"A brand new era, a brand new starting point, a brand new journey!" The journey of Guangzhou soccer started again, and the pursuit of dreams never stops. on May 20th, Guangzhou Shadow Leopards Football Club was grandly unveiled at the Tianhe Stadium, and the members of the club and the team appeared in a brand-new posture. Captain Liang Xueming raised the flag, marking the official opening of a new chapter in Guangzhou soccer. In addition to setting a clear goal of entering the Chinese B League this season, head coach Li Bing also looked forward to a grand blueprint - looking forward to the club's continued cultivation, cultivating two or three outstanding players who are expected to be selected for the national team in the future.
Guangzhou Shadow Leopard Football Club Establishment Ceremony
Inheritance and innovation, shaping the localized style
Since the date of registration on March 23, Guangzhou Shadow Leopards Club has been actively recruiting, with many Guangdong players and those who have played for Guangdong teams joining the team, such as Xiao Zhi, Zeng Chao, Zhou Yuchen, Wang Peng, Wen Yongjun, Wu Chengru, Ling Chuanbin, and other veterans of the Guangzhou City team, as well as Liang Xueming who has played for the Meizhou Hakka team and was awarded the Golden Boot Award of the 2021 season of China League One for his home country, all of whom have been a part of the team.
Head coach Li Bing revealed that most of the team's starting lineup comes from Guangdong, covering players from Guangzhou, Meizhou, Zhanjiang and Shanwei. They have all been active in the Chinese Super League, Chinese First League or Chinese Second League in recent years. Captain Liang Xueming has even been selected for the Chinese national team at all levels several times. Players such as Xiao Zhi and Zeng Chao have accumulated rich experience in the Chinese Super League. Li Bing said, "We hope to build a team that is rooted in local culture, skilled, flexible, agile and full of fighting spirit to gradually realize our ambitious goal."
At the inauguration ceremony, Chen Xiushan, chairman and general manager of the Shadow Panther Club, delivered a speech in which he said, "We are not only focusing on the present, but also looking at the long term, taking one step at a time and gradually participating in professional leagues at all levels." In terms of the players signed by the club, there are veterans over 30 years old such as Xiao Zhi and Zeng Chao, as well as young talents such as 19-year-old Wen Yongjun and 18-year-old Ling Chuanbin. The legacy role of the veterans and the vigor and creativity of the young players will work together to drive the team's development.
As for the team's long-term structural plan, Li Bing hopes that the younger players can prove themselves on the field and challenge the older players for their positions. "Only in fierce competition can the team keep improving. In the next three to five years, I hope more young players will grow into pillars of the team. In fact, there are already several potential stars in the team, and I expect them to stand out in future workouts, with two or three players expected to be selected for the national team in the future."
Li Bing emphasized: keep a calm mind and focus
Li Bing has been leading the team's preparations since taking over as head coach of Shadow Panthers FC. on April 12, the team's first training session was successfully completed, and after 11 days of selection and training, the team initially formed a team base. on April 23, the team went to Meizhou for the first stage of the two-week preparations, with a focus on physical reserves and basic tactical training. During this period, the team played warm-up matches against the Meizhou Hakka first team substitutes and the U21 team. The team then conducted the second phase of training in Guangzhou and Shunde to further optimize tactical play by increasing training intensity and tactical training. During the period, the team played warm-up matches with the Champions League winning teams from Guangxi and Quanzhou to prepare for the upcoming Champions League by combining matches and training.
Li Bing has coached the Guangzhou team twice and has a deep affection for the city. "Guangzhou is a city that my coaching team and I pay special attention to. We are looking forward to meeting this new challenge!" According to Li Bing, despite the fact that the team is currently playing in the fourth tier league, the team has demonstrated a high level of professionalism in training and life, meeting the club's expectations. "Next, I hope the team achieves good results and successfully advances to the finals to achieve our first goal. I am also confident that the future will be brighter as the club develops!"
It is reported that a total of 64 teams participated in this year's Champions League. After the group stage of the regional tournament, the top two teams from the same region will form a promotion group and play two rounds of single round-robin matches, and the two teams with the best results will enter the final. The best two teams will enter the final. The final will be played on a home-and-away basis. Starting from 22, Guangzhou Shadow Panthers will play three group matches at the University City Sports Center, and if they advance, they will play two rounds of single round robin matches in Sanshui. Li Bing said that under the new Champions League system, the number of matches played by teams has increased, which is favorable to the strength teams and helps reduce the chance. It is vital for the club to maintain a calm mindset and focus, with the goal of making it to B this year!"
