported that Tang Jiali has basically confirmed her transfer at the end of the Europa League's 2021 to 2022 season. She has recently arrived in Chengdu from London, England, and has undergone the necessary medical isolation observation in accordance with epidemic prevention regulations. After a brief reunion with her family, Tang will travel to Qingdao in early July to join our women's soccer team.
The other five players playing overseas, Shen Mengyu (Celtics), Zhao Yujie (University of Florida), Yang Shuhui (Suvayo), Tu Linli (Icelandic fhl), and Shen Menglu (Oerlund Athletic) will join the team's larger group directly in the United States at the end of July.
It is reported that the entry point of China's women's soccer team in the United States may be Los Angeles or San Francisco. The CFA is assisting the team in handling various matters for the trip. Although the visit will have an impact on the new phase of the Women's Super League, resulting in the postponement of the tournament to October, but to be able to participate in the East Asia Cup, to the United States to participate in a number of warm-ups, China's women's soccer preparation for the new cycle of quality and efficiency will be significantly improved. This also fully reflects the CFA's support for women's soccer, no less than the support for men's soccer. This is actually an important guarantee for the sustainable development of China's women's soccer in a virtuous cycle.
