China's youth soccer's U17 tournament is entering its third stage after a generally challenging run of mostly defeats or draws for Chinese Super League teams, with high school teams and lesser-known youth clubs emerging as winners.
China's U20 national team advanced to the main round of the U20 Asian Cup qualifiers with two wins and one loss, with leader Shao Jiayi revealing that selection for the age group was limited to about 500 people.
So, does the inaugural China Youth Football League herald hope for the future of national soccer?
The First China Youth Football League
① In the Weifang District U17 Boys' Soccer Tournament, Beijing Guoan won the E/F Group Championship, but the road to promotion is full of ups and downs: the third round of the group stage 1-0 loss to Shandong Normal University, the final 0-0 draw with Jinan Licheng No. 2 Middle School, and finally won the penalty shootout 5-3.
In Tangshan, Tsinghua High School beat Hebei and Cangzhou Lions 3-0 and 2-0, respectively, while NPC High School beat Tianjin Jinmen Tiger 1-0. Cangzhou Lions drew with Xingtai No. 3 Middle School and Shijiazhuang No. 9 Middle School, while Tianjin Jinmen Tiger and Shijiazhuang No. 2 Middle School Experimental School also exchanged draws.
Chinese Super League ladder teams Hebei, Tianjin Jinmen Tigers and Cangzhou Lions all failed to finish first in their groups, finishing in 5th, 6th and 8th place respectively.
Guangzhou U17s beat Jiangxi Fuzhou Guangchang Yincai Football Club U17s 2-1 to finish first in Zhangzhou, Shanghai Seaport U17s were held to a draw by Shaanxi Normal University Affiliated High School in the third round of the group stage, and the Dalianers won the title but drew with Dalian Read Line Football Club in the semifinals.
② On the one hand, there are deficiencies in the ladder construction of Chinese Super League clubs, while on the other hand, professional ladder teams, FA teams, youth training clubs and campus soccer are developing rapidly.
China's U20 national team advanced with two wins and one loss in Group A of the U20 Asian Cup qualifiers in Saudi Arabia, and leader Shao Jiayi said the selection of players for the 2003 age group was limited to about 500 people in the country.
③ The first China Youth Football League was jointly organized by the State General Administration of Sports, the Ministry of Education and the CFA, aiming to break down the barriers to the integration of sports and education and to provide a high-quality competitive platform for young soccer players at all levels.
Chen Xuyuan participated in the briefing
The tournament is divided into elementary, middle school, high school and college divisions, with a total of 18 age groups for men and women.
④ The inaugural league is still in progress, with the elementary school division organized by the municipalities themselves. The Boys' U13 and U15 finals have already decided on the top four, the Boys' U17 category is underway, and the Girls' U15 national finals and Girls' U17 qualifiers have also taken place.
⑤ The inaugural league had a lot of highlights, a significant improvement in the level of youth soccer, excellent organization of matches, and an innovative tournament system, but it also faced challenges such as financial difficulties.
The future of the Chinese national soccer team is not yet known, but we must persevere in such matches in order to have hope.
