As we all know, the recent situation in China's soccer world is worrying, the national team's status in Asia is in decline, young players in Asian tournaments rarely bright performance, some age groups of the team even do not have access to the top tournaments.
But earlier this year, an unexpected surprise came quietly. China's U15 national soccer team, composed of players from schools such as Guangzhou Evergrande and Shandong Luneng, was formed on an ad hoc basis under the leadership of Japanese coach Masaki Nakamura, and won the East Asia Cup against Japan and South Korea in a row, ultimately winning the championship. This is the only time in recent years that China's men's soccer team has won the championship in an international tournament, which not only shows the potential and strength of China's soccer team at the youth level, but also gives fans unlimited hope.
However, this championship team was disbanded after winning the title as it was only formed on a temporary basis. In light of the team's excellent results, the FA is interested in creating a national brand in this age group, and as such, Evergrande Soccer School's foreign coach Masaki Nakamura has become the most vocal candidate among fans.
However, recently came the news, soccer newspaper report pointed out that the 2008 and 2009 national junior team selection process is being synchronized, Nakamura Masaki will not be 08 national junior coach.
For our country's soccer, losing Evergrande's foreign coach Masaki Nakamura to coach the national junior team is undoubtedly a great pity. His outstanding performance in the U15 East Asian Cup, as well as his rich experience and professional ability in the Evergrande Soccer School, make him the ideal candidate to coach the national junior team. This has also caused some fans to question the FA's repeated mistakes in selecting coaches in recent years.
However, the process of selecting coaches this time is still reassuring. 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, China's soccer hopes to draw on advanced international 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 national training team will depart from Shanghai on December 18, to Japan for a six-day training, during which four friendly matches will be played. 2024 February, the team will also go to Germany for a three-week short-term "overseas study", and the exchange of games with local youth teams. These international exchanges are important for improving the vision and competitive level of Chinese youth players.
Meanwhile, the 2009 National Training Team is also preparing intensely. They will have 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 recent changes in the Football Association, the team has been gradually honed into shape through this year's training camp, and showed good strength and potential by winning the U15 East Asia Cup in September.
Overall, the investment and determination of our Football Association in the development of youth soccer is evident. The FA hopes to create a more favorable environment and conditions for the growth of the national junior team through the introduction of foreign coaches, strengthening international exchanges and other measures. We expect Chinese soccer to show better performance and strength on the international stage in the near future.
