Gongti Legends

Champions Leauge Matchday 1 : Let's Get it Started

2010-02-22T22:48:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time without a match and during that time there were a lot of events I failed to report on in the sports world. We've had the whole corruption scandal, Guoan's major signings, Marbury coming to China, the Winter Olympics, the new kits (coming soon), and the biggest, China's national team beating Korea, but you haven't read about any of those things on here. Anyways, now you have what you come to hear for, game information, and we have an interesting one tonight.

It seems like almost no time has passed since Halloween 2009, when on the day of gouls and goblins, Guoan broke a long standing curse to win their first ever domestic league title. That victory guarantees them a spot in the Asian Champions League, though hopefully this year's campaign will go better than last year's weak showing.

Guoan has certainly prepared well for this one, lots of preseason matches against domestic teams as well as a trip to Japan for a few against Japanese and Korean sides (including a brawl incident). They've also made a number of new signings which should do a lot to shape this year's side, bringing in former Scottish international Maurice Ross, CSL scoring stud Otto, and "China's Beckham" Xu Liang.

Just like last year, Guoan is opening its Asian campaign at home against an Australian team, though this time around its the Melbourne Victory. Last year, it was the new signings of the Griffiths brothers that combined against their old team (and older brother) to secure a victory. It appears that Ryan won't be on the ACL roster this time around, though Joel is still around, will he shine when given the chance to impress the large Australian audience? Will one of this year's new signings step up to win over the fans early?

Melbourne's in a tough position, having finished 2nd in their domestic league they are currently in the midst of the playoffs, having won the first leg of their semifinal match last week. They now have to contend with the massive jet lag that comes with a flight to Beijing, as well as winter conditions in Beijing. Despite all this, the manager has declared they won't sit back and play defense, instead they will play an attacking squad and go for the win, though how they turn out on the field will show how true he is to his word.

So there you have it, we'll probably see part 1 of the Tao/Xu experiment in midfield and how it works. Considering Guoan has yet to play a league match, expect team work to be a little spotty, but with a month to go before the start of the season, there is no reason why they shouldn't be able to go all out and seeing how hot Yang Zhi was in the recent East Asian Championship, Guoan will always have him to hold things up. The only team news is that Lang Zheng will be out, serving a two match ban, making it all the more likely we'll see Ross for the first time in the green and white tonight.

With no Chinese team advancing out of the group stage last year, Guoan (and the others) should be pumped up for a better showing to help China save face, it starts tonight, let's go Guoan!

all posts cross posted at Beijing Football.

Is It All Worth It?

2010-01-25T05:19:00.000-08:00

There is a lot to talk about these days regarding Beijing Guoan: the squad's new players, including one of the league's top scorers last year, Otto, and the exciting young player, Wang Xiaolong, as well as the potential addition of "China's Beckham", Xu Liang, and the Griffiths trifecta now that Joel has officially signed for the squad and brother Adam, a defender, is on trial with the side. That's not what I'm talking about today, and honestly, I'm wondering what the point is even in continuing this blog.

A few weeks back, I taunted those who want to talk about corruption, at the time, the arrests and questioning seemed fairly limited and didn't appear significant, however today the appearance is far different. With the removal of Nan Yong and Yang Yimin and the two being called in for questioning (as well as former Shanghai manager Jia Xiuquan), and with the likes of even China Daily discussing their possible execution, one wonders what to make of Chinese soccer these days. Less than 10 years since the black whistle scandal that rocked Chinese soccer, this current one seems to go even deeper and be even more problematic. It appeared that Chinese soccer had cleaned up its image in recent years and was past that scandal, but now those reforms seem only face deep, and the internal problems that led to that scandal have only continued to fester.

Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately for the fans), the extent of the police investigation and what exactly they are investigating or charging has been largely kept under wraps. How deep this scandal goes is completely unknown and with little more than a month before a new domestic season begins, the police investigation must be wrapped up before the 2010 CSL season kicks off. How can fans be expected to commit themselves to watching another season, to "live and die" over matches that could very well be fixed. It is hard watching nightly news coverage of Beijing Guoan while knowing a police investigation into the very highest level of the CFA is going on. Perhaps this corruption and match fixing can be used to explain why China's national team is so bad. Perhaps the change at the top of the CFA, combined with the current investigation, will revolutionize soccer in China.

Is there reason for optimism? Realistically, no. Until we know the extent of the corruption, its easy to imagine it as all encompassing and it truly casts a pall on the upcoming season.

Goodbye Yang Xiongdi!

2009-12-31T04:45:00.000-08:00

There was a friendly between China and Jordan the other day, but I find it too boring and meaningless to discuss here, so let's get to the important news. Yang Pu, a true all around player, a captain and leader, and member of the China national team, is to announce his retirement today, the summation of a 12 year career with Guoan and before that, time with junior sides in the city. Yang was born and raised in Beijing and was Guoan through and through, this year's title victory was the best way for him to go out.

Some reflections of a great career:

We won't see him on the pitch anymore, but he's going to be a part of the Guoan coaching staff next year, so he'll still be around the team he loves.

*photos from Titan Sports

Champions League Group is Deadly

2009-12-10T07:59:00.000-08:00

The Asian Champions League groups are out and they look like this:

Group E
Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma (KOR), Melbourne Victory (AUS), Beijing Guoan (CHN), Kawasaki Frontale (JPN)

Group F
Kashima Antlers (JPN), Jeonbuk Motors (KOR), Persipura Jayapura (IDN), Changchun Yatai (CHN)

Group G
Henan Jianye (CHN), Gamba Osaka (JPN), Suwon Bluewings (KOR), Play-off East winners

Group H
Adelaide United (AUS), Shandong Luneng (CHN), Cup winners (JPN), Pohang Steelers (KOR)

Okay, I'm only focusing on the East groups and, to be honest, even among them I know very little about the non-Chinese sides, though most writeups talk about Group E as the "group of death". Melbourne's the Aussie league champs, Kawasaki is the J League runners up, and Seongnam is Korea's runners up.

Guoan opens up the campaign at home against Melbourne, so hopefully they'll get off on the right foot. No Chinese squad has an easy go of it, though hopefully at least one will be able to get out of the group stage, unlike this year. Stay tuned as we're 2 months away from the start of the season.

News and Notes

2009-12-10T07:31:00.000-08:00

-It seems official, Con gave in and Joel Griffiths will be part of the Guoan squad next year, at the bargain basement loan price of US$350,000.

-For all you trying to figure out the coaching carousel that's going on, Arie Haan signed with Tianjin Teda, while Branko Ivankovic is to head Shandong Luneng, while Miroslav Blazevic is taking charge in Shanghai. It would appear the Changchun and Henan positions have yet to be filled and big names like Lee Jangsoo and Shen Xiangfu (both former Guoan coaches) are still on the market.

-File under hilarious headline, the AFC's website carried an article called "Henan Boss Cancels Chinese New Year to Prepare for ACL." No, she (and yes it is a SHE!) can't unilaterally cancel Chinese New year, but as the holiday falls in the middle of February and the opening match of the Asian Champions League takes place on February 22nd, the GM isn't giving her players the holiday off and instead expects them to be in training over the holiday period.

-I've basically given up hope of scoring tickets to the Guoan victory celebration, it seems they're really cutting out the fans and just holding it for sponsors, I'm sure there will be many who attempt to gate crash and a lot of pissed off people standing outside the National Indoor Stadium.

That's it for today...

News and Notes

2009-12-08T18:02:00.000-08:00

-Guoan's victory celebration will be held at the National Indoor Stadium on December 14th. A time has yet to be set and the ticketing is par for the course in China, instead of giving them directly to the fans, they'll be distributed by the club's sponsors and the media.

-Guoan has a great way of figuring out who to sign for next season, they're going down the scoring leaders from last season and trying to find them. Guangzhou's Ramirez was at the top of the list, but he seems to be courting all parties, talking nicely about Guoan and then stating that he'd prefer going to Shandong.

-In celebration of this year's CSL title, China Post released Guoan commemorative postage stamps and CITIC released a special bottle of Guoan wine.

－Joel Griffiths is returning to Australia for the time being, as the "big swinging dicks" in Beijing and Australia couldn't reach a compromise, though I'd expect we'll see him back in China (most likely Beijing) by the start of next season as he believes playing in China will help him be on the national team squad at the World Cup.

-Speaking of Griffiths, now that Australia is part of Asia, Joel Griffiths' suspension will carry over to the A-League and so therefore he'll be available to play at the start of the next CSL season.

Corruption, Schmurruption, Let's Talk About Soccer

2009-12-08T17:54:00.000-08:00

Chinese soccer has long been an easy target for those looking to talk about what's wrong with sport in China. If sport serves as an allegory for society, than soccer speaks volumes about modern China, with its corrupt, do anything to win attitude. The recent scandal involving Wang Xin, a former GM of the Liaoning side, has brought every news agency out of the wood work and got them talking about Chinese soccer. Never mind that most of the reporters writing these stories have never attended a Chinese league match or that they barely know anything about the state of soccer in China, its a story about corruption and they want it.

I guess I can't blame the reporters, its the headline writers and others who try to sex the story up that deserve my ire. At the same time, too many have made it seem that Chinese soccer is still cancerous, when the story that they're reporting on occurred mostly in Singapore in 2007.

First, there are the problems with what these articles are saying. Again, if sport serves as an analogy to society, than the oft quoted Hong Kong University professor Xu Guoqing's assessment is right on the money. He stated that, "To solve the soccer problem in China you need the rule of law and an independent judiciary. Chinese leaders seem quite serious about fixing this, but there is no way they can under the present regime."

While I'm all for the rule of law and independent judiciaries are a great thing, I don't see how these are the key to solving soccer corruption. It would also seem like you could remove the "soccer" part of that quote and add in any other societal ill in China, and the quote would still work.

And while I don't want to beat up on any one story, the Christian Science Moniter article* not only used the above quote, but also included this bit of brilliance, "So bad has Chinese soccer's reputation become that it is fast losing its popular appeal. Chinese state-owned television stopped broadcasting live games a year ago."

Can you not see my frustration? CCTV stopped showing matches toward the end of last season due to an issue with on field violence. They showed games this season and received large ratings. Also, for a league "that is fast losing its popular appeal", the attendance stats from this season, which would be the envy of all but the most elite European leagues (as well as US NBA or NHL teams), would certainly come as a surprise.

I don't want to talk in depth about the corruption scandal and I've put it off this long because it just feels like old news to me. The perpetrators were in China and it appears some Chinese domestic matches were fixed, but the majority of events were in Singapore. I don't believe that I'm willfully blind on this issue, but I think the league has turned a corner and is, generally, clean. Corruption may have some fiending like a drug addict, there may be some incidents here and there, but overall, we've come a long way since the "Black Whistles" of 2001.

Am I being oversensitive or should we see more intelligent, multisided reporting?

Future of Guoan's Foreigners

2009-11-26T00:26:00.000-08:00

The big story these days surrounding Guoan is the battle between the team and Newcastle Jets, the A-League side who loaned Joel Griffiths to Guoan. Newcastle is claiming Guoan promised that if they liked Griffiths, they'd pay US$1 million as his loan fee, whereas Guoan said this never happened and refuse to pay such a high price tag.

The will they/won't they debate over Griffiths doesn't concern me too much. While he was a solid player when he was on the pitch, they played him as the sole man up top and he doesn't have the height or ability to be the sole "fox in the box" type scorer. There are talks that Guoan are looking into the likes of Ramirez, Barcos, Otto, and Guinee as possible foreign additions. Any of those guys have the height and skill to play alone up top and would be a massive addition to our roster next season.

Keeping Matic, who was one of the "heart and soul" players to our side this past season, was an absolute must and the team has done that, so I'm very pleased about that. With him in the side, our midfield is sure to be solid, no matter what combo Hong or any other manager decides to use. The other foreigner that will stay on with the side in 2010 is Ryan Griffiths, who was a sub for much of the year, but was solid for us down the stretch.

As I said, as long as we have Matic, I'm okay with getting rid of the other foreigners. Martinez left China almost immediately after the final match, it seems he's spent long enough in China and I have no problem with that. Without him, there's no chance we'd have won the championship, his contribution during the last 5 games was huge, however before that, he was pretty much invisible on the pitch and had little impact.

While it would have been nice to keep Paul for continuity's sake and because as of now our defense looks weeks, I don't mind the fact he left. He started off the year on a bad foot, but by the end of the season, he was a fan favorite. He was solid at the back, though too often he was over anxious, leading to mistakes that sometimes cost us goals.

Will Guoan give up the scratch to keep Griffiths? At this point, I'd say no, as talked about, Luo Ning is very egotistical and won't like the ultimatum (buy Griffiths by November 30th or else) that Newcastle has given them.

Fatty Luo's Insane Idea...

2009-11-26T00:08:00.000-08:00

The firing of Lee Jangsoo was one of Guoan's biggest mistakes in recent years and the sole reason for his firing was Luo Ning's personal ego. Having made statements in the media about Lee's need to win, the club was faced with the choice of firing Lee or embarrassing Luo after the Changchun loss and they made the wrong choice.

Hong Yuanshuo, who came on as interim manager for the final few matches, did a decent job for Guoan, securing the title, though whether his position should be made permanent has yet to be decided. As Guoan is in the midst of weighing their options, Luo has once again made himself look silly calling for a Beijinger to be the next manager of Guoan. I really don't understand if Luo just says these things to get his name in papers or if he actually believes them, but this is pure stupidity. Sure, it would be great to have a Beijinger in charge of the Beijing side, but more important is finding the best candidate. Look at the top European clubs, how many of them have someone from the city the team plays as their manager (let alone from the same country)?

Luo needs to savor the title and shut his mouth.

