News update: Beijing time on March 10, the soccer circle came heavy news, U21 national youth and U19 national youth teams are expected to emerge in the domestic league this season. It is reported that the U21 National Youth will join the battlefield of the Central League, while the U19 National Youth will compete in the Central League B. This move is seen as one of the strategies to cope with the current special period.
Both teams recently kicked off a new round of preparations in Shanghai, with the U21s aiming for the upcoming U23 Asian Cup next year, a key qualifier for the Paris Olympics, and the U19s taking on the challenge of qualifying for the U20s in September, aiming for a place in the final stage in Uzbekistan. However, both teams face the same challenge: they are unable to play quality warm-up matches due to the epidemic restrictions. Overseas training and plans to invite opponents to China for matches have both been thwarted, making participation in the domestic league an exceptional strategy to safeguard players' form.
It is worth mentioning that the U21 National Youth Football League, under the leadership of Cheng Yaodong, started to participate in the exercise of the Central B League as early as two years ago, with remarkable results. As the players grew older, many of them found their place in the Central League A or even the Central Super League of their affiliated clubs, and their overall strength and physical fitness have improved dramatically. Therefore, this decision to participate in the Central League aims to further improve the overall level of the team. The U19 National Youth, on the other hand, is expected to follow the example of their predecessors and start in the Central B League to receive training.
In Cheng Yaodong's opinion, participating in the domestic league is an effective way to improve the team's practical ability. He said in an interview, "Participating in the professional league as a whole unit and facing strong opponents from the adult team, the national youth players have made remarkable progress in many aspects."
In Sung Yiu Tung's eyes, if the team wants to improve, they must constantly seek ways to enhance their real-world ability, and sharpening players through high-level rivalry matches is a viable path.
