In the soccer world, 45-year-old Li Guoxu is like an epic of Dalian soccer, his story is like an intricate scroll. Back in 1997, at the age of 19, he stepped into the first team of Dalian Wanda wearing the No. 19 gown, and that year, he became a bright star in the eyes of Chi Shangbin and Xu Genbao. In order to chase the glory of Dalian soccer, Li Guoxu resolutely embarked on the journey, his footprints throughout the Chongqing Red Rock, Shaanxi Guoli, Chongqing Lifan, Boca Juniors, Chengdu Sheffield United and other places. In 2009, retired Li returned to Dalian and joined the newly established Dalian Albin coaching team. Well versed in the challenges and transcendence of the game, he returned to Dalian in 2012 as the assistant coach and reserve team manager of the new Chinese Super League side Albion. In the years since, he has also served as assistant coach of China's U19 youth team, head coach of Dalian Super League's first team, and head coach of Dalian's reserve team. In three years, Li Guoxu led the team to start from zero, unstoppable, from the Championship all the way to the Central League.
In the new season, Dalian Yingbo is blowing like a spring breeze in the Central League. In the first match against Qingdao Red Lion, Fei Yu's goal gave the team a good start. Immediately after, in the match at Suzhou Dongwu, Lv Peng's precise assist allowed Yan Peng to complete the shutout at the end of the game. In the third round of home matches, facing Guangxi Pingguo, who was fourth in last year's Central League, Dalian Yingbo won again with a score of 1-0. 38-year-old veteran Yan Xianggong became the hero of the match, and the team realized three consecutive victories. In this game, ticket sales were exceptionally hot, and the original plan was to open only one grandstand, but many fans failed to purchase tickets. The club finally decided to temporarily open part of the second floor stands, a total of 23,118 fans entered the game. After three rounds, Dalian Yingbo became the only winning team among the 16 teams in the Central League, and the only team that conceded zero goals. In the midfield, Lv Peng, Fei Yu, Sun Bao and Yan almost replicated the Dalian lineup. 41-year-old goalkeeper Sui Weijie is getting more and more solid, and the young players and Xiaoqiang, who are on loan from Guoan, are also firmly in the starting wingback position. After the dissolution of Dalian People, Dalian Yingbo carried the heavy expectations of the Dalian soccer circle. At the beginning of the year, Dalian Yingbo in preparation for the 2025 National Games in Dalian U19 ladder team warm-up matches, the former Dalian Wanda No. 10 player Shi Lei and Dalian Shide captain Zhang Yaokun in person to watch the game. Zhou Ting also served as the head coach of Dalian Yingbo's U19 team. Today, Dalian Yingbo is moving steadily along the upgrade path of Dalian Albin. The team's investment and staffing make Dalian fans confident that Dalian soccer will return to the Chinese Super League.
