As the 31st China-Japan-Korea Youth Games kicked off in Wakayama, Japan at the end of this month, China's U18 men's soccer training team assembled at Beijing Sport University on July 24th for a month-long preparation, and the energetic team set off on a journey to Langfang Niu Camel Soccer Training Base in Hebei Province at noon on August 9th to start a two-day warm-up match with the newest team of the Champions League, Langfang Glorious City. The team arrived at the Niu Camel soccer training base in Langfang, Hebei province, and started a two-day warm-up match with the newest team in the Champions League, Langfang Glory. The U18 national football team had the last laugh with a score of 2-0 in the match.
In the day's game, all 25 starters took the field except for the goalie substitutes. As the head of the team's coaching staff, former international player Shao Jiayi said, "There were not many opportunities to play, and we tried to give every player the experience of playing. It is worth mentioning that nearly half of the players in the U18 national soccer training team held in Chonburi, Thailand in June this year have already played on behalf of the U17 Asian Cup. In other words, the original elite U17 international players can continue to stay in the national team through the U18 team, through which they can gain valuable experience in international confrontation, which is very beneficial to their growth.
It is reported that most of the players have joined the U18 national soccer team training which was launched on the 24th of last month, except for individual players such as Wang Yudong who are absent due to club reservations. While actively looking for suitable opponents for warm-up matches, the U18 national soccer team is also well aware of the arduous task of preparation and the time constraints. It is worth mentioning that in the early stage of preparation, the first warm-up match between the U18 national soccer team and Guoan U21 team ended in a 2-2 draw.