Note to Readers

2009-11-19T06:44:00.000-08:00

We're back! No, blogspot's still blocked in China, but having finally gotten a VPN, we can now get around the Great Firewall, therefore expect regular posts here, though everything will also be cross-posted at Beijing Football. It was a great year to be a Guoan fan, though now we have 6 months before the start of the next CSL season. During that time, we'll look back at some moments from the past season, look ahead to next year, report any news, and also take a wider look at the sports scene in China, hope you all stay tuned (or start coming back!!!).

On a Carousel

2009-11-19T06:40:00.000-08:00

While Beijing has began its coaching search for next season, a number of teams are interested in the guy who helped get them their first title. No, not Hong Yuanshuo, the man Guoan really needs to thank, Lee Jangsoo.

It started out with rumblings out of Shanghai that Shenhua was mulling over the idea of bringing in Lee, as of late, two other rivals have gotten into the race, Henan Construction and the hated Tianjin Teda. While Tianjin is denying rumors that Lee's at the top of their list, he appears to be on a short list of 4, one that includes former national team coach Arie Haan.

Lee was also being considered by Changchun Yatai, though right now it appears that another former Guoan head coach, Shen Xiangfu, will be leaving Guangzhou for Changchun next year. Definitely a good move for Changchun as Shen's a fine coach who is sure to help out. At the same time, Lee has also been rumored for the Changsha and Qingdao position, though those sides probably can't meet his salary demands.

I know its not going to be part of Tianjin's considerations, but hiring Lee will certainly ramp up the already tense rivalry between the sides. With 6 months to go before the start of the CSL season, its "gossip" like this that will keep me going through the long, cold winter.

A Beautiful Day

2009-11-19T06:32:00.000-08:00

It's now 2 weeks since that wonderful Saturday late fall afternoon at Gongti, what a wonderful way to end the season.

The mood in the stands was great, everyone was happy and there was a rare spirit inside and outside the venue. The number of people who lined up outside the North Gate in full regalia but without tickets, settling for hanging outside the stadium listening to the match and hearing the sounds from inside was startling. In 16 years the club never won a title and, though on the verge of it on Saturday, the job was far from being finished. The fans were in full voice, louder than I've ever heard Gongti before and from the very beginning, the team responded with a goal 2 minutes in.

From that point on, it was pretty much over. Any fans worried about the pressure being too much for this team doesn't know how much players like Tao Wei and Xu Yunlong have been through, or how strong Matic and Yang Zhi were mentally. Only up 1-nil,not overwhelming, but early on the news went through the stands that Shenzhen also got an early goal, it seemed we were in the clear. One more goal for us in the final moments of the 1st half put away the match, again thanks to Martinez, the celebrations could begin.

Two more goals in the 2nd half, through Martinez once again and Zhou Ting, finished off an overwhelmed Hangzhou squad, while Shenzhen beat Henan 3-1. The celebration began on the Guoan bench with 5 minutes left and when the final whistle went, it was pandemonium amongst the fans and players. The fans remained inside the stadium, singing and just soaking it in for over an hour after the match, then took the celebration to the streets, bars, and little restaurants all over the city.

A truly amazing Halloween that I'll never forget, it took 16 years to get there, hopefully it won't take that long before we get to celebrate again. I think I said everything I could about how meaningful the match was before the game, now I can only say, still 2 weeks on, I'm walking around happier than usual because Beijing is the champions. I've never enjoyed Gloria Gaynor's "I will Survive" (played over and over before and after the match) and Queen's "We Are the Champions" that much before.

For pictures, head to Beijing Guoan - Hangzhou Greentown photos.

Note to the Readers

2009-05-25T16:12:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know. There are very few of you out there, I know this, and I know I'm alienating you by not posting for the week, but I've had more pressing matters that have kept me away from Guoan, and it seems to have brought the team a spot of luck as they handled Qingdao like they should and Shandong's draw meant they move into first place going into the 1st international break of the season, it wasn't pretty, but they got there.

Part of the problem is the great firewall's decision to once again block blogspot (why oh why did I choose blogspot?!?). For those who still want to find this blog, it will always be cross posted at http://blog.sina.com.cn/beijingfootball. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Matchday 9 Preview : Shenzhen

2009-05-15T00:43:00.000-07:00

6 points.

That's what the next week is about. 3 points tonight and 3 points a week from Sunday. Guoan has what is arguably its easiest run of games (though Nagoya Grampus 8 is stuck in between) this week and next, facing off against Shenzhen and Qingdao, both at home. If Beijing wants to be a title contender, its pretty simple, you. must. win. these. matches. When you play weaker teams, especially one like Shenzhen with only one win, its simple, get 3 points.

After the huge win last weekend and today's match, we should be talking about football, but instead, we're talking about a text message. What you say? That's right, a f!@^# SMS sent to a Beijing reporter by a member of the Beijing coaching staff is at the center of newspaper reports these days.

I don't want to discuss that, I don't think its a big deal and its between Wei Kexing (the coach involved) and the reporters, hopefully this issue will be removed from the locker room and the players won't have it in their minds. This is part of the problem with the media blackout in the locker room that Guoan called for a few weeks ago, it means reporters aren't getting what they want and perhaps its led to some negative coverage.

Anyways, to the match, as of right now its not raining in the capital, though the skies are threatening, we'll see what happens tonight, but bad weather could favor Shenzhen, as it will slow down the match and our speedy side. In the CSL era, Guoan only lost to Shenzhen twice, with both of those losses coming during Shenzhen's 2004 championship season. Since then, they've earned 5 wins and 3 draws, this year should be no different.

I'm fairly confident about this one, its going to be interesting what kind of lineup Lee puts out considering the suspensions/injuries and what he used in Changchun. I hope the guys take this one seriously, yes, they should win it, though we've seen before how a team like Shenzhen can sneak up on you (just ask Shandong), so hopefully they will keep focused and play like last week.

T minus 3 hours to kick off!

CSL Matchday 9 Preview

2009-05-14T23:40:00.000-07:00

We have a big day of football today and once again are treated to 3 days of football with the first match kicking off in less than an hour. Right now I'm at 29-27 for the season, hopefully this week will be a big winner for me as we're finally starting to see signs that the teams are separating. Here goes:

5.15 15:30 Guangzhou Baiyunshan - Shandong Luneng
Guangzhou's coming off a difficult loss last weekend in Chengdu, whereas Shandong won big against a very strong side. How will Guangzhou recover from that? This Guangzhou side is strong and they should be near the top of the table, but Shandong is fighting to repeat and they have the horses. Guangzhou needs a solid home performance, but I don't think they have the skill at the end of the day. Prediction: Guangzhou 1-2 Shandong.

5.15 19:30 Beijing Guoan - Shenzhen
Full preview to be up in an hour, should be an easy one for Guoan, especially after the Changchun victory, but they can't take the foot off the pedal. Prediction: Guoan 3-0 Shenzhen.

5.15 19:30 Tianjin Teda - Shanghai Shenhua
What can I say about this one? It's definitely the match of the day (though Guangzhou-Shandong should be exciting) though both teams need to regroup from some recent weak performances. It seems there are some problems within the Shanghai camp, it will be interesting to see if they can patch things up, this should be fairly even, though if it starts to rain, things could get wild. Prediction: Tianjin 1-1 Shanghai.

5.16 14:30 Dalian Shide - Chengdu Blades
Chengdu's coming off a big win while Dalian lost last week. Chengdu, I think I have pegged pretty fairly as a relegation candidate, Dalian is a middle of the table side, that potentially could be in the top half, namely due to its attackers like Ahn Junghwan and Zhao Xuri, though Chengdu can surprise some teams. If they win this one, Dalian's in trouble. Prediction: Dalian 1-0 Chengdu.

5.16 16:00 Qingdao Zhongneng - Changchun Yatai
Changchun goes on the road hoping to regain their mojo after getting trounced by Beijing; Qingdao has a rare home match and has some threats, namely Qu Bo, who can be explosive. However, I think Changchun shouldn't have a problem and will cruise to an easy win. Prediction: Qingdao 0-2 Changchun.

5.16 19:30 Henan Construction - Shaanxi Zhongxin
A decent primetime affair with Shaanxi going to Zhengzhou to battle a Henan side looking for a win after going down to Shandong last week. The "Northwestern Wolves" are capable of poaching points from time to time, expectations may have been a little higher at the start, but this team will stay safe, but not do much more. Henan, on the other hand, is a top side and should be able to handle this one, especially at home. Prediction: Henan 1-0 Shaanxi.

5.16 19:30 Hangzhou Greentown - Jiangsu Sainty
Can we call this one a derby? Separated only by a few hours train ride and a single point in the table, the crowd in Hangzhou is sure to be pumped up for this one. Jiangsu's been surprisingly consistent, playing hard and always in the game, Hangzhou's a different story though they should be ready for this one, I have a feeling it's going to be a close, close 1 goal game, and I'm going to give it to Jiangsu. Prediction: Hangzhou 0-1 Jiangsu.

5.17 15:30 Chongqing Lifan - Changsha Jinde
CCTV has to be kind of sad that this will be the featured match on Sunday (and why does it seem that Changsha is ALWAYS the Sunday game?!?). Chongqing, sitting bottom of the table, hosts Changsha in what should be a battle between these two sides who are both afraid of relegation. I'm guessing they're going to fight to a stalemate. Chongqing 1-1 Changsha.

Today will be a great day of football, followed by some decent matchups tomorrow and an interesting battle for points on Sunday, enjoy!

Player Profile : Yan Xiangchuang

2009-05-14T00:48:00.000-07:00

Yan Xiangchuang - 闫相闯

The vitals:

age - 22

position - midfield

number - 11

height - 174 cm

years with Guoan - 6

appearances - 94

goals - 15

The still very young Yan came to Beijing as a kid prodigy from the Army team (8/1). Originally from Dalian, Yan arrived in the capital as a 16 year old and made his debut the next season, appearing in 13 games and scoring 2 goals, an unbelievable start. Along with teammate Huang Bowen (a year older), Yan was (and still is) viewed as the future of the squad.

Yan's small in stature, but despite that, has a booming shot (just ask Changchun) that he can use from distance to challenge keepers. He's also incredibly fast and uses that speed to create scoring opportunities or open up space on the pitch. Like a lot of Guoan's current crop of players, he's adaptable, able to play as a forward, an attacking midfielder, or on the wing (which is where he's most often slotted). While he can play up top, his size and body mean that he is far more suited for the midfield.

He was one of the stars of China's miserable 2008 Olympic squad and has featured occasionally for the national team, many feel he will be a prominent member of the squad over the next few years. The national team's future depends heavily on how players like Yan continue to develop over the next 2-3 years.

In the meantime, Guoan's midfield heavy lineup has meant Yan's struggled to break in, though he's performed well when given the chance and after a strong showing in Australia and his 2 goal show in Changchun, we can expect to see him in the lineup more over the next few weeks.

CSL Matchday 8 Recap

2009-05-12T00:23:00.000-07:00

We're finally starting to see some separation at the top of the table with Shandong alone on top, though things are still fairly close. With 2 weeks left before the first international break of the season, things will get a little more clear and predictions should become slightly easier. Enough of that, to the action:

Shenzhen 1 - 0 Chongqing Lifan : WRONG
I'm always kinda happy to watch Shenzhen win and this weekend they were able to come up with a home win. Both teams had decent chances in the 1st half, though neither were able to score. Then in the 2nd half, a long throw in (surprisingly lots of throw-in goals this weekend) and a sweet header off it put Shenzen up. Guinee had a number of good opportunities, but couldn't convert. Shenzhen had another chance before the end of the match, what probably should have been a penalty kick, but a non-call. This time around, it didn't matter, as they secured 3 points. Original prediction: Shenzhen 1-1 Chongqing.

Chengdu Blades 2 - 1 Guangzhou Baiyunshan : WRONG
Hmm...I wasn't so serious about the "spirit of Wenchuan" in my review, but they definitely played that aspect up before the match and it worked, Chengdu having seized on this and played one of the best games they've played all year. That spirit led to them jumping out right away and scoring in the first 10 minutes, they followed it up with a goal 5 minutes into the 2nd half, and all Guangzhou could muster was a late goal to make things look a little closer. Original prediction: Chengdu 0-2 Guangzhou.

Changsha Jinde 1 - 0 Hangzhou Greentown : WRONG
This was more of what you'd expect from Changsha, though the win was a little surprising. They jumped out to the lead 6 minutes into the match through their Korean pair, and from there, they focused on defense the rest of the game, with total shots for both sides combined still remaining in single digits, a surprise that this side is still moving up the table. Original prediction: Changsha 0-0 Hangzhou.

Jiangsu Sainty 2 - 1 Dalian Shide : RIGHT
Jiangsu's a plucky side that wants to not only stay up, but impress, and they did this week. A great free kick chance early that was foiled led to another free kick moments later and this time Jiangsu put it away to start a frenetic 10 minutes of football. 3 minutes after the Jiangsu goal, Zhao Xuri responded with a nice header off a free kick to equalize, though 7 minutes later, Jiangsu took back the lead, again off a free kick, this time with a header better than Zhao's. Jiangsu had multiple great chances the rest of the match, but hit posts or were just wide, Ahn alone had 2 good chances for Dalian in the 2nd half, but was unable to convert. Then there was the crazy ending, where 4 yellow cards and 2 reds were shown (one red for each team) in the last 10 minutes, in what ended as a very rough affair. Original prediction: Jiangsu 2-1 Dalian.

Shaanxi Zhongxin 0 - 1 Tianjin Teda : RIGHT
It was a wet day in Xian and it turned out to be a sad one too as the home side couldn't keep the magic they had 2 weeks ago against Guoan and instead were simply outplayed by a Tianjin side. Teda had a number of excellent chances, including a controversial call 10 minutes in when Hao Junmin was called offside. They dominated 1st half chances, though were unable to score. Shaanxi played a little better in the 2nd, with a few decent chances, but Tianjin was finally able to score 2 minutes from time when the keeper came up with the 1st save, but gave up a rebound which Tianjin put away. Original prediction: Shaanxi 0-1 Tianjin.

