In 2006, China's U17 national football team unexpectedly canceled a scheduled preparation trip to Japan, while at the same time, Tajikistan U17 and Saudi Arabia U17, rivals for the final stage of the Asian Cup, were actively involved in warm-up matches to build up their strength for the upcoming Asian Cup.
China's U17 men's soccer team, which was scheduled to leave for Osaka, Japan for a training session on May 21, was suddenly notified of the cancellation of the training in Japan on the eve of its departure. This change of events caused the team to lose a valuable opportunity to prepare for the Asian Cup finals.
Faced with an unexpected situation, the U17 national soccer team made an urgent return trip to Yuxi for preparation. For about two weeks from June 3, the team lacked the opportunity to play warm-up matches, which had a negative impact on the preparation.
On the other hand, Tajikistan U17 and Saudi Arabia U17 have been actively preparing for the tournament. The Tajikistan U17 team not only participated in the U20 Central Asia Cup organized by the Central Asian Football Federation (C AFF), but also showed excellent athletic performance in the tournament.
"The U20 Central Asia Cup is a tournament for teams in the 2005 age group in preparation for the 2025 U20 Asian Cup qualifiers. Although the Tajikistan Football Federation (TFF) selected the U17 team in the 2006 age group, they gained valuable practical experience in the tournament.
In the U20 Central Asia Cup, Tajikistan's U17 team played against a variety of strong players, including U18 teams from Uzbekistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and other countries. They had many opportunities to practice in the tournament and were well prepared for the Asian Cup.
The Saudi U17s have also been busy training and warming up during this time, as they played a warm-up match against the visiting Yemeni U17s, and although they lost 0-1, the team improved by playing against other strong teams.
It is still unknown whether China's U17 team will be able to find a chance to warm up locally after arriving in Thailand.
