As we all know, the recent situation of our soccer is worrying, and the national team's status in Asia has fallen to the third rate. The performance of young players in the Asian game can hardly be said to be outstanding, and even some age group teams are difficult to be among the top tournaments.
But earlier this year, one name surprised us - the U15 national soccer team. This makeshift team, made up of players from Guangzhou Evergrande and Shandong Luneng, won the U15 East Asia Cup with back-to-back victories over Japan and South Korea, led by Evergrande ladder foreign coach Masaki Nakamura.
This championship, a rare honor for the Chinese men's soccer team in recent years, not only showed the potential of Chinese soccer in the youth field, but also stirred up hopes. However, this championship team was disbanded with the fall of the victory, but the Football Association has a new vision as a result, hoping to build a national brand in this age group.
Masaaki Nakamura has thus become a popular choice among fans. However, the latest news shows that Masaaki Nakamura will not take over the 2008 National Junior Team, Football Daily reported. Although he had led the 2008 National Junior team to win the U15 East Asian Cup, he was not selected for this selection.
This news was regretted by many fans. Masaki Nakamura's outstanding performance at the U15 East Asian Cup, coupled with his extensive experience at the Evergrande Soccer School, would have made him the ideal candidate to coach the National Junior Team. The FA's choice raises questions about its selection strategy.
However, the determination of the FA in the development of youth soccer is evident. They decided to have the head coaches of the two national junior teams be foreign coaches, a move that demonstrates the FA's international vision and strategic thinking. By bringing in foreign coaches, the FA hopes to introduce international advanced soccer concepts and training methods to improve the level of domestic youth players.
It is reported that the 2008 age group national training team will depart from Shanghai on December 18th and go to Japan for a six-day training and participate in four friendly matches. 2024 February, they will go to Germany for a three-week short-term "overseas study", and exchange matches with local youth teams. These international exchanges will have a significant impact on the development of young Chinese players.
Meanwhile, the 2009 National Training Team is also in intense preparation. They have had more time to prepare than the 2008 National Junior Team, which has laid the foundation for them to achieve good results in future competitions. Although the formation of the 08 National Junior was later than expected, the team has shown good strength and potential through this year's training camp.
Overall, CFA's commitment and determination to youth soccer is worthy of recognition. We expect Chinese soccer to show more strength and elegance in the international arena in the near future.