Changchun Yatai 2 - 6 Beijing Guoan : RIGHT
For the full write-up, go here. A beautiful day! Original prediction: Changchun 0-1 Beijing.

Henan Construction 1 - 3 Shandong Luneng : RIGHT
In another high scoring game, again in rainy weather, it was an interesting clash between 2 sides tied for top spot. Olisadebe had a number of chances for Henan, and although he was able to set up Henan's 1st goal, I bet he rues those misses. Shandong had a sudden burst of action a little after the hour mark, scoring the 1st goal off a beautiful long shot that Henan claimed didn't cross the line, followed up by a Han Peng flying header that has to be one of the goals of the season, knocked in just minutes later. Antar killed off any hope the home fans may have had in extra time, putting the game on ice. Original prediction: Henan 1-2 Shandong.

Shanghai Shenhua 1 - 1 Qingdao Zhongneng : WRONG
Any weekend Shanghai loses (or in this case doesn't win) is a happy one for me, and this time around it was especially sweet as Guoan was able to jump over them in the standings. There were plenty of chances for both sides, though Shanghai especially had a fair number of bad mistakes. Qingdao struck first in the 71st minute off a decent shot, but nothing too challenging and surprisingly they kept up the pressure, coming close a few more times. However, in the end it was a long throw in to a wide open Mao Jianqing, massively blown defense on Qingdao's part, who knocked in a header just before the game's conclusion. This Shanghai team has some serious problems, especially considering this was a home performance. Original Prediction: Shanghai 2-0 Qingdao.

So some surprises means I go 4-4 yet again, putting the season total at 29-27. More Friday football this week, I'm ready for a good one.

Matchday 8 Review : Changchun Yatai

2009-05-11T01:35:00.000-07:00

Finally!

How long have we been waiting for this? Okay, maybe it's not a rhetorical question, the obvious answer is since the start of the season. This team went straight up ape shit all upside Changchun's head. 6 goals?!? This Guoan side only had 8 goals coming into this game and yet came up with 6 in this single effort.

The results came right from the start, despite keeping 8 players in Beijing midweek, 5 players who made the trip to Australia still featured in yesterday's lineup. Yang Pu, Paul, Ryan Griffiths, Yan Xiangchuang, and of course, Yang Zhi, all remained in the Guoan lineup this week, with the addition of Martinez, Zhang Xinxin, Tao Wei, Yang Hao, Matic, and Zhang Yonghai.

Changchun came out of the gate motivated in front of a decent home crowd and had a great chance, which Yang Zhi just barely was able to parry wide. Guoan was equal to Changchun's attack, responding with a Martinez shot from outside the box that went just high. The shot was a harbinger of things to come, with Guoan finally deciding to challenge the keeper with longer shots from outside the box, where up until this game, more often than not, they were always trying to work the ball into the box, instead of make sure the keeper stays honest with some long, hard shots.

Shortly after the Martinez shot, Tao Wei played it to Yang Hao, who ripped a shot from the top of the box and into the back of the net. Changchun went back on the attack, but once again Yang Zhi was able to meet the challenge, and started Guoan's response, this time coming from a Griffiths long shot that was nailed upper 90, 2-nil Guoan on 2 great shots from outside the box. Once again, Changchun responded with a strong chance, a breakaway which Yang Zhi shut down. Seriously folks, if Guoan didn't have Yang in net, this side would be absolutely horrible. As was the pattern, Guoan went back down field and well, Martinez was pulled down in the box, should have been a yellow card at least, probably a penalty shot, instead, he was called for offsides and given a yellow card, very strange, but fortunately it didn't matter in the end.

Going into the locker room at the half, Guoan had to be excited about being in the lead, though Changchun threatened a number of times and 2 goals still wasn't going to be enough for comfort. It didn't matter, Beijing came out pumped and ready to kill off the game, going straight at Changchun, this time it was Griffiths again from a little closer this time, but still outside the box, 5 minutes into the 2nd half. Before you knew it, Yan was headed back down the field and got one of his own, to put them up 4-0.

Sui Dongliang, who came on as a 2nd half substitute, added another in the 70th minute to pile onto Changchun. Changchun finally responded 10 minutes later, but it was too little, too late AND it motivated Guoan to get one more, once again it was Yan who stepped up, going all 90 minutes after going 90 midweek in Australia and then flying the 20 hours back to Beijing. Changchun added one more in added time to make the result a little more respectable, but still, 6-2 to Beijing, earning 3 points and the most goals scored in one game by any team in the CSL so far this year.

It's easy to get excited about this result, but I'm staying reserved. I've hoped for this, waited for it, expected it all season long, but only been disappointed. I also got fairly excited after the victory in Chengdu only to be let down with a spell of crappy play. This was only one game, an exciting one, but just one. It was good to see the midfield step up and it was especially good to see that we can win without Huang Bowen and, especially, Joel Griffiths.

I hope this match serves as a turning point and, in theory, it should be relatively smooth sailing, with Shenzhen coming up at Gongti on Friday and then Qingdao (also at home), leading into the 2 week international break. I also think this match answers some questions for Lee, namely Griffiths and Yan are responding to the time they spent out of the lineup, these guys want in and they deserve to continue to start.

Anyways, 3 points in convincing fashion, sitting only 4 points back, finally gives Guoan fans something to celebrate.

CSL Matchday 8 Previer

2009-05-07T21:18:00.000-07:00

Looking forward to an interesting weekend of football? Right now, I'm 25-23 on the season, hoping for a good week this time around, though there are a number of tough games to call. Only 2 matches on Saturday, though a handful of interesting clashes on Sunday. This league is one where parody definitely exists, as things stand right now, only 10 points separate first and last place. Currently, 3 teams are tied at the top of the table, so it will be interesting to see how it all shakes out over the weekend:

5.9 15:30 Shenzhen - Chongqing Lifan
Here we go, our first game of the week and while it probably won't be a pretty one, its a tough one to call. It's still early days, but this is an important game in the relegation battle, with Shenzhen in dead last on 4 points and Chongqing only a point better. Shenzhen's been struggling a lot lately, after having a good start. Chongqing was able to get a result last week and should be able to get one this week (or at least a draw, damn its tough), especially due to my main man Guinee. Prediction: Shenzhen 1 - 1 Chongqing.

5.9 15:30 Chengdu Blades - Guangzhou Baiyunshan
There's always talk about how sports are important for healing, well, if that's true, then this Chengdu home game, coming just a few days before the 1 year anniversary of the Wenchuan earthquake, should help motivate the squad to get a home win. Unfortunately for Chengdu, they face a team at the opposite end of the table, and Guangzhou will be looking to capitalize as they are definitely making a play for the title. Prediction: Chengdu 0 - 2 Guangzhou.

5.10 15:30 Changsha Jinde - Hangzhou Greentown
Changsha's back at home? What the hell is up with their schedule? Their fans have to be extremely worried as they'll be on the road a ton during the second half of the season. Hangzhou is another team looking to capitalize against a weaker side on paper, and only sit 4 points away from the lead. I don't think Hangzhou has enough, though, to break through Changsha's trap, especially on the road. Prediction: Changsha 0 - 0 Hangzhou.

5.10 15:30 Jiangsu Sainty - Dalian Shide
This is one of the better games on Sunday, as Jiangsu's flying high and playing at home against a Dalian side that can't figure out if they want to be good or not (yet they have earned 12 points). I'm giving the edge to Jiangsu, their defense is solid and should be able to shut down Ahn, even though he's been coming on strong as of late. Jiangsu should be able to poach a goal or two in this one. Prediction: Jiangsu 2 - 1 Dalian.

5.10 15:30 Shaanxi Zhongxin - Tianjin Teda
Which Shaanxi team is going to come to the party? Which Tianjin team? Shaanxi does a solid job of earning results when playing at home, but turns to crap when going on the road. Tianjin will be pumped up having earned their first ever Champions League win in midweek, though this team is too hard to understand, good up front, but weak at the back, anything can happen in this one. Prediction: Shaanxi 0 - 1 Tianjin.

5.10 15:30 Changchun Yatai - Beijing Guoan
>One of the better clashes of the weekend, (tied) top of the table Changchun welcomes Beijing to the Northeast, for a full preview, watch this space. I'm going purely with my heart on this one... Prediction: Changchun 0 - 1 Beijing.

5.10 19:30 Henan Construction - Shandong Luneng
Yet another excellent match, arguably the best of the weekend, these two teams are tied at the top of the table and will be going head to head in Zhengzhou. Henan's attack is strong, but will they be able to deal with Shandong's size, namely Han Peng and Antar? Despite going on the road, Shandong has enough to get by Henan, though it should be close. Prediction: Henan 1 - 2 Shandong.

5.10 19:45 Shanghai Shenhua - Qingdao Zhongneng
Shanghai gets an easy home fixture after a few tough road ones both domestic and internationally. Qingdao is coming off a victory last week, but it would be too much to expect 3 points from them in this one. This match should (argh) help Shanghai get back to winning ways and get them closer to the top in a fighting position for the title. Prediction: Shanghai 2 - 0 Qingdao.

Player Profile : Tao Wei

2009-05-07T02:29:00.000-07:00

Tao Wei - 陶伟

The vitals:
age - 31
position - midfield
number - 15
height - 176 cm
years with Guoan - 11
appearances - 238
goals - 36

I feel a little sorry for Tao, who last night was in BTV's studio in Beijing providing commentary, trying to be optimistic and not attacking his teammates who looked utterly useless in the 1st half, knowing he was far away from the action and had no way of influencing the result that led his team with no hope to advance.

Anyways, Tao is another Beijinger who is also a lifelong Guoan player, though he's only come to real prominence over the past 3 or 4 seasons as a star. While he's always been a solid role player, in recent years, his flair and skills have been brought to the forefront, with him earning his first national team cap at the ripe old age of 26.

Tao played youth football in Beijing before joining the legendary Jianlibao youth team that traveled to Brazil in 1994. His Brazilian experience can be seen in the way he plays, possessing a creative streak and instinct rarely seen in Chinese footballers. His ability to improv on the pitch and make something out of nothing is why he's an exciting player who the fans have fully embraced.

He's also extremely adaptable, capable of playing in a number of positions on the pitch, depending on the squad's needs. He can play up top as a forward, but is often best slotted behind them in a support role. While he isn't the quickest player on the pitch, he's capable of handling wing play and, with a familiar central back like Xu Yunlong behind him, he can also fit into the holding midfield position.

Tao served as the side's captain last season and serves as one of Xu's deputies this year. He regularly handles corner and free kicks and is one of the better CSL players at challenging a keeper from distance.

Loyal, hardworking, with (more than) a bit of flair is why Tao Wei is a true Gongti Legend.

Champions League Matchday 6 Recap : Newcastle

2009-05-07T01:27:00.000-07:00
6 minutes of sadness/madness

I still don't know how I sat through all 90 minutes of this match. It looked like two sides playing their first game of the season, and for a lot of Guoan players it was indeed their first match (or at least their first match together), while Newcastle only has Champions League games on its schedule right now. It was ugly, very, very ugly, though for 85 minutes of the match, it looked like Guoan's Champions League hopes were still alive.

Before we get into the match, this loss means that Guoan has no chance to advance, Tianjin has already been eliminated, and Shanghai is more or less out (they need to defeat Kashima, a very solid side, and then need Singapore to defeat Suwon or at get a nil-nil draw). A highly disappointing showing for the Chinese sides. The saving face is that Shandong should be able to advance as they face an Indonesian side yet to earn a point, though if FC Seoul defeats Gamba Osaka, there's a chance not even Shandong will move on. This says a lot about Chinese football, especially considering the ease of Guoan's group and the fact they dedicated $20 million to their squad this season. Highly disappointing all around...

Back to the match, and did I mention it was an ugly one? Newcastle controlled the ball for the majority of the 1st half with a number of good chances, fortunately Yang Zhi was once again our savior and came up with a number of great saves. If we didn't have Yang Zhi in the net (and if Newcastle could get a decent challenge on net), it would have been far worse. Guoan only created one chance in the first half, a free kick that fell to Yang Xiangchuang (who was in for Wang Ke, the only change from my proposed pregame lineup) who just couldn't pull the trigger.

There was absolutely no teamwork between the Guoan players, they seemed like complete strangers and it seemed like a number of players were far from match fit. It was a pathetic display of football, but Lee rallied his troops and they came out in the 2nd half and played a lot better, finally attacking a little instead of focusing on stopping Newcastle's attack.

There were some great chances right off the bat, one that should have been a goal if not for the total lack of teamwork as a Guoan player was standing in the box waiting to lay the ball off to his teammate who wasn't expecting the pass despite being wide open. Another a few moments later off a free kick, with a nice head on by Paul to Wang Changqing, who reacted a moment or two too late and knocked it wide. Griffiths was playing some beautiful balls and one in particular fell to Yan, whose shot from a tough angle was wide. A little after the hour mark, Guoan went to the bench, with youngster Yang Yun making his first appearance of the season, coming on for Guo Hui.

Yang instantly made a difference as it appeared he brought some life into the team and it was his sweet pass to Griffiths that saw Guoan go up 1-0 in the 69th minute. After earning the lead, Guoan didn't sit on its heels, creating a few more solid chances. However, during the last 10 minutes, Newcastle brought everyone up the pitch and threatened the keeper more than once. Finally, in the 88th minute, they caught a break when Sasho Petrovski was clearly offside, but the referee completely missed the call.

1-1 and I was fairly flabbergasted, at first blaming it all on Paul, though subsequent replays made it obvious that it was a stone cold offside. 1-1 was not going to be enough for us, and the doom and gloom sunk in, which is probably why we didn't go on the attack. Instead, Newcastle pushed forward for all 3 points, when, boom, a shot from outside the box beat Yang and Newcastle went up 2-1, right before the match was to end.

