September 9: China National Team Announces 30-Man Training Squad; Chengdu Rongcheng Sends 7, 17-Year-Old Zhao Songyuan and 18-Year-Old Bunyamin Selected for First Time

On the day the squad was announced, the most eye-catching name was not Wei Shihao, nor Sergio.

It was the affiliation written after a player's name — Tsinghua University High School.

Among the 30 players in the training squad, 29 come from Chinese Super League and China League clubs. The final name reads: Zhao Songyuan, Tsinghua University High School. He is 17 years old, born in April 2009, 1.94 meters tall, and a forward.

He has no registration with a professional club and no professional league appearances.

After years of Chinese football professionalization, a current high school student has appeared in a senior national team training squad for the first time. He attends classes in the morning, trains in the afternoon, and his father drives him to extra sessions on weekends. His father is a university physical education teacher.

At last year's U17 Asian qualifiers, he scored 11 goals in five matches and won the Golden Boot. At this year's Shanghai Future Star Cup in August, he scored three goals and provided one assist against Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen youth teams, winning MVP of the tournament. An Arsenal academy coach said he was the biggest threat to the defense.

In the same squad, Chengdu Rongcheng had seven players selected at once. Liu Dianzuo, Han Pengfei, Wei Shihao, Wang Ziming, Li Yang, Yang Mingyang and Jian Tao — from goalkeeper to center-back to forward, it was almost like moving the team's spine to the national side. The Chinese Super League leaders became a major supplier of internationals.

There is also 18-year-old Yunnan Yukun player Bunyamin Abdu Shalamu. He only moved from Evergrande Football School in February, with a transfer fee of 1 million and a three-year contract. He scored his first Chinese Super League goal on July 3 and has produced five goals and four assists in 20 matches so far, directly creating nine goals.

A high school student who has never played professional football and an 18-year-old who has only played half a season in the Chinese Super League both entered the senior national team for the first time.

Ten years ago, this would have been unimaginable.

First, why did these two names appear?

Because there are not enough available players.

The U23-eligible group including Wang Yudong, Hu Hetao and Li Hao was entirely called up by the Asian Games team and went to Dalian for training on September 7. The three overage players Zhang Yuning, Zhu Chenjie and Wu Xi also joined them, along with Baihelamu, Xu Bin, Kuai Jiwen and Yang Xi.

Football News calculated that the U23 national team not only took three overage players this time, but also took away 12 young players who had recently appeared for the national team.

National team head coach Shao Jiayi looked up and found that much of the main framework was missing.

At center forward, Zhang Yuning is unavailable, leaving Wang Ziming as the mature target option. In central defense, Zhu Chenjie is absent, so Han Pengfei, Li Yang, Wei Zhen and Gao Zhunyi need to be reorganized. On the wings, Wang Yudong is absent, putting the pressure on Wei Shihao and Tao Qianglong.

Vacant positions do not disappear; he does not need to replace anyone, only decide who fills them.

Under past rules, young players had to wait in line to enter the national team. They first needed two strong league seasons, then moved around the edge of training squads before gradually earning a place. This queue was not written in any regulation, but built through the trust and security of successive coaches.

Now, with the Asian Games call-ups, people in the middle of the queue are gone.

As a result, Zhao Songyuan skipped three levels — U19, U20 and U23 — and went directly into the senior team. Bunyamin, Wang Gengrui and Yang Mingrui skipped two levels.

Han Qiaosheng said: The three players are all from the 2008-09 age group. Under normal development they should be playing at U17 or U19 level, but entering a senior national team training camp directly is a very rare move for the national team in recent years.

Bunyamin's breakout season at Yunnan Yukun was earned through actual performances.

On July 3 in Chinese Super League Round 17 against Henan, he calmly finished at the far post for his first CSL goal, helping the team win 2-1 after a comeback. On July 17 against Shanghai Port, he equalized in the 53rd minute with a shot after receiving a pass from Yonich. On July 26 against Shenzhen Peng City, Oscar's left-wing cross in the 56th minute allowed him to control the ball with his chest, beat defenders and finish with his right foot, while also assisting Oscar.

Reporter Cheng Wenli watched several of his matches and said his composure was surprising, as the 18-year-old does not panic when receiving the ball in the penalty area.

He said his salary is managed by his father and that joining the national team has always been his dream.

That was a very genuine statement.

Now, back to Zhao Songyuan.

He followed a different path. After primary school, he did not enter a football academy youth team but went to Tsinghua University High School, studying normally while playing football. U17 national team coach Toshifumi Futsushima demands high pressing, and generally a 1.94-meter target striker would struggle to complete such intense running.

His training notes say: maintain high pressure, double-team and recover pressure, block passing lanes without taking overly wide angles, and continue pressing if the opponent passes back to the goalkeeper.

At the U17 Asian Cup, he led the team to the final, winning the runner-up spot and a place at the U17 World Cup. He scored against Japan in both the group stage and the final. In stoppage time of the final, his header was saved by the Japanese goalkeeper, missing a potential winning goal by a small margin.

The final line in his training notes reads: Face the gap honestly, stay true to our original ambition, and we will eventually win our own championship.

After the squad announcement, media figures had a heated discussion.

Reporter Zhao Yu said Bunyamin, Zhao Songyuan and Yang Mingrui were highlights, and opportunities should be given in warm-up matches. After the Asian Games ends and U23 players return, half of this squad may need to be replaced.

Li Xuan said these warm-up matches should include more young players and more variables, which could also attract fans' attention.

Pei Li made a humorous remark: I like Bunyamin and Yang Mingrui, but the question is, how did Xie Wenneng become a defender?

There were also cautious opinions. Han Qiaosheng said calling up young players is a good thing, but skipping levels does not mean they can immediately play matches.

The matches this squad will face are not easy.

From September 12 to October 7, the national team will train first in Wuhan and then in Chongqing, with players required to report by 18:00 on September 12.

The four international A-level matches will all be played at Chongqing Longxing Football Stadium, starting at 19:35: Palestine on September 24, New Zealand on September 27, Turkmenistan on October 2, and Tajikistan on October 6.

The four opponents were selected with next year's Asian Cup in mind. China is in Group C with Iran, Syria and Kyrgyzstan, all teams known for physical battles and strength-based West Asian and Central Asian styles. Palestine and Tajikistan are Asian Cup finalists with similar styles; Turkmenistan focuses on quick transitions and counterattacks to test defensive transitions and wing defense; New Zealand has just played in the FIFA World Cup and drew 2-2 with Iran.

The four matches are spaced three or four days apart, simulating the Asian Cup group-stage rhythm of one match every three days.

The grass at Longxing Football Stadium has also been replaced with the same type used for the FIFA World Cup final.

Zhao Songyuan's selection is for the 30-man training squad, not the 23-player match squad. The same applies to Bunyamin and Wang Gengrui.

Whether they can step onto the pitch against Palestine on September 24 is something nobody knows yet.

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