On April 1 in early spring, the Chinese League One officially announced that it would implement a conference system, with matches to be played in the green fields of Meizhou, the intersection of Dalian and Chengdu, and the arena in Wuhan, with the opening match on April 24 officially kicking off the season. However, for Chengdu fans, the possibility of cheering for the two Sichuan teams at their doorstep has become a major suspense in their minds. However, according to the results of the grouping, at least in the first stage, fans will not be able to witness the wonderful performance of Sichuan Jiuniu at home. As for Chengdu Rongcheng, it will first depart for Dalian, so will it choose to remain in Chengdu?
Text | KWOK KI
With the announcement of the groupings, the internet is abuzz with talk. Some sources say that this year's Central League will be divided into four stages of 10+8+8+8. Among them, the first two stages of the Dalian-Chengdu tournament will be held in Dalian, and the last two stages will be moved to Chengdu. In addition, documents about the description of the tournament system also accidentally leaked out.
This chart reveals that starting in Stage 2, the 18 teams will be grouped by geographic location and then play in those divisions.
According to the plan, Dalian is responsible for the first and second stages, while Chengdu is responsible for the third and fourth stages of the game. In this way, the first two stages, two Sichuan teams will lose the "home field advantage". As to whether they can return to Chengdu in the third stage to enjoy the home advantage, Chengdu Rongcheng, for example, if Rongcheng is ranked third in Group B in the first stage, it will be assigned to Meizhou in Group A in the second stage. If Rongcheng wants to return to Chengdu in the third stage, it will have to fight for the third and fourth places in the second stage of the competition instead of the first place.
Such a rule is confusing, isn't it? Doesn't it mean that giving up a win just to get back home seems a bit ridiculous? Isn't it a fear of never being able to see the home team play at home again?
Of course, there are many other possibilities, but for Chengdu Rongcheng, the best strategy to get back home in Stage 3 is to stay in the top two spots in Group b for the first two stages. Even if Rongcheng goes all the way back to Chengdu by virtue of its strength, the arrangement of the fourth stage of the tournament is still an unknown. As for Sichuan Jiuniu, the possibility of returning home from death group a is even more remote.
At present, the CFA has not yet announced a more detailed description of the system and the final schedule, the above information can not be taken as conclusive. But if the news is true, Chengdu fans are afraid that it is difficult to quell the tangled emotions, after all, the team's performance is the most critical.
The epidemic will eventually pass, and if Chengdu Rongcheng succeeds in reaching the Super League this year, the hot ball market will surely return again in the future at Phoenix Hill Sports Center.