What can be said? Guoan broke its scoreless streak in this one, after over 320 minutes without scoring, but lost the game in the end. This was a situation where Newcastle couldn't score in a whorehouse for 88 minutes, flubbing shot after shot and being beaten by Yang Zhi to the ball time after time. Who really cares about the Champions League anyways, right? Expect a more in-depth write up on that front, perhaps instead of the matchday 6 preview, but this failure is just too bad.

Always look on the bright side, and time to get 3 points away at Changchun this weekend, now we can focus solely on the league.

Champions League Matchday 5 : Newcastle

2009-05-05T19:34:00.000-07:00
Nagoya Grampus - 8
Ulsan Hyundai - 6
Beijing Guoan - 4
Newcastle Jets - 4

That's how we stand going into today's matches. We could go into all the other stats, the goals +/- and everything, but hopefully we won't have to talk about that. It's fairly simple: the top 2 teams go through and for Guoan, that means win 2 and you advance; don't and you're (probably) out.

For Beijing, they've left 7 starters from the previous league match in Beijing to rest up for the weekend clash against Changchun Yatai. Also, as part of the loan deal, Joel Griffiths isn't allowed to play against Newcastle at home. Therefore, the lineup for tonight's match should be a 4-5-1 (more like 4-2-3-1) that will look like this:
Yang Zhi
Zhou Ting, Paul, Lang Zheng, Yang Pu
Zhu Yifan, Sui Dongliang
Wang Changqing, Guo Hui, Wang Ke
Ryan Griffiths

Why? First, the flight to Australia was 21 hours and after tonight's match, they head straight back to Beijing to prepare for the weekend's match in Changchun. Also, the A-League is currently in their close season, the season ended in January and won't start up again until August (not to mention Newcastle finished in last place in the 2008-09 season). Most of all, while Guoan still has a shot at advancing, if you ask the fans, winning the league is most important, the Asian Champions League is viewed as a minor after thought.

According to coach Lee, this is not meant as a "second team", these are fresh legs, veteran players who are highly skilled. Nice try, Lee, but Zhu's yet to play a match and many are starting their first match. The central defensive pairing has never played together, either, though both being taller center backs, we should be able to control the air. Lee also complained a lot about the condition of the field, which the Aussies admitted was in crappy condition.

So its going to be an interesting test for this Guoan squad tonight. At the same time, these players should be hungry having not gotten a lot of time this year and, this is their chance to make a positive impression on the manager. Yes, I'm not too concerned with the Champions League, but with Tianjin already eliminated and Shanghai having a very tough hill to climb, it would be nice to have the other 2 Chinese teams come up with a respectable showing. 3 points tonight will break our scoreless streak and will point us in the right direction.

CSL Matchday 7 Recap

2009-05-04T19:04:00.000-07:00
I started out this week 21-19, an average week this week with a couple of close games saw me go 4-4, for a total of 25-23 on the season. The big Friday night games were exciting and led the way for a really great weekend of football, let's get to it:

Beijing Guoan 0 - 0 Shanghai Shenhua : RIGHT
The full write up's here. Great, hard fought game, bad refereeing, and good goalkeeping meant Guoan walked away with a disappointing draw. Original Prediction: Beijing 1-1 Shanghai.

Tianjin Teda 0 - 1 Shandong Luneng : RIGHT
In the other Friday night action, Tianjin got off to a good start, pumped up by the home holiday crowd, with 2 excellent 1st half chances that they failed to put away, one of them, in the 21st minute, was on an open net. It was a tough game for Hao Junmin and Wu Wei'an and the rest of the Tianjin squad as chance after chance went just wide or was saved by big Li Leilei. After all that frustration, it had to kill them being beaten by a beautiful header from Han Peng with only 5 minutes left in the match. Original Prediction: Tianjin 1-2 Shandong.

Changchun Yatai 3 - 1 Shenzhen : RIGHT
This game got very exciting very early with Shenzhen stunning the home side with a headed goal 7 minutes into the game. It took Changchun almost the entire half, but they responded in the 41st minute when Du Zhenyu set up Cao Tianbao for the goal. The two combined on the other side of half time when Du to Cao equalled the go-ahead goal in the 49th minute. Ai Zhibo added a 3rd, and once again the goal was set up by Du, the home team walked away with an easy 3 points. Original prediction: Changchun 2-0 Shenzhen.

Qingdao Zhongneng 2 - 1 Shaanxi Zhongxin : WRONG
A perfect example of the age old expression, this is why they play the games. Shaanxi came into this game looking strong after beating Beijing the week before and even though they were on the road, they were licking their chops to play this fairly weak Qingdao side. However, Qingdao and veteran Qu Bo had different plans for this one. Qu was a promising youth player who came to prominence as a part of Milutinovic's 2002 World Cup, but since then he hasn't gotten a lot of attention and has remained with Qingdao, despite interest from other clubs. The first goal was a strange one, coming 10 minutes in, when a failed Shaanxi clearance was played back into the box, the defense was all ball watching and thought Qu was offside, the goalie was also asleep and Qu beat him to the ball and tucked it away on an empty net. Shaanxi came back with a great opportunistic header by Marvin Avila to level the game, though Qu put it away with a header in the last 10 minutes to give Qingdao all 3 points. Original Prediction: Qingdao 0-1 Shaanxi.

Guangzhou Baiyunshan 1 - 0 Jiangsu Sainty : WRONG
As was expected, these two teams went at each other in a very even match, with both sides getting good chances. That venue in Guangzhou is a very nice one, unlike a lot of the stadiums, fans seem really close to the pitch and there seems to be a nice slant so even the highest seats are still close to the action, I hope I can check it out at some point. Fortunately it seems like the Guangzhou fans are pretty civilized, if that was in Beijing, the field would be so covered with debris that it would be impossible to play. Anyways, back to the match, while Guangzhou had a few more chances than Jiangsu, both teams deserved a point, however, a questionable penalty kick was given to Guangzhou in the 84th minute. There were two fouls, one just outside the box that was more obvious and one inside the box that was a lot less so. Xu Liang stepped up and coolly knocked the penalty in, his league leading 6th goal (though half have been penalty kicks) to secure 3 points. Original Prediction: Guangzhou 1-1 Jiangsu.

Hangzhou Greentown 1 - 1 Chongqing Lifan : WRONG
On a rainy Saturday in Hangzhou, the home team disappointed the (small) crowd that came out. The highlight of the 1st half was Otto converting a penalty kick in the 24th minute after a Hangzhou player was pulled down in the box. The 2nd half was also fairly uneventful, except for a Chongqing goal scored not by Guinee, but he was important in setting it up, with a sweet pass across the middle and his fellow foreigner burying it to equalize the game and earn Chongqing a point. Original Prediction: Hangzhou 2-1 Chongqing.

Henan Construction 1 - 1 Chengdu Blades : WRONG
In the biggest surprise of the weekend, league leaders Henan only managed a point at home against cellar dwellers Chengdu. Right off the bat Chengdu opened things up with a goal in the 7th minute when Shi Jun shocked the home team off a free kick. Henan immediately went on the attack to equalize with their two headed attack of Netto and Olisadebe both producing good chances though it was Xu Yang who finally netted the equalizer in the 28th minute. From then on Henan dominated the chances, though they were unable to get another one past and were forced to settle for one point. Original Prediction: Henan 2-0 Chengdu.

Dalian Shide 1 - 0 Changsha Jinde : RIGHT
Changsha had to go on the road for only the 2nd time this season. Both teams were able to create some decent chances in the 1st half, with Changsha surprisingly looking like the better side (or at least the one with the more threatening attack). In the 2nd half, Dalian regrouped and looked the better side, finally scoring in the 60th minute when Dong Fangzhuo headed on a nice cross to Ahn Junghwan put it away. Whether or not Ahn was offside is something that can be debated, but the goal stood and Changsha was unable to respond. Original Prediction: Dalian 1-0 Changsha.

Matchday 7 Review : Shanghai Shenhua

2009-05-03T23:01:00.000-07:00
In front of the largest crowds Gongti has seen in many years for a CSL match and the largest crowd at any CSL match this season (42,355), Beijing Guoan and Shanghai Shenhua engaged in a classic battle. The crowd was unusually energetic, hyped up by the presence of 75 or so Shanghai Shenhua supporters in the south end. Many fans came waving their 9-1 signs and a banner held up asking "What's a Shanghai Man?" received lots of cheers.

Due to injuries and suspensions, Guoan had to make a number of changes, including the first action all season for Guoan hero, Yang Pu, who played at left back. Sui Dongliang was also used for the first time this season in the midfield. Lee played Du Wenhui alone up top with Tao Wei and Martinez in attacking positions in the midfield, along with Sui and Yan Xiangchuang on the wings.

I am not one who complains about the referee very often, when they are bad, they're typically bad for both teams and while Guoan hasn't always gotten calls this season, the referees have also missed a few (though the Disciplinary Committee usually nails Guoan for it ala Griffiths). However, Chen Honghui,the referee for this match, was horrible. I've talked about how Shanghai has played like a bunch of thugs all year, leading the CSL with 24 yellow cards in 7 matches and this game was no different. Unfortunately, more often than not, the referee missed the first foul, but only got the Guoan player reacting.

Anyways, to the match, and Guoan started out controlling the ball, with a number of solid chances, Yan Xiangchuang made a nice, mazy run into the box and crossed the ball, it looked very much like a handball, but the referee failed to call it. Shortly after, Shanghai went on the attack off a Xu Yunlong defensive error, however the Shanghai shot failed to challenge Yang Zhi. Du Wenhui was given a sudden breakaway opportunity, though he was pushed down, the referee failing to call it. Shortly after, Shanghai committed what looked like another obvious handball in the box that went uncalled.

At the end of the first half, while the game was extremely exciting, the game was scoreless. Both keepers came up with a few good saves on some decent chances, though Guoan controlled the match and had the majority of chances. Shenhua was focused on counter attacking and did a good job of it.

Early in the 2nd half, Yan Xiangchuang got nailed by a Shenhua player, while it should have been an obvious yellow, it went uncalled, though minutes later, Yan started an attack with a "hand of God" play for which he was yellow carded. The referee must have realized the ludicrous nature of that yellow because 10 minutes or so later Yan hammered a Shenhua player, definitely a yellow card, but the ref only granted a foul.

In matches like this, especially between such major rivals, the referee needs to have an even hand and control the match. When he doesn't make all the calls, especially when he just "lets them play" it leads to extremely rough play and potential for injuries. On top of the fouls on Yan (and his lashing out), Martinez was nailed with a blatent elbow that went uncalled, while late in the 2nd Ryan Griffiths nailed a Shenhua player (to loud applause) and rightfully got a yellow.

The ref did catch a blatant foul on Martinez, which was followed up by a beautiful free kick by Tao Wei and an equally pretty save by Shanghai keeper Qiu Shenjiong. Qiu had an excellent game and made a huge save on Griffiths late in the match as well. There was a moment of exctasy for Shanghai fans late in the 2nd when they put the ball into the net, though the play had already been whistled dead for a foul.

So both teams earn a point in this hotly contested China Derby, though Guoan probably deserved the win, they weren't able to challenge Qiu as much as they would have liked. This also means that Guoan has gone 270 minutes (and 3 matches) without scoring a goal, a massive problem. Lee's job is safe for the time being, as the massive crowd's anger was more focused at the referee and the visiting fans.

I've complained a lot about nil-nil CSL matches, but this one was a fairly exciting one, definitely one to remember and there will be some scores to settle when these two teams meet again at Hongkou in September.

CSL Matchday 7 Preview

2009-05-01T00:15:00.000-07:00

A 3 day weekend means 3 days of football, so lots of action for the fans

5.1 19:30 Beijing Guoan - Shanghai Shenhua
This will be one of the hardest games for me to predict all year. I so want to go with my heart here, but both sides have been all over the place this season. Fuck it, I'm still going with my heart. Umm, no... Prediction: Beijing 1 - 1 Shanghai.

5.1 19:30 Tianjin Teda - Shandong Luneng
In the other big May Day face off, the other two Chinese sides in the Champions League face off against each other in Tianjin. Shandong has been going strong as of late and top to bottom they still look like one of the league's best teams. On the other hand, Tianjin's defense is almost non-existant, despite their solid attack. This is going to be an important match early on to decide on positioning as Tianjin's in 2nd and Shandong is in 3rd right now. Prediction: Tianjin 1 - 2 Shandong.

5.2 14:00 Changchun Yatai - Shenzhen
Changchun's done well at home this season and I've already sworn off picking Shenzhen in almost all situations. I have little confidence in what Shenzhen will do on the road and expect Changchun to continue their success this week. Prediction: Changchun 2 - 0 Shenzhen.

5.2 15:30 Qingdao Zhongneng - Shaanxi Zhongxin
Shaanxi's coming off a big win against Beijing as they face off against a Qingdao side that is trying to get themselves clear of the relegation zone. Qingdao's been on the road a lot this year and so having a home matchup will be beneficial but they don't have enough firepower to win this one. Prediction: Qingdao 0 - 1 Shaanxi.

5.2 15:30 Guangzhou Baiyunshan - Jiangsu Sainty
This will be a very interesting game as Jiangsu heads down south to face off against Guangzhou, it's definitely Saturday's best matchup. Guangzhou is a very decent team, while Jiangsu has been the plucky outsiders all year long, they could easily be much higher in the standings than they currently are. This could very well be your nil-nil CSL snorefest as Jiangsu's defense is strong enough to shut down the Guangzhou attack and probably won't get many counterattack opportunities. Prediction: Guangzhou 1 - 1 Jiangsu.

