The U20 Asian Cup will officially kick off in the middle of next month. Currently, the Chinese U20 men's football team is actively preparing for the warm-up under the leadership of head coach Djordjevic. In the second warm-up match in Thailand, the Chinese U20 men's football team faced off against the Thai U20 men's football team. The result was a 1-1 draw, which also marked two winless matches since arriving in Thailand. Before the friendly match with the Thai U20 men's football team, the Chinese U20 men's football team had previously faced off against the Korean powerhouse Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. The opponent is a Korean powerhouse with rich tactical experience. In the first half, the Chinese U20 men's football team held off the opponent's fierce attack and only conceded one goal. After changing sides to continue the game, the Chinese U20 men's football team remained passive in the situation. Therefore, after conceding two more goals in the second half, they immediately conceded another goal. Although Zhang Zhixiong scored a goal from a free-kick to pull one back, the Chinese U20 men's football team still lost 1-4 to the opponent. Looking at the game process, the Chinese U20 men's football team was completely overwhelmed. The matchup against the Thai U20 men's football team is the most suitable opponent for the Chinese U20 men's football team. On one hand, the age difference is minimal. On the other hand, the Thai U20 men's football team will also participate in the U20 Asian Cup. It can be seen that both sides are very much…

In a friendly match that concluded on January 21st, Beijing time, the Chinese U20 men's football team (national youth team) faced off against the Thai U20 men's football team while training in Thailand. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, marking two consecutive winless friendlies for the national youth team during their Thai training camp. Prior to this match, the national youth team suffered a 1-4 defeat against the strong Korean league team, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, in their first friendly during the Thai training camp. For this encounter with the Thai national youth team, China's starting lineup was as follows: goalkeeper Liu Qiwei; defenders He Yiran, Peng Xiao, Shi Songchen, Yang Xi; Xiong Jizheng, Chen Zeshi; Wang Yudong, Kuai Jiwen, Mao Weijie; Liu Chengyu. The first half of the match saw no goals from either side. In the second half, at the 31st minute, Thailand unleashed a world-class shot from outside the penalty area, which hit the crossbar and went into the net, giving Thailand a 1-0 lead. However, just six minutes later, 19-year-old midfielder Chen Shihan, who plays in the Belgian league, responded with an impressive long-range shot from the top of the penalty arc, helping the national youth team equalize. Neither team managed to score again, resulting in a final 1-1 draw. According to the plan, the national youth team will face Yonsei University of Korea and Bangkok United U23 on the 25th and 26th of this month. They will then fly back to Shenzhen in the early hours of the 27th to disband locally. After the Spring…

In the vast expanse of Chinese football, a new star has quietly risen in recent U20 national team matches. He is 18-year-old Zhang Zhiqiang, a rising star from the Guangzhou team's youth training system. In a crucial match, Zhang Zhiqiang scored an impressive goal, bringing valuable points to the national youth team. When the national youth team faced the formidable challenge of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors' first team, the score was once behind, and the atmosphere on the field was tense and oppressive. However, just as everyone thought victory was hopeless, Zhang Zhiqiang stepped up. Relying on his keen sense and excellent skills, he managed to pull one back for the national youth team at a critical moment. This goal was not only the best proof of his personal abilities but also a strong endorsement of Guangzhou team's youth training system. Guangzhou team, a name that once wrote a glorious chapter in the history of Chinese football, still cannot ignore its investment and achievements in youth training despite facing some difficulties now. Zhang Zhiqiang's growth trajectory is a microcosm of the success of Guangzhou team's youth training system. From receiving professional training at a young age, gradually emerging, to shining brightly in the national youth team now, every step of Zhang Zhiqiang is condensed with the wisdom and sweat of Guangzhou team's youth training coaching team. Zhang Zhiqiang's journey has not been smooth sailing. During the key stage of Guangzhou team's promotion push last season, he faced the choice of being called up to the national youth team. Considering the needs…

