The recent trend of Chinese soccer is worrying, the national team's ranking in Asia continues to decline, young players in the Asian game is difficult to find highlights, and even some age group teams can not even touch the threshold of the top Asian tournaments.
But at the beginning of this year, the name of a national team brought us a surprise - the U15 national soccer team. They consisted of players from Guangzhou Evergrande Soccer School and Shandong Luneng Soccer School, and temporarily absorbed players from other teams. Japanese coach Masaki Nakamura temporarily led this team to participate in the U15 East Asian Cup.
Facing adversity, Nakamura Masaki's team beat Japan and South Korea's strongest teams consecutively and finally won the championship. This is the only championship achieved by a Chinese men's soccer team at the youth level in recent years, highlighting the potential and strength of Chinese soccer and bringing new hope to fans.
However, this championship team was disbanded immediately after winning the title as it was a temporary team. As a result of the success, the FA began to consider building a national brand at this age group. As a result, Evergrande Soccer School foreign coach Masaki Nakamura became a popular choice among fans.
But in the latest news, Soccer News reports that the selection process for the 2008 and 2009 National Junior Teams is underway and the candidates involved are being investigated. Masaki Nakamura, who led the team to the championship, will not be coaching the 2008 national junior team.
For Chinese soccer, losing Evergrande's foreign coach Masaki Nakamura to coach the National Junior Team is undoubtedly a great pity. His outstanding performance at the U15 East Asian Cup and his rich experience at the Evergrande Soccer School made him an ideal candidate for the national junior team. This has also prompted fans to question the FA's repeated mistakes in selecting coaches in recent years.
However, the process of selecting coaches this time is still reassuring to all. The Football Association has decided that the head coaches of the two national junior teams will be foreign coaches, a move that reflects the Association's openness and international strategy for the development of youth soccer. Through the introduction of foreign coaches, Chinese soccer expects to absorb international advanced soccer concepts and methods, and improve the competitive level and comprehensive quality of domestic youth players.
It is reported that the 2008 age group national training team will depart from Shanghai on December 18 for a six-day training in Japan, during which they will play four friendly matches to test their training results and gain match experience. During this period, they will play four friendly matches to test the results of training and accumulate game experience. 2024 February, the team will also go to Germany for a three-week short-term "overseas study", and exchange matches with local youth teams. These international exchanges will greatly enhance the horizons and competitive level of China's young players.
Meanwhile, the 2009 National Training Team is also preparing for the game. They have had more time to prepare than the 2008 National Junior Team, which will undoubtedly lay a solid foundation for them to achieve good results in future competitions. Although the formation of the 08 National Junior was later than expected due to a series of recent changes in the Football Association, the team gradually gelled and took shape through this year's training camp, winning the U15 East Asia Cup in September and demonstrating outstanding strength and potential.
Overall, the CFA's commitment and determination to the development of youth soccer is obvious. The CFA hopes to create a more favorable environment and conditions for the growth of the national junior team by introducing foreign coaches and strengthening international exchanges. We expect Chinese soccer to show better performance and strength in the near future.