5.2 19:30 Hangzhou Greentown - Chongqing Lifan
This is one that looks like it could be fairly easy to predict, Hangzhou should have a fairly easy waltz on their way to 3 points at home, but its never easy to predict against Chongqing. Chongqing's Guinee is a grown ass man who is single handedly an offensive weapon, a real goal threat, but the goals don't come from many other spots. Hangzhou has their own scoring threats, this one could get interesting. Prediction: Hangzhou 2 - 1 Chongqing.

5.2 19:35 Henan Construction - Chengdu Blades
Henan is sitting at the top of the table right now and it doesn't look like much will change after this weekend. Their attack is one of the better ones in the league and they are facing off against the team at the very bottom of the table, a Chengdu team that has managed a meager 2 goals in 6 matches. This one should be pretty one sided. Prediction: Henan 2 - 0 Chengdu.

5.3 15:30 Dalian Shide - Changsha Jinde
Why is Changsha always playing in the lone Sunday match? I'm sick of seeing them on tv as the only match in town on Sunday afternoons, especially because they are so incredibly boring. Can't someone at CSL fix this massive scheduling problem? Changsha's finally traveling again and hopefully this will cause them to actually play some football. Unfortunately, I don't expect that to be the case. They should, however, be the perfect side for Dalian to regroup against after losing to Chongqing last week. Expect a low scoring game, but Ahn to play a part in the goal that makes the difference. Prediction: Dalian 1 - 0 Changsha.

Matchday 7 Preview : Shanghai Shenhua

2009-05-01T00:06:00.000-07:00
It's finally here, one of the biggest games of the year for a Guoan fan, made all the more important because of our recent form. Shanghai is also struggling as of late so they are sure to be hungry too making this holiday clash all the more exciting. If you only plan on going to one game this season, this is the one you need to attend.

First team news, and something we didn't discuss last week. Joel Griffiths and Zhou Ting were suspended got 5 and 6 games, respectively, by the CSL Disciplinary committe. Griffiths was suspended for the elbow that went unpenalized in the Shandong match. How you can get 5 games for something that went completely unpunished by the referee is beyond me. Zhou was given 6 games for his "cao ni ma" confrontation with the referee (for which he was red carded). Rumor is he swore at the ref in Dalian dialect, unfortunately the ref was from Dalian so he understood it. It also could be debated whose behavior was more dangerous and should be punished more harshly, but this is just one of those highly annoying things CSL fans must deal with. On top of those 2 being out, Tao Wei is a gametime decision and, of course, Huang Bowen's still out for a few months.

Shanghai also has some concerns with Mao Jianqing not traveling with the team to Beijinng due to a high fever and Chen Tao, who suffered a bit of knack, being a gametime decision. Shanghai has played just as many matches as Guoan this year, so fitness should not be a big issue. Also, while there has been some intermittent rain in Beijing so far today, for the time being it's beautiful, so weather probably won't play a big part in this one.

This is a massive rivalry, the China derby, with most these players growing up knowing what this game means to their respective teams and cities. One man in particular who might step up is Martinez, a superstar in Shanghai, but yet to show the same form since joining Guoan. Both managers are sure to have their players up for this one as both are on thin ice right now. The preseason expectations of the media and fans have not been met and both have been underperforming.

I don't know why but I'm feeling very nrvous about this one, perhaps it's because of our recent formbor because wjhat this game means. Then again, it's easy to forget Shanghai fans are just as worried and, even worse, they are on the road. That fact hasn't mattered much as of late as Shanghai won every time they visited Fengtai, but with Guoan back at Gongti, where last time these teams met Guoan won 4-0, hopefully the magic of a home tie at Gongti will make the difference.

No matter what, get ready for a great night of football!

Player Profile : Joel Griffiths

2009-04-30T02:11:00.000-07:00

Joel Griffiths
The vitals:
age - 29
position - forward
number - 29
height - 181 cm
years with Guoan - 1
appearances - 4
goals - 3

Griffiths (or 乔尔 - 格里菲斯 aka 大格）was one of Guoan's few off-season additions, along with his brother Ryan, and has instantly become a fan favorite, especially for his scoring our first goal of the season against the side that loaned him to us, Newcastle Jets. There is actually a bit of controversy over that as Guoan paid a $320,000 loan fee to Newcastle though the agreement expressly stated that Griffiths wouldn't be able to be used against them.

He's been an extremely prolific player in the A-League, scoring 76 goals in under 200 league matches. In 2007-2008, he won the A-League title with Newcastle, as well as earning himself the Golden Boot and being named the best player in Australia that year. He's spent some time playing in Europe and Japan and it was originally expected that he'd return to Newcastle and receive a very large salary when it was suddenly announced that he was headed to Beijing.

Griffiths made his Australia debut in 2005 in a match against Jamaica, however he has only made 3 appearances for the Socceroos over the years. His Guoan form is sure to get him a look or two from the national team coaching staff.

Griffiths has been a crucial attacker for the club, though his temper has got in the way a few times. He was shown a straight red card in the match against Changsha and is currently suspended for 5 matches for his frustration elbow in the Shandong game. He certainly is a dynamic player and has been critical to Guoan's attack. Some of his goals, in particular his diving header against Newcastle are highlight reel stuff and his nose for goal makes him a difference maker who we really want to see back in green soon.

CSL Attendance Statistics

2009-04-30T02:05:00.000-07:00
Now that we're 6 games into the season, I decided it was time to take a look at how attendance is going so far this year. The figures in Shaanxi and Beijing are very encouraging, and Jiangsu is very impressive for a newly promoted team. One wonders what is going on in Shanghai, however its mainly due to their weak attendance at their first game. Changsha is a joke and it was always expected to be that way, but hopefully Qingdao will improve after a few more home matches. Here's the list:

Shaanxi Zhongxin : Average = 37,196
Round 1 - 38,000
Round 4 - 35,000
Round 6 - 38,588

Beijing Guoan : Average = 35,000
Round 1 - 40,000
Round 3 - 30,000

Jiangsu Sainty : Average = 22,772
Round 2 - 21,000
Round 4 - 21,000
Round 6 - 26,315
Shandong Luneng : Average = 20,952
Round 1 - 18,000
Round 2 - 20,457
Round 4 - 21,735
Round 5 - 24,523
Round 6 - 20,044

Guangzhou Baiyunshan : Average = 19,000
Round 3 - 20,000
Round 5 - 18,000

Henan Construction : Average = 17,661
Round 1 - 23,000
Round 3 - 13,396
Round 5 - 16,588

Chengdu Blades : Average = 17,333
Round 3 - 18,000
Round 4 - 22,000
Round 6 - 12,000

Tianjin Teda : Average = 15,552
Round 1 - 15,000
Round 3 - 20,030
Round 5 - 11,626

Hangzhou Greentown : Average = 15,297
Round 1 - 15,000
Round 2 - 16,235
Round 4 - 14,656

Shanghai Shenhua : Average = 14,667
Round 1 - 11,000
Round 3 - 17,400
Round 5 - 15,600

Chongqing Lifan : Average = 13,867
Round 2 - 12,000
Round 4 - 14,000
Round 6 - 15,600

Dalian Shide : Average = 13,500
Round 2 - 12,000
Round 5 - 15,000

Shenzhen : Average = 12,750
Round 2 - 16,000
Round 3 - 11,000
Round 4 - 16,500
Round 6 - 7,500

Changchun Yatai : Average = 11,872
Round 3 - 12,000
Round 5 - 11,317
Round 6 - 12,300

Changsha Jinde : Average = 6,892
Round 1 - 8,000
Round 2 - 8,230
Round 3 - 4,200
Round 4 - 6,500
Round 6 - 7,532

Qingdao Zhongneng : Average = 6,500
Round 5 - 6,500

Top 5 Reasons Why Beijing Guoan is Better than Shanghai Shenhua

2009-04-29T22:50:00.000-07:00
5. Shanghai's won the league more times since professionalism was implemented in Chinese soccer, but we've won the cup more AND won more throughout history.

4. Fan Zhiyi, Shen Si, Xie Hui, Mao Jianqing vs. Gao Hongbo, Shao Jiayi, Yang Chen, Xu Yunlong, Huang Bowen? Guoan's made a far greater contribution to the national team.

3. Hongkou Stadium vs. Gongti (Worker's Stadium)? Gongti's the winner, plain and simple, Sanlitun nearby, on two subway lines, bigger size, and held far more important events, plus more character.

2. Mao Jianqing can't hold his alcohol and needed 2 other guys to help him beat up 1 guy and 2 girls. Plus, he's a total national team failure.

1. "Flowers of Shanghai" vs. "Green Lions/Imperial Guard"? Again, hands down, Guoan takes it, those "flowers" are a perfect representation of Shanghai's men.

Oh yeah, one bonus reason: 9-1!

Reliving 9-1

2009-04-29T02:23:00.000-07:00

The History of a Rivalry : 9-1

2009-04-29T01:12:00.000-07:00
It was a hot summer's night in 1997 and a huge crowd showed up at Gongti to watch their beloved Beijing Guoan take on the hated Shanghai Shenhua. You see, Beijinger's don't like Shanghainese and vice versa and back in those days, just like it is today, both teams were made up with mainly local players who knew the rivalry between the cities and the teams that represent those cities.

What those fans didn't know is that they'd be treated to one of the greatest footballing feats in Guoan history. Over the course of two hours, those fans witnessed a total shellacking of a hated rival, as Andres Olivas Rubio and Casiano each scored 3 goals, Campos added 2, and Cao Xiandong finished off the scoring. Shenhua's only response came from Wu Chengying and couldn't serve as consolation for Shanghai fans who watched the match.

While most Beijing fans won't admit it, we are more than a little jealous of Shanghai's titles in 1995 and 2003. We've yet to win the league, though we are the "Kings of the Cup" having won it 4 times in our history. The lore of the 9-1 match is something Guoan fans have held on to tightly over the years. It is still possible to see "9-1" signs show up in the stand in Beijing and sometimes when road fans make the trip to Shanghai as well.

To those fans involved in this rivalry, its like Arsenal-Tottenham or Yankees-Red Sox, it is a true hatred and the only thing that can comfort me when Guoan loses is seeing Shanghai lose as well.

The rivalry has everything to do with the hatred between the two cities and of all the "China Derby" matches that receive that title, this one is truly the one that takes the cake. These two teams and their fans don't like each other and these matches always live up to it. During the CSL years, Beijing has won 3 times, lost 4, and came up with 3 draws. I'm not expecting Friday to be 9-1, but I hope the history of that game is remembered and when the final whistle is blown, Beijing secures 3 points.

CSL Matchday 6 Recap

2009-04-28T18:23:00.000-07:00
What a rough week! I go 2-6 and only 6 goals scored in 8 matches made for some pretty piss poor football. Nothing more needs to be said, let's go to the games:

Changsha Jinde 0 - 0 Guangzhou Baiyunshan : WRONG
What a way to start! This crappy snorefest shows that Changsha got their mojo back and are once again playing their anti-football as the masters of the nil-nil draw. Some decent chances for both teams, but not much to talk about. Original Prediction: Changsha 0 - 1 Guangzhou.

Jiangsu Sainty 0 - 0 Henan Construction : WRONG
Saturday was all about the nil-nil as upstarts Jiangsu faced off against top of the table Henan. The home side outshot the visitors, but it was Netto's header just wide that was the best scoring chance in the 1st half. Jiangsu dominated the 2nd half chances, but still came up short as both teams walk away with a point and Henan stays on top. Original Prediction: Jiangsu 2 - 3 Henan.

Shenzhen 0 - 1 Hangzhou Greentown : WRONG
Okay, so I have a soft spot for Shenzhen that has been exposed week in, week out. If I go with my heart instead of my brain again this year, I deserve to be punched. Shenzhen is a bad football team, they just escaped going down last year and it would be no surprise if they fall this year. In the rainy conditions in Shenzhen, they failed to convert on a 1st half penalty kick, and then were beaten by an Otto goal minutes into the 2nd half. Original Prediction: Shenzhen 1 - 1 Hangzhou.

Chongqing Lifan 1 - 0 Dalian Shide : WRONG
I thought Dalian's performance last week was a turning point in their season, it seemed like some of their squad were finally starting to come together, however a road defeat in Chongqing is a massive disappointment. Chongqing isn't a very good team, but Guinee is a damn good forward and his bulk and power make him extremely difficult to stop. Good chances fell to him as well as Dalian's Ahn in the 1st half, but it was Guinee's early 2nd half goal that made the difference. The goal was on a penalty kick, coming off a good scoring chance where he was pushed in the back. Dalian tried to get back into it, but didn't have enough to equalize. Original Prediction: Chongqing 0 - 2 Dalian.

Chengdu Blades 0 - 1 Tianjin Teda : RIGHT
Tianjin needed to regroup and facing Chengdu would be a fairly easy way to do that, however they didn't make things easy for themselves. Much of the 1st half was controlled by Chengdu, though Tianjin had a decent counterattack. In the 2nd half, Hao Junmin was able to make some moves on a defender and knock in a goal midway through the half that was enough to secure them 3 points and move them into 2nd place. Original Prediction: Chengdu 1 - 2 Tianjin.

Changchun Yatai 1 - 0 Shanghai Shenhua : WRONG
Yes, I was wrong, but this is one I love to be wrong about. Cao Tianbao's header off a 1st half corner was enough in what was a fairly rough game, as has been Shanghai's trend this year, Changchun received 4 yellow cards and Shanghai received 6, Yu Tao personally received 2 of the cards and so was shown red in the 51st minute. Actually going down a man helped Shanghai briefly as they quickly came up with 2 solid chances, but neither made it past the keeper. Changchun regrouped and made some substitutions and was able to claim a nice victory over Shenhua. Original Prediction: Changchun 1 - 1 Shanghai.

Shaanxi Zhongxin 1 - 0 Beijing Guoan : WRONG
See the full, miserable write-up on this here. Sad...Original Prediction: Shaanxi 0 - 1 Beijing.