The year 2025 is of great significance for Chinese football. Besides the national team's final preparations for the 2026 World Cup, both the U20 and U17 national youth teams will participate in their respective age-group Asian Cups, striving for better results and qualifications for the World Youth Championships. Currently, under the leadership of Ivan, the national team has concluded its first training camp of the year. After disbanding in Haikou, the players will return to their respective clubs to prepare for the new season, while Ivan will return to Beijing to summarize this training session. The U20 national youth team is currently training in Thailand, preparing for the upcoming U20 Asian Cup to be held in Shenzhen. As only reaching the semi-finals guarantees qualification for the U20 World Cup, this poses a significant challenge for the national team. However, being able to enter the final stage of the Asian Cup represents progress for Chinese football, which has struggled to even reach the finals of lower-age group Asian Cups for a long time. This training in Thailand also serves as the final preparation before the official competition. During their training in Thailand, the U20 national youth team plans to play four warm-up matches, the first of which is against K League powerhouse Jeonbuk Hyundai. Jeonbuk Hyundai is also preparing for the new K League season, so they attach great importance to this match against the national youth team and have fielded their first-team squad. The main purpose is to evaluate players, so almost all Jeonbuk Hyundai players, including their main players,…

In the off-season of the Chinese Super League (CSL), the relationship between Shandong Luneng Club and its head coach Choi Kang-hee has become embroiled in a complex game of strategy. At the heart of this dispute lies the issue of transfer decision-making power and a substantial severance package, with rumors involving Jeonbuk Hyundai adding to the complexity of the situation! The current impasse stems from fundamental disagreements over core interests. Choi Kang-hee is seeking control over the team's transfer decisions, which not only affects his influence over the team but also closely ties into the economic interests of his coaching staff. However, Shandong Luneng's stance is quite clear: with Su Maozhen set to return, the club will not grant Choi Kang-hee transfer decision-making power. Nevertheless, if he is willing to continue coaching, the club welcomes him. The most critical factor in this tug-of-war is the hefty team severance package worth 40 million yuan. In the context of CSL clubs generally keeping annual investments around 100 million yuan, this severance package undoubtedly poses a significant burden for Shandong Luneng. More challenging is the fact that the original contract did not include any clauses linking severance to performance outcomes, leaving the club without legal grounds for unilateral termination. Recently, news of a vacant coaching position at Jeonbuk Hyundai in South Korea has introduced new variables into this stalemate. Although Choi Kang-hee was included on the shortlist, according to well-known journalist "Who's Good at Selling Cute," Jeonbuk Hyundai has not seriously considered Choi Kang-hee, using him more as a bargaining chip in negotiations.…

It's raining misfortunes when your roof leaks, and now Shandong Taishan's foreign players are being targeted again. We haven't even had a chance to strengthen our team with new signings, but it seems like there's trouble brewing at home. From Crespo last time to Zeka today, what's going on? There were rumors at the end of the season that Japanese teams were inquiring about Crespo, and that Kawasaki Frontale's former coach, Takashi Ono, was interested in bringing the Brazilian to his new club, Kashima Antlers. But then what happened? No news! Now it's said that Korean teams have set their sights on Zeka, the center forward who only joined Shandong last year and spent half the year recovering from injuries. The team interested in Zeka this time is Ulsan Hyundai. What's the deal? It seems like Chinese teams are always the ones left holding the bag. When we bought Zeka, we paid a breach of contract fee of 2 million euros and a salary of 1 million euros, not to mention the medical expenses. Does this mean that after all that Shandong Taishan has invested, Ulsan Hyundai is just waiting to take advantage? Zeka isn't indispensable; at the very least, the accounts should be settled for 3 million euros. We can be generous and waive the medical fees. I suspect that it might be Choi Kang-hee's team spreading these rumors through domestic Korean media again. The message seems to be: if you don't want the players I buy, I'll create some public opinion and take away your star striker. There…