As we all know, the recent situation of our soccer sector is worrying, the national team's performance in the international arena is low, the Asian ranking has even dropped to the third-rate level, the young players are difficult to shine in Asian tournaments, and there are even age-group teams that do not have access to the top-level tournaments.
But just at the beginning of this year, a name gave us an unexpected surprise - that is our U15 national soccer team. This team consists of players from Guangzhou Evergrande Football School and Shandong Luneng Football School, plus temporary players from other teams. Under the leadership of Evergrande's foreign coach Masaki Nakamura, they participated in the U15 East Asia Cup.
Facing an unfavorable situation, Masaki Nakamura led the team to win the championship with consecutive victories over Japan and South Korea. This is the only championship for our men's soccer team in recent years, showing the potential and strength of our youth soccer and bringing hope to fans.
However, this team disbanded after winning the championship as it was formed on an ad hoc basis. Due to the excellent results, the FA started to consider building a national brand in this age group. As a result, Evergrande foreign coach Masaki Nakamura became the favorite among fans.
But the latest news came, soccer newspaper reported that the 2008 and 2009 national junior team selection of coaches at the same time, is currently in the selection stage, the relevant candidates are being investigated. Nakamura Masaki, who led the 08 National Junior Team to win the U15 East Asian Cup, will not coach the 08 National Junior Team.
For Chinese soccer, the failure of the Football Association to select Evergrande coach Masaki Nakamura to take charge of the national junior team is undoubtedly a great pity. Masaaki Nakamura's outstanding performance in the U15 East Asian Cup, as well as his rich experience and professional ability at the Evergrande Soccer School, made him the ideal candidate to coach the national junior team. This has also sparked questions from some fans, as the FA has made a number of mistakes in selecting coaches in recent years.
However, there is still something reassuring about this coach selection process. The Football Association has decided that the head coaches of the two national junior teams will be foreign coaches, which reflects the Association's open vision and international strategy for the development of youth soccer. Through the introduction of foreign coaches, Chinese soccer hopes to absorb international advanced soccer concepts and training methods to improve the competitive level and comprehensive quality of domestic youth players.
It is reported that the 2008 age group of the national training team will depart from Shanghai on December 18, to Japan for a period of six days of training, during which four friendly matches will be held to test the results of the training. 2024 February, the team will also go to Germany for a period of three weeks of short-term "overseas study", and the local youth team to exchange games. These international exchanges are of great significance in enhancing the vision and competitive level of Chinese youth players.
Meanwhile, the 2009 National Training Team is also in the process of intense preparation. They have had more time to prepare than the 2008 National Junior Team, which will undoubtedly lay the foundation for them to achieve good results in future competitions. Despite the fact that the 08 National Junior was established later than before due to a series of changes in the FA, the team has gradually matured through a series of training camps this year and showed good strength and potential by winning the U15 East Asia Cup in September.
Overall, the CFA's commitment and determination to the development of youth soccer is obvious. The CFA hopes to create a more favorable environment and conditions for the growth of the national junior team by introducing foreign coaches and strengthening international exchanges. We expect Chinese soccer to show better performance and strength on the international stage in the near future.