Shandong Luneng 1 - 0 Qingdao Zhongneng : RIGHT
The Shandong derby should have been full of fireworks, though as expected Qingdao was a little more pumped up to play in this one. Qingdao went on the attack early and probably should have been given a penalty kick, though Shandong quickly responded with some chances of its own. The lone goal came early in the first half off a beautifully delivered Wang Yongpo free kick from just outside the box. Shandong continued to press, but was unable to get another goal, while Qingdao came up with a few counter attacking opportunities, game ends, Shandong wins, end of story. Original Prediction: Shandong 3 - 1 Qingdao.

2-6 for the week, but maintaining my 21-19 winning record for the season...

Matchday 6 Review : Shaanxi Zhongxin Early in the

2009-04-28T06:11:00.000-07:00
Poor Lee! With all the pressure on his team, this is just about the time fans will take a serious look at him and start questioning his managerial prowess. In reality, we aren't that bad off through our 6 league matches and 4 Champions League ones, however expectations were a lot higher at the start of the year and inconsistent play has been killing us.

Lee can only seriously be blamed for his coaching errors, like not putting a taller defender on the pitch against Ulsan during Matchday 3. This week, Lee had to deal with a highly depleted lineup, having Huang Bowen out for 3 months is bad, but Tao Wei missed the match with an injury as well and Yang Hao was out with a fever. Guoan's lineup looked far different from what we've seen most of the season, with Sui Dongliang and Wang Hao both featuring in the lineup for the first time this year. Further, missing Tao or Huang is okay, but missing both is extremely tough as there is a lack of creativity in the midfield.

That, and the nearly 40,000 screaming fans that showed up in Xian made for a very tough environment for Guoan. Shaanxi was in control of the game early and was able to put together a number of great chances, getting unlucky a few times, before finally putting the ball past the keeper in the 17th minute on an unusual play. The ball was swung in from the left, Paul and a Shaanxi player went up for a header and both missed it when the ball bounced off Zhang Yonghai and fell to a Shaanxi player whose shot on net was headed wide before Wang Erzhuo was left all alone on the back post and knocked the ball in.

At the half Guoan was lucky to only be down by one and after the game Lee commented about how horrible the first half play was. A major part of the problem had to be how unfamiliar the midfield was with each other and how they weren't up to match fitness. Lee took off Wang Changqing at the start of the 2nd half and put Guo Hui on, then took off Sui shortly after that, giving Yan Xiangchuang a chance to work his magic again (unfortunately he wasn't able to). Guoan had a few chances throughout the game, but nothing that was good enough to equalize.

Where do we go from here? The first thing, obviously, is to hope that our players get healthy and come back soon, though we should be able to get by without him (them). In 10 matches in all competitions, we have 3 wins, 4 draws, and 3 losses. It is still early days in the league and no team has clearly jumped ahead and up to now no team has impressed, it still appears there is not a squad head and shoulders above the rest and that it's not time to seriously freak out, YET.

The China derby is coming up on Friday and Guoan has a few days to recover and prepare. A packed house at Gongti, a holiday Friday, and best of all, Shanghai coming to town should be enough to motivate the squad. The quicker we can forget this result the better in an overall crazy CSL weekend.

CSL Matchday 6 Preview Part 2

2009-04-25T18:37:00.001-07:00
Due to some personal obligations, I sort of took a few days off, but I'm back and (almost) better than ever. Like a lot of Guoan fans, I'm looking forward to May 1, not for the holiday, but for our match against 9-1. Yes, it's about that time, the team formerly known as Shanghai Shenhua will now go by 9-1. My predictions were shit yesterday, so was the football, but there are some pretty tasty matchups to look forward to today, here goes:

4.26 15:30 Chongqing Lifan - Dalian Shide
However you want to slice or dice it, Chongqing's a crap football team. Dalian is not, they've been mediocre for much of the season, but it seems like Ahn Junghwan is finally adjusting to the CSL and getting more opportunities. While it's not always easy to play in Chongqing, this one should be pretty cut and dry. Prediction: Chongqing 0-2 Dalian.

4.26 15:30 Chengdu Blades - Tianjin Teda
There was a time a few weeks back that Tianjin coming to town would be something to fear, now its nothing special. This Tianjin side has been totally exposed as a solid attacking team with absolutely no defense. Fortunately for them, Chengdu's attack isn't very strong and so Tianjin should have no problem outscoring them. It's going to be a fight, but Tianjin should win in the end. Prediction: Chengdu 1 - 2 Tianjin.

4.26 15:30 Changchun Yatai - 9-1
Changchun delivered an excellent fixture when they went head to head against Shandong, can they do the same against 9-1? 9-1 is coming off a midweek loss in Korea and will hope to regroup, their inconsistency over the season makes it hard to predict which 9-1 side will come out. This being in Changchun, I have a feeling its going to be a pretty tight match. Prediction: Changchun 1 - 1 Shanghai.

4.26 16:00 Shaanxi Zhongxin - Beijing Guoan
Our guys in green take on the northwest wolves on the road (full preview here), they're up for it, but this has been a pretty screwy weekend so far, I could definitely see this ending in a draw, but I'm confident in Guoan. Prediction: Shaanxi 1 - 2 Guoan.

4.26 19:30 Shandong Luneng - Qingdao Zhongneng
We have derby day in Jinan as Shandong and Qingdao do battle in prime time. Shandong only managed a midweek draw in Seoul, while Qingdao has struggled all season.  There's always talk about throwing the records out for a derby, and you gotta expect a lot of effort from Qingdao, but it takes more than effort to win a football match. Shandong should cruise to a win, with Antar putting in one of the goals. Prediction: Shandong 3 - 1 Qingdao.

Matchday 6 Preview : Shaanxi Zhongxin

2009-04-25T18:04:00.000-07:00
Guoan's two matches against Ulsan in the Champions League were pretty bad, two losses and losing Huang Bowen for much of the season. So far this year, the team has been able to regroup after Champions League struggles and hopefully this week will be no different. You have to want to win every competition you are in, but for the fans, winning the league is a far more important goal than Champions League success. We still haven't lost in the league and are only 4 points back of Henan at the top, who've played one more game than us.

The lineup is definitely going to be effected by Huang's loss and it will be interesting to see how Lee handles it. Our midfield is packed with many options. Matic is a must at holding midfield, but from there, you have the choice of Du Wenhui, Yan Xiangchang, Ryan Griffiths, Tao Wei, Yang Hao, and Martinez. Many of these players can play on the wing or in an attacking role, and a player like Yan or Du is in a position where its time to step up and be stars or just eek out a career as mediocre role players. They show a lot of promise, but its time that they deliver on it.

I've been hard on Huang all year, he's struggled this season, has yet to score a goal, and even missed a critical penalty kick. However, losing a player like Huang for the better part of the season is massive. Huang, best wishes from all us fans and hope you'll get well very soon. While the manager was having a hard time putting together a midfield that worked and his decision making now gets easier, it's tough dealing with this loss.

Back to this game and our opponents, the "Northwestern Wolves", Shaanxi Zhongxin. They are a fairly weak team with a bad home record, losing twice (to Shandong and Shenzhen) on their own pitch and drawing once. Yet this is a side that always seems to get at Lee Jangsoo, last year Guoan lost at home and drew on the road while in 2007 Guoan only managed 2 draws. The fans in Xian are famous for being rabid and can get a little wild, fans were allowed in for the practice and according to Lee the tense atmosphere influenced the squad's practice.

The behavior of Shaanxi's fans has served as a motivating factor for Guoan. Ryan Griffiths said that he definitely wants to score a goal after getting an idea what things would be like on Sunday, Du Wenhui declared that Guoan has to shut up the big Xian crowd and come away with 3 points.

I love Du's spirit and motivation, now let's hope he can deliver. Enjoy this beautiful Sunday weather in the capital and get ready for the action, kick off's at 16:00.

CSL Matchday 6 Preview Part 1

2009-04-24T06:50:00.000-07:00
Changsha Jinde - Guangzhou Baiyunshan
Changsha is back at home and that's a scary thing for football fans. Guangzhou's attack is solid, led by the CSL's leading scorer, Xu Liang, while Changsha's defense can hold back many defenses, Guangzhou will be too much. Prediction: Changsha 0-1 Guangzhou.

Jiangsu Sainty - Henan Construction
Henan is at the top of the table and upstarts Jiangsu have been playing excellent football. The foreign heavy Henan attack should just squeak past Jiangsu's Wuhan pair. Prediction: Jiangsu 2-3 Henan.

Shenzhen - Hangzhou Greentown
Can Shenzhen finally take advantage of being at home? Hangzhou is a beatable side, but Shenzhen will have to play more like they did against Shandong rather than their nightmare against Shanghai. For Hangzhou, this is a match that decides what kind of season they will have, signs point to it not being good. Prediction: Shenzhen 1-1 Hangzhou.

Sorry for the brief post shying away from the format, but this is done entirely on an iPhone as I try to get these out before tomorrow's games. Special thanks to Pass By Bar, whose wireless i'm using to write this. It's nice to have visitors but everything will be back to normal and my full preview of Guoan's match will be up.

Wherever you are this Friday night, raise a glass, cheers Beijing.

Player Profile : Yang Zhi

2009-04-23T17:41:00.000-07:00

Yang Zhi - 杨智

The vitals:
age - 25

position - goalkeeper

number - 22

height - 187 cm
years with Guoan - 5

appearances - 103

The only Guoan player other than Xu Yunlong who has appeared in every match so far this season is Yang Zhi. Since coming to Beijing on a transfer from Shenzhen, Yang has been a regular for Guoan, an ironman who is almost never out of the lineup.

Yang, originally from Guangzhou, came up in the Guangzhou youth team before moving to Shenzhen in 2002. He led the team to the 2004 CSL Championship and caught Beijing's attention and was brought to the capital. His time in Beijing has been good for Yang, success in the capital has led to a number of national team call-ups.

Yang's high flying style in the net is one of the only reasons Guoan is where they are right now in the league. If he gets a bit of help at the back, this team definitely has the potential to go a long way, but even without that, Yang is the kind of keeper that can carry a team.

Champions League Matchday 4 Recap : Ulsan Hyundai

2009-04-23T17:23:00.000-07:00
Well, I've had some familial responsibilities as of late which has led to some serious slacking n the blog, as well as missing Wednesday night's game. Having read a lot of the recaps online, I'm not really surprised with what happened, as almost all of them place the blame on the defense. Watching how it happened, I'd totally agree, Oh's all alone on the far side of the box while 3 Guoan players are just standing in the 6 yard box haplessly watching the ball go in. Of course, if the offense was a little more potent, this wouldn't have mattered, so all the blame can't be placed on those at the back, but these major missteps are par for the course. Opponents rarely score against us due to great attacking plays, its typically due to mindless play.

Losing this match was bad, but losing Huang Bowen, who went down with a really horrible looking ankle injury in the 1st half, is far worse. In what was a very rough game on both sides, Huang's injury will really hurt us. He's now going to be out for at least 3 months and though we've had so many midfield options and guys step up, it really hurts to lose such a solid player for so long.

At this point, we're sitting in 3rd place with 2 matches remaining, 4 points behind Nagoya and 2 behind Ulsan. It's fairly simple, get 6 points in the remaining matches and advance, fail to and deal with the disappointment of being eliminated in the 1st round. If that happens, I have a feeling a lot of fans are going to start talking about the future managerial situation for our team. It's away at Shaanxi this weekend, a win would be the best way to forget about this disappointment.

Champions League Matchday 4 Preview : Ulsan Hyundai

2009-04-20T22:49:00.000-07:00
We are blessed with a Wednesday clash this week as Guoan gets back to the Champions League and tries for revenge against the only team to beat them so far this season, Korean side Ulsan Hyundai.

Today's a beautiful day in this the Imperial City and tomorrow night is expected to be just as nice as our Boys in Green battle it out for 3 points. This is an extremely tight group with a mere 2 points separating first and last. Guoan has a slight advantage, playing two out of the three remaining matches at home. If you draw on the road and win your home matches, its typically enough to put you through, we got the results on the road, now its time to win.

Ulsan's not a pushover, though, despite their weak Champions League performances going into the Guoan match and their poor domestic form. Plus, there's the whole issue of a Chinese team playing a Korean one, be it at the club or national team level, Korea just knows how to beat China.

As far as I'm concerned, there's only 1 key to this game, controlling Kim Shinwook. Lee Jangsoo, please, please take Paul out the doghouse and put him in the lineup, we need him. Lang Zheng will do, too, but Paul's build leads me to believe he'll play Kim physically and make him think twice when going up for those headers. I'm not so sure Lang is cut out for the job. No matter if its Paul or Lang, in no case should Zhang Yonghai be among the starters, he already proved he couldn't deal with Kim's height and the only strategy Ulsan had in the last match was knock the ball up field and get Kim in the air.

After how Du Wenhui and Yan Xiangchuang played in the last match, can we expect to see them in the lineup? It seemed Du suffered a minor injury in the last match, is he fit for this one? What about Zhou Ting, who now will be out of our next league match after being red carded? Lee's squad that faced Shandong was one of the better ones we've seen this year.   Part of it is obviously building up teamwork as they get a few more matches under their belts, but a major part of it is getting the right mix of 10 guys.

I'd like to see Tao Wei remain up top with 2 attacking forwards, Yan played hungry against Shandong and he deserves a start on the wing, the question is do you choose strength and give Ryan Griffiths another run out after spending so much time on the bench lately or do you go with Yang Hao's speed, or Du Wenhui's attacking prowess. Then there's the small matter of what you do with Huang Bowen. Kind of a nice problem to have so many strong midfielders, Lee just has to find the right mix.

Considering its at home and 3 points are needed, Guoan has to put out an attacking formation, though going with both Du and Yan on the wings would be a bit much, perhaps. The key to this match will be neutralizing Kim, Ulsan relied on him heavily in the last match, if they don't get many free kicks near the box or corners and a taller defender can keep him from getting long balls, 3 points aren't out of reach.

