Recently, our men's national soccer team and the U24 Asian Games team went to New Zealand to start warm-up matches and encountered challenges from two New Zealand men's soccer teams. Meanwhile, the U17 national football team coached by 39-year-old international footballer Yang Chen is preparing for the U17 Asian Cup in Dubai, UAE, but the performance is not optimistic. After losing three consecutive warm-up matches by a score of 0-1, fans are putting pressure on the coaching team, questioning whether they can lead the team to the World Junior Championships.
In contrast, the U20 men's soccer team, coached by foreign coach Antonio, performed brightly. The Football Association (FA) has handed over the coaching reins of the U17 men's soccer team to local coach Yang Chen. Last year, Yang Chen successfully led his team through the U17 Asian Cup qualifiers and advanced to the final round, which starts in June this year. They are aiming for the 2023 World Youth Championships in Peru, a tournament they last played in 2005, and since then have missed successive matches and even lost the chance to reach the final round.
Now, Yang Chen is shouldering the expectations of the fans and leading the team's preparation for the tournament. The national junior team has not returned to the World Junior Championships for many years, and the preparation before the tournament is particularly important. the U20 men's soccer team had a long training session in the United Arab Emirates and Croatia, and finally advanced to the second place in the group, while the U17 national soccer team also arrived in Dubai, UAE, and the performance of the warm-up matches will directly reflect the team's results of the preparation.
This week, the U17 national soccer team took part in a number of warm-up matches.On March 15, they played against Saudi Arabia U17 men's football team and lost 0-1. The overseas warm-ups gave them time to adapt, but they also lost 0-1 in their second match against Guelph United U19, failing to win two consecutive warm-up matches and not adjusting to their best form.
Three days later, the U17 national soccer team played against Saudi Arabia U17 men's soccer team again, and still lost 0-1. Losing three consecutive warm-up matches, without scoring a single goal, and lacking power on the offensive end, Yang Chen is under tremendous pressure as a coach.
In the face of the U17 national soccer team's slump in the warm-up matches, domestic fans have criticized Yang Chen's coaching ability, believing that he is not as good as Antonio, the coach of the U20 men's football team. Some fans have even called for Antonio to replace Yang Chen and lead the U17 national soccer team to the U17 Asian Cup if his contract with the FA expires, perhaps bringing a glimmer of hope for the World Junior Championships.
Statistically, the last time our men's soccer team appeared in a world-class competition was at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The U20 national soccer team has suffered repeated defeats at the World Youth Championships over the past 15 years, and the U17 national soccer team has new hopes on its shoulders.
