2023 CFA China Team Tournament Coverage
On a golden October night, the 2023 CFA China - Dalian International Football Invitational Tournament kicked off passionately on October 10th at 19:35 GMT in the soccer city. The Chinese men's national football team did not face the match on the professional soccer field in Barracuda Bay, Dalian, but moved to the Dalian Sports Center Stadium to compete with the Southeast Asian powerhouse Vietnam men's football team.
With the successful conclusion of the Hangzhou Asian Games, the national soccer team was able to get rid of the pressure of other sports and concentrate on their preparation. The tournament will be broadcast live nationwide on CCTV5, the sports channel of China Central Radio and Television (CCTV), while Jiangsu Radio and Television (JRT) Sports and Leisure Channel will also simulcast the event. Network viewers can watch the game online through the CCTV sports client CCTV5APP and Migu video.
Dalian, the city of soccer talents, has sent many soccer talents to the country. Since the founding of New China, one out of every three international players on the Chinese national soccer team and the adult Chinese women's soccer team has come from here. However, in the past decade, Dalian has suffered a serious loss of soccer talent. Of the 26 players trained for this national soccer team, only four players, Wang Dalei, Tan Long, Ma Zhen and Gao Tianyi, were born in Dalian.
He Yupeng, who was selected for the first time for the national soccer team, was absent due to injury, while Lin Liangming, who is known as the "Real Madrid star", was also unable to play due to injury. The young player from Anshan, despite coming from the Dalian youth training system, was the only international player from Dalian to be selected.
Among the players participating in the tournament, Wu Lei, Yan Junling, Jiang Guangtai and Wei Zhen are from Shanghai Harbor; Liu Yang and Chen Pu are from Shandong Taishan; Li Lei, Li Ke and Fang Hao are from Beijing Guoan; Wu Xi, Dai Weijun, Zhu Chenjie and Jiang Shenglong are from Shanghai Shenhua; Wang Shangyuan is from Henan Province; and Wang Qiuming and Xie Weijun are from Tianjin Zimen Tiger. In addition, players such as Eckerson from Chengdu Rongcheng, Wei Shihao and Xie Pengfei from Wuhan Sanzhen, Ye Lijiang from Nantong Zhiyun, and Wu Shaochong from Turkey Youth United Football Club will also be featured in the tournament.
Zhang Linmiao and Liu Dengzheng, who were unable to participate due to injuries, failed to appear in Dalian. Serbian national team head coach Aleksandar Jankovic said the tournament will give more young players the opportunity to play, many young players are expected to show their style in the Dalian Sports Center Stadium.
China's national soccer team is ranked 80th in the latest FIFA global rankings, while Vietnam's men's soccer, coached by renowned French coach Jean-Pierre Troussier, is ranked 95th. In recent years, Vietnamese soccer has made great strides, especially in youth training and the league.On February 1, 2022, Vietnam's men's football team created a historic victory when they beat the national football team 3-1 in the World Cup Asian Qualifying Round 12 match. This time, when they face each other again, the national football team is bound to give their best, while the Vietnamese men's football team will never give up easily.