The song us fans always sing is "Guoan is Always Number 1", let's get 3 points and put ourselves in the driver's seat in this competition.

CSL Matchday 5 Recap

2009-04-19T23:34:00.000-07:00
A great weekend of action, though last night's FA Cup semifinal put me to sleep. As for my predictions, it was an impressive week, going 7-1 to finally have a winning record for the season at 19-13. Without further adu, here we go:

Shandong Luneng 2 - 2 Beijing Guoan : RIGHT
For the full wrap, go here. The first game was everything I hoped for, just too bad Guoan couldn't pull it out. Very exciting and Antar is damn good, Shandong must do everything they can to keep him. Original Prediction: Shandong 1 - 1 Beijing.

Tianjin Teda 0 - 2 Jiangsu Sainty : WRONG
Once again, Jiangsu's two Wuhan transfers carry the team to victory. Tianjin now moves down to 3rd place and the crowd of teams sitting on 9 points. Tianjin, while possessing a strong offense, is seriously lacking in defense (could this be due to loss of Matic?). On the other hand, Jiangsu's defense is incredibly stable and they were able to hold off the Tianjin attack, while responding with their own in the 2nd half. Original Prediction: Tianjin 2 - 1 Jiangsu.

Shanghai Shenhua 4 - 1 Shenzhen : RIGHT
It was defenders that did it for Shenhua, with Yanko Valkanov getting the only goal in a fairly ho hum 1st half, though things got more interesting in the 2nd when he and Du Wei both came up with goals. Shenzhen was able to get one past Qiu Shenjiong in the 72', but Gu Bin added one more in the 88' as Shanghai easily cruised past Shenzhen and into 2nd spot. Original Prediction: Shanghai 1 - 0 Shenzhen.

Dalian Shide 3 - 1 Hangzhou Greentown : RIGHT
Carried by Ahn Junghwan's brace (the 1st on a questionable spot kick) and one from Li Kai (a beautiful diving header off a corner), Dalian was carried to victory. While Hangzhou tried to make it interesting through a goal by Otto, it wasn't enough. Ahn transferred to Dalian this year and was supposed to be the difference maker, someone to bring this team back to glory and this week he was able to. This team is a player or two away from once again being a contender. Original Prediction: Dalian 2 - 0 Hangzhou.

Changchun Yatai 0 - 0 Shaanxi Zhongxin : RIGHT
Snore...Changchun was able to come up with a number of chances, but none good enough to get past the keeper, while Shaanxi did very little and should be happy to come out unscathed and with a point. I hate talking about these nil-nil matches and it seems there's one (or two) every weekend in the CSL. Original Prediction: Changchun 1 - 1 Shaanxi.

Henan Construction 2 - 0 Changsha Jinde : RIGHT
Henan's win puts them at the top of the table, with two goals before many fans even got to their seats from Olisadabe (3') and Xu Yang (5'). This huge shock to Changsha was too much and their typical defensive strategy was shot. They were unable to regroup, especially going a man down due to Wang Qiang's two yellow cards, both given during a very chippy 20 minutes or so in the 1st half. Original Prediction: Henan 1 - 0 Changsha.

Guangzhou Baiyunshan 3 - 1 Chongqing Lifan : RIGHT
Wet conditions in Guangzhou saw the visiting squad jump out to an early lead with a goal in the 19', however shortly before the end of the half Xu Liang nailed a long freekick and did his salute celebration for the 5th time (leading the league in scoring). Guangzhou added 2 more in the second half to seal the deal. This Guangzhou side's got some talent, they'll be in the middle of the table this year, but if they pick up a transfer or two, they have potential. Original Prediction: Guangzhou 2 - 0 Chongqing.

Qingdao Zhongneng 2 - 1 Chengdu Blades : RIGHT
Some very bad weather in Qingdao, though Chengdu was able to open the scoring in the 1st half, but failed to continue the attack. Qingdao came up with some good opportunities, but wasn't able to open their account. However, early in the 2nd half, Qingdao equalized off a booming header on a corner kick, then followed it up with another just before the end of the match. Original Prediction: Qingdao 2 - 1 Chengdu.

A great week for the CSL (and my predictions) and we have some Champions League matches to look forward to midweek before a full weekend of matches.

Matchday 5 Review - Shandong Luneng

2009-04-19T19:24:00.000-07:00

Thought 1: Dude's got some hops!
Thought 2: "Everyone in a green shirt is a hero tonight" (courtesy of Joel Griffiths)

This was arguably Guoan's most well played match of the year, but most definitely the most entertaining of the year. Guoan lined up in a 4-4-2, rare for this season, with Griffiths and Martinez up top, Yang Hao and Huang Bowen on the wing, Tao Wei in attacking position with Matic in the holding position and Zhang Xinxin and Zhou Ting helping Xu Yunlong and Zhang Yonghai at the back.

Beijing started out controlling the ball, but very quickly were met with a Shandong counter attack. Unfortunately, just 2 minutes into the match, a beautiful cross was played into the box, just between Xu and Zhou who only watched as an outstretched Han Peng knocked it into the back of the net. After that, Guoan went back on the attack, in the 21st minute a great chance off a set play corner kick, though Griffiths knocked it high. Shandong went back on the counterattack and an almost identical situation to the first goal ensued, this time it was Li Jinyu instead of Han, but he couldn't put it away.
Shandong's defense was full of holes and Guoan did a great job finding them, unfortunately they just couldn't finish in the first half. It was a fairly physical first half, with 5 yellow cards and a strange red card, given to Zhou Ting just before the half came to an end. Shandong was given a corner kick in extra time in the 1st half, there was a player injured and all the sudden the camera showed the referee chasing after Zhou Ting, with Xu Yunlong chasing after the referee. It seemed that Zhou said something to referee Wang Xueqing that pissed him off.

So Beijing went into the locker room down 1 goal and 1 man on the road. How they decided to respond to that situation would say a lot about where this team is going this year. They responded fairly quickly. Early in the 2nd half, Martinez went on a slinky run, but kept the ball to himself and hit his shot wide. Shortly after, Tao Wei was taken off for Du Wenhui, a good move because Tao didn't have one of his better matches. Moments after coming on, Du made a difference, going on a run down the left wing and then crossing the ball in the middle only to have it go off a Shandong defender. It wasn't a pretty goal, but it was much deserved the way they were controlling the match.

Du attempted to push Guoan ahead with a long shot that challenged Li Leilei and was very impressive. Just as it appeared things were headed in the right direction, Shandong had a corner, which Antar headed on to Han Peng who was alone and wide open right in front of the keeper, Han finished it off easily for his second of the night.

With less than 20 minutes to go, it looked like this was the end, having fought to get the match to even, Guoan was now back in the hole. That wasn't the case at all as these guys had no quit in them. In the 77th minute, Li Leilei came way out to get the ball, but Martinez got there first, went around him, but failed to get the shot off in time. A little later Griffiths made a nice run, but was (rightly) flagged for offsides, a bit frustrated he elbowed the Shandong defender, but fortunately the referee missed it. Lee Jangsoo made another substitute, taking off Yang Hao and bringing on Yan Xiangchuang who, only a minute later, made the difference, stealing the ball from a Shandong defender and passing it to Griffiths, who put it away. 2-2 and the scene you see above of Lee running down the sidelines to celebrate with the players.

The game was back to even, but Guoan wanted all 3 points. Zhang Xinxin led a counter attack, giving the ball to Yan who made a great run, but shot it just wide, then Guoan had a 3 on 1 but nobody pulled off a shot. The last chance of the game came when Yan made a play in the box, though Li Leilei came up with a great save.

A draw at Shandong, all things considered, was a fairly decent result. One thing that has to be said, Roda Antar is damn good. He was all over the pitch, making an offensive play, then going all the way down the field and making a defensive play in his own box. The guy is crazy good.

Anyways, I've said it before, I'll say it again, this Guoan team goes hard. They haven't always played well this year, but they have yet to quit, always trying for 3 points. It's hard trying to award a Man of the Match for this one, so I'm giving it to Substitutes, as the two subs, Yang and Du changed this match.

"It's the Freakin' Weekend..."

2009-04-18T22:46:00.001-07:00
Despite the change in the weather and skies that have held the threat of rain all weekend long, I'm still in a great mood. I try not to blog on the weekend, the weekend is a time for much football and much drinking, but this weekend is an exception, because it's a sports fan's freaking wet dream, lots of CSL, the FA Cup Semifinals, the NHL and NBA playoffs, how can you not be hyped?

Guoan kicked it all off in interesting fashion on Friday. Only 1 point but it was by far their most exciting game of the season and, quite possibly, their most well played. Just when you feel its time to get down on the team, they pull out a game like this. I still have my issues and I'm still not entirely sold, but it certainly was an encouraging sign. What great drama the fans in Jinan were treated to (and they really showed up, attendance was around 25,000).

CSL Matchday 5 Preview

2009-04-16T20:14:00.000-07:00
Here we go again, 12-12 on the season, hoping for a winning weekend. We've got CSL football, the FA Cup, the Stanley Cup playoffs, and the NBA too, what a weekend for sports. But by far the most exciting game of the weekend will be the first one, let's do this thing:

4.17 19:30 Shandong Luneng - Beijing Guoan
Unfortunately (I shouldn't be using that word), I have something called a job, which means I'll be watching this one from Beijing instead of sitting in Jinan, but such is life. For the full match preview, go here. I'm in a pickle, I want to predict this one for Guoan, but I also don't want to jinx them, therefore, its a draw. Prediction: Shandong 1 - 1 Beijing.

4.17 19:30 Tianjin Teda - Jiangsu Sainty
What am I to think of these 2 sides? Can Tianjin's defeat last week be ignored, chalked up to the bad weather? Jiangsu's squad isn't looking like a newly promoted team, they're looking solid, and it seems almost every year a newly promoted team makes a respectable showing. It's going to be an interesting match, but I think Tianjin's just got more firepower. Prediction: Tianjin 2 - 1 Jiangsu.

4.17 19:45 Shanghai Shenhua - Shenzhen
I really hate Shanghai and really hope Shenzhen can earn a result in this one, I really want to predict that they will, but....I just don't see it happening. Shenzhen will be going to Hongkou, a tough place to play, and they just don't have the horses. Prediction: Shanghai 1 - 0 Shenzhen.

4.18 14:30 Dalian Shide - Hangzhou Greentown
Both these sides have 2 wins and 2 losses and both won last week. Dalian isn't what they used to be, but they still have a lot of talent, and while Otto is a heck of a player, Hangzhou's squad isn't strong enough to get this tough win on the road. Prediction: Dalian 2 - 0 Hangzhou.

4.18 15:30 Changchun Yatai - Shaanxi Zhongxin
Changchun was a sleeper pick for this year's league title, but they've looked far from impressive in this year's first 4 matches. Shaanxi is always going to give you a difficult match, but they are a few players short of being a title contender. Changchun's struggles will continue as Shaanxi has just enough to hold them off. Prediction: Changchun 1 - 1 Shaanxi.

4.18 16:00 Henan Construction - Changsha Jinde
It had to happen at some point this season and this is the week it does, Changsha will finally leave the comforts of home and travel to Zhengzhou. Changsha earned their 1st win of the season against Tianjin last week, but that was an odd game due to the torrential downpour. Henan is high flying with 3 wins and is currently sitting top of the table, alongside Tianjin. I can't see Changsha pulling off 2 upsets in a row and even their defensive minded football won't be enough against Netto and Olisadebe. Prediction: Henan 1 - 0 Changsha.

4.18 19:30 Guangzhou Baiyunshan - Chongqing Lifan
Chonqing has some attacking skill, but beyond that, they aren't a very good team and this newly promoted team could be yo-yoing back down fairly quickly. Guangzhou is a mid-table side with some definite talent. Prediction: Guangzhou 2 - 0 Chongqing

4.19 15:30 Qingdao Zhongneng - Chengdu Blades
The Sunday spotlight falls to these two average sides as they go head to head in Qingdao. These two are both hoping not to be relegated this season, but I have a feeling (more just a hope, but oh well) Chengdu's going down. Prediction: Qingdao 2 - 1 Chengdu.

So there you go, I have a feeling a number of these will go wrong, but let's hope all the action isn't just on Friday night.

Matchday 5 Preview : Shandong Luneng

2009-04-16T02:39:00.000-07:00
I'm coming to you once again on yet another beautiful, er, "overcast" spring Friday in the 'Jing as due to the Champions League, we're once again treated to Friday soccer. This time the Boys in Green will be traveling to Jinan to take on last year's league champs, Shandong Luneng.

Guoan's stated goal is clear, they plan on going to Jinan and bringing 3 points back to Beijing. Shandong responded by saying that "they can understand the goal of earning 3 points, but a goal is just a goal, not a result." This little war of words has been interesting, but people on both sides have said they are friends off the field and opponents on it. This is made obvious by the number of Shandong players (like Li Leilei and Lv Zheng) who are from Beijing and, in some cases, have even spent time in the Guoan academy.

Right now, Guoan sits in 3rd place, 1 point ahead of Shandong, and both teams are coming off victories last weekend that helped to right the ship after disappointing losses (Guoan's in Korea, Shandong's after being crushed by Shenhua). It will be interesting to see what Lee Jangsoo does with Guoan's lineup after it appeared there was a fresh start last week. He also has a difficult time as Guoan is stacked with a lot of similar players, the debate over Ryan Griffiths vs. Du Wenhui and Tao Wei vs. Huang Bowen has been raging. This week, it looks like Huang will make his way back into the lineup, while Du and Griffiths will both be on the bench, while Yang Hao will be moved to the left side, where he'll be a good match for Shandong's Lv Zheng.

