China's U16 national youth show soccer promise
On Oct. 28, Beijing Youth Daily reported that a Football Association (FA) executive exclaimed after witnessing the fierce battle between China's U16 national youth and South Korea that the young team is the light of the future of Chinese soccer.
On the night of October 27, an intense U17 Asian Cup Qualifier Group C final round was staged in Dalian, where the Chinese U16 boys soccer team drew 2-2 with the South Korean U16 team. Both teams remain undefeated, with 10 points each, and the Chinese U16s are in second place in Group C on goal difference. However, with all five teams in the group having lost, the Chinese U16s managed to qualify for the final stage of the tournament next year thanks to their excellent performance.
In the day's game, China U16 team's performance was impressive. The statistics showed that they had 60% ball possession and 12 shots on goal, almost double that of the South Korean team. This is not rare in the history of men's soccer between China and South Korea. Japanese coach Kenichi Uemura's technical innovations brought remarkable results for the team. Although the result is not perfect, these positive changes are more encouraging and have injected new vitality into Chinese soccer. After the match, a source from the FA said excitedly, "The performance of the U16 national soccer team has given us hope for Chinese soccer."