Shandong's lineup is not expected to change, expect all their stars, including Li Leilei, Li Jinyu, Han Peng, and this year's new edition Lebanese star Roda Antar all to feature. Han is fairly tall at 1.85 and while Li Jinyu isn't tall, he's great in the air, I would like to see Lee mix up our defense so as to include Lang Zheng or, better yet, Paul. I really feel its time to take him out of the dog house and give him a shot, he's a big defender and should be able to help.

Friday night football is strange, but I'm getting used to it and rather like it, let's hope tonight's clash will bring us 3 points. Go Green!

Notes
This game was originally scheduled to be played in Beijing, but because of the concert of 4 Taiwnese superstars taking place at Gongti on Saturday, the game was switched to Jinan.....Beijing Assistant Coach Lv Jun will be going up against his nephew, Shandong star Lv Zheng.....Weather today in Jinan is supposed to be warm and sunny, so expect decent temperatures tonight.....Last year these two teams drew 1-1 in Beijing, while Guoan lost 2-0 in Jinan.....

Player Profile : Xu Yunlong

2009-04-15T22:33:00.000-07:00
We're starting a new series here giving foreign fans an introduction to the player's Guoan fields week in, week out. The first choice is an incredibly easy one, as Xu Yunlong isn't only this season's team captain, but has been an integral part of the squad since he first came up in 1998.

Xu Yunlong - 徐云龙

The vitals:
age - 30
position - center back
number - 13
height - 181 cm
years with Guoan - 11
appearances - 153
goals - 22

Born and bred in Beijing, Xu Yunlong is Guoan through and through. He's an extremely versatile player who has played virtually every position on the field (except keeper), but is most comfortable as a defender, typically at center back. He started out with the youth team at the age of 14 and has been a part of Guoan ever since. His "unlucky" 13 has been one of the few consistents for Guoan over the past 10 years.

While he's never been known as an incredibly speedy player, he is creative and versatile (as mentioned above). Over the past few seasons, he's developed into an absolute shut down central back, but he also is skilled enough to go up and get involved in the offense, especially on corners and free kicks. He's already demonstrated his offensive prowess with his goal earlier this season.

Xu's regularly featured in the national team, since being brought up by Bora in 2000, and used to be part of Beijing's 3 pronged attack on the national team and Guoan, which included Yang Chen and Yang Pu.

Like Stevie Gerrard for Liverpool and Paolo Maldini at Milan, Xu is the heart of this Guoan team. He's been extremely loyal, even when bigger or better offers have come his way, he's always stayed in Beijing. Even in his younger days, Xu's fierce play and enthusiasm made him an instant leader, but now that he's a veteran, he's able to take an even greater role as mentor for younger players like Huang Bowen and Yan Xiangchuang as they develop.

Of all the Guoan players, Xu is truly a "Gongti Legend".

Matchday 4 Review : Chengdu Blades

2009-04-13T01:23:00.000-07:00

Victory!

Yes, this is how I feel right now, Guoan has finally gotten back to their winning ways, though they've yet to lose yet, its been over 3 weeks since their last win. This one was extremely watchable and showed football how it should be played.

There were lots of changes for this game, so let's look at the lineup:
Goalie - Yang Zhi
Defense - Zhou Ting, Xu Yunlong, Zhang Yonghai, Lu Jiang
Midfield - Du Wenhui, Matic, Tao Wei, Yang Hao, Martinez
Forward - Joel Griffiths

That means a ton of changes in the midfield, basically an entire overhaul with the exception of holding mid Matic, changing out Wang Changqing, Ryan Griffiths, and Huang Bowen. I don't know what Lee Jangsoo said to the team in the change room, but this was a totally different Guoan squad, taking the match directly to Chengdu right from the start. Griffiths had an early chance that was created purely by hustle, something that had been lacking in the team, but things got good a short while later when Du Wenhui scored a nice goal off a great run and cross from Martinez. That was the highlight of the half, both sides had a few good chances and Beijing's defense still didn't look solid (namely Zhang), but Yang Zhi was up for the few 1st half challenges he faced.

Going into the half up 1-nil was a nice feeling, but the way the team's played this year, I was still fairly nervous about the result, could we hold them off? The nerves quickly went away early in the 2nd half, a questionable offside call against Griffiths had me angered, but moments later, Guoan was given a free kick deep in the Chengdu end (almost by the corner flag). Tao Wei's great delivery was met by a Yang Hao header, knocking the ball deeper in the box for a sliding Griffiths who buried it, making it 2-nil and offering a nice insurance goal. Griffiths was almost able to make it 3 in the 87th minute, but couldn't get the shot off in time and was foiled by Chengdu's large keeper. The only other thing to note was Wang Ke's season debut, coming on for Martinez in the 90th minute.

Huang Bowen is one of my favorites among the current crop of Guoan players, I was there for his first goal as a 16 year old in 2004 and his rocket shots at that age showed a lot of promise, I thought he could be the future of Chinese football. He's still young, only 21 now, and going into his 6th CSL season, but he just hasn't matured to match all the previous expectations fans had for him. It's been obvious in the past few games that he's had problems figuring out how to work with Martinez and the other midfielders and hashing out what his role should be.

Switching Huang and Tao doesn't lose you very much. While Tao is more attacking, he's also very creative, and Matic has shown himself capable of being a solid defensive mid. At the same time, Martinez looked to be revitalized, and was more dangerous than ever before this year, going up and down the wing. Yang Hao was a breath of fresh air, as well, in his first game in the squad this year.

There was some talk about Lee's job security in the run-up to this match, this is simply outrageous. He's brought the team to within a point of a league title and, even if the team didn't get off to a great start, they're still undefeated in the league, currently sitting in 3rd, and also in a great position to advance in the Champions League.

The fans and media are putting too much pressure and too many expectations on this side, this is exhibit A in the case against them. Lee's one of the better CSL managers and one game, or even a few poor outings, isn't enough to condemn him, we need to show more loyalty. We need to have more faith in Lee, his decisions in this match paid off, and he's the man that can take us farthest.

That's that, I hope I don't need to be talking about that anymore this year. A great win, back to winning ways, still undefeated in the league, and have a big weekend clash against Shandong coming up, who is travelling to Jinan?

Matchday 4 Preview : Chengdu Blades

2009-04-11T20:26:00.000-07:00
Hi all, hope you're having a great weekend so far, yesterday certainly was an interesting day in the CSL. I'm moving today and so this is going to be a shorter post than usual, so let's get to it.

Guoan's on the road in Sichuan this weekend looking to get back its form after losing its first game of the season, a midweek Champions League defeat in Korea. Guoan's struggled on the road this year and Chengdu came up with a big upset in their only home clash, against Shanghai Shenhua.

Don't expect to see many changes to Guoan's lineup, most likely Martinez will be in for Guo Hui and that's about it, though perhaps we'll see a few changes to the bench. Lee Jangsoo is very unhappy (as well he should be) with the team's performance as of late, but because of fitness issues there just aren't that many changes to make and its too early to start seriously worrying.

Let's hope for 3 points out of Guoan and no player having to apologize for stupid mistakes. This is a team with high expectations placed on it by the media and internally high expectationsof themselves, but its time for them to relax a little and play with passion instead of pressure.

Matchday 4 League Preview

2009-04-09T23:23:00.000-07:00
Thank God its Friday, which means we'll have football tomorrow to continue this incredible week. If you're here, you're a football fan, and what a week, eh? A weekend of CSL and European football, including a Monday CSL match, the European and Asian Champions League midweek, and now a full weekend of football, doesn't get much better! Match of the week? I'd say first or last, Shenzhen-Dalian or Shandong-Changchun. Last week I pulled even on predictions, here's hoping I can keep the momentum:

4.11 15:30 Shenzhen - Dalian Shide
Hmm, this is a hard one to call...Shenzhen has showed some promise so far this year and Dalian is coming off an embarassing loss in nearby Guangzhou. Both squads have been mediocre this year, this is a chance for one to step up. Prediction: Shenzhen 1 - 0 Dalian.
4.11 15:30 Jiangsu Sainty - Qingdao Zhongneng
Jiangsu finally earned its first point of the year last week while Qingdao suffered through a draw in Changsha. Jiangsu has looked dangerous so far this year, the same can't really be said for Qingdao, I have a feeling that they will struggle on the road this weekend. Prediction: Jiangsu 2 - 1 Qingdao.

4.11 19:30 Hangzhou Greentown - Guangzhou Baiyunshan
Guangzhou has gotten off to a good start under former Guoan and national team manager Shen Xiangfu, Xu Liang's currently on top of the scoring charts after his hat trick last week, Hangzhou's been up and down so far. Much like the 2 matches above, these are two squads that are looking at midtable finishes, but have aspirations for more, its this kind of match that will decide exactly how good their season will be. Prediction: Hangzhou 1 - 2 Guangzhou.

4.12 15:30 Chongqing Lifan - Henan Jianye
Henan's won twice this year against average teams, but have done so at home. Chongqing is a team that is likely to go down unless big foreigners like Guinee will be able to carry them to some goals, I have a feeling its not going to happen this weekend. Prediction: Chongqing 0 - 2 Henan.

4.12 15:30 Shaanxi Zhongxin - Shanghai Shenhua
Shanghai's coming off of two big wins in the domestic and Champions League, but haven't faired well away from the comforts of Hongkou. Shaanxi's in a similar situation having done well at home, but struggling on the road, while I don't think they'll be able to upset Shenhua, this could very well be a draw. Prediction: Shaanxi 1 -1 Shanghai.
4.12 16:05 Chengdu Blades - Beijing Guoan
I've predicted Guoan in every one of their matches so far, going with my heart, this one will be no different, though they really should win this one (full preview of the match coming later). Prediction: Chengdu 0 - 1 Beijing.

4.12 19:30 Changsha Jinde - Tianjin Teda
Ahh, another home match in Changsha, this is their 4th straight match at home, the only team with such a comfortable opening. The masters of the scoreless draw are going up against the team that has scored the most so far this year. How powerful is Changsha's kungfu? I think Tianjin's going to be able to maintain their spot on top, though they won't be able to fully expose Changsha's 11 behind the ball. Prediction: Changsha 0 - 1 Tianjin.

4.12 19:30 Shandong Luneng - Changchun Yatai
And finally, the 2007 champions travel to the 2008 Champions. Shandong licked their wounds after the shellacking they took in Shanghai by winning in the Champions League midweek, but still look to be seriously missing Zhou Haibin. Changchun's started strong with 2 wins and a draw to sit in 3rd place. This is a tough one to call, but I have a feeling Changchun will hammer out a tough fought road win. Prediction: Shandong 1 - 2 Changchun.
That's it for now, have a great weekend and enjoy the football (and hopefully nice weather too)!

Matchday 3 Recap

2009-04-09T07:48:00.000-07:00
Results this week were very interesting, especially Shanghai's stunning victory, so let's not wait:

Tianjin Teda 2 - 0 Chongqing Lifan: RIGHT
Tianjin netted two 1st half goals, one by Wang Xinxin, and then cruised through the 2nd half, this team's league performance is head and shoulders above everyone else. Original prediction: Tianjin 3 - 0 Chongqing.

Beijing Guoan 1 - Jiangsu Sainty: WRONG
The matchday review says it all.

Shanghai Shenhua 4 - 1 Shandong Luneng: WRONG
Shandong's Antar scored yet another CSL goal, opening up the scoring, but Shenhua came back with 2 very lucky goals in the last 5 minutes of the half. Adding two more in the 2nd half killed the game and gave Shanghai a big boost going into Champions League matchday 3. Original prediction: Shangha 1 - 1 Shandong

Shenzhen 2 - 1 Shaanxi Zhongxin: RIGHT
Shenzhen had a magical 5 minutes, scoring goals in the 27th and 30th minutes of the 1st half to jump ahead of Shaanxi, whose 2nd half response wasn't enough to make up the difference, I got this one on the button. Original prediction: Shenzhen 2 - 1 Shaanxi

Changchun Yatai 2 - 0 Chengdu Blades: RIGHT
Another crazy game, Changchun broke the scorelessness in the 85th minute and then followed it up with another two minutes later. Chengdu came back with a great free kick chance in stoppage time, but to no avail. Original prediction: Changchun 1 - 0 Chengdu

Changsha Jinde 1 - 1 Qingdao Zhongneng: RIGHT
Another big bingo! Yet this one was easy to call, so far Changsha has managed 3 draws, only scoring 1 goal, its pretty easy to guess what their anti-football will produce, this time Qingdao was the victim. Original prediction Changsha 1 - 1 Qingdao.

Henan Jianye 2 - 0 Hangzhou Greentown: RIGHT
Another game where the score was kept even for a long time and then was shocked by a sudden scoring spree. The former Polish international Olisadebe knocked in a brace with goals in the 79th and 84th minutes of the match. Only good thing I can say for Hangzhou is that they were all wearing the same jersey this time around. Original prediction: Henan 2 - 1 Hangzhou

Guangzhou Baiyunshan 3 - 1 Dalian Shide: WRONG
What can I say, I thought Dalian was a better squad than what it turns out they are. I knew this team was rebuilding, but I thought it would be better. At the half the score was 1-1 after a Xu Liang spot kick goal and then one of Dalian's Korean exports knocking one past the keeper 10 minutes later. Xu added 2 more in the 2nd half, one off yet another penalty, the other from a free kick that has to be one of the prettiest goals scored to date. Original prediction: Guangzhou 0 - 2 Dalian.

A 5-3 week, a major improvement from last week, but it still leaves me only 8-8 on the season. Here's hoping for more great football this week.

Champions League Matchday 3 Recap : Ulsan Hyundai

2009-04-08T00:33:00.000-07:00
Sorry folks, there's not been a lot of action around here lately (and we still owe you a CSL recap, coming tonight) and of course tomorrow will be predictions about this weekend's upcoming matches. Matchday 3 of the Champions League featured 4 Chinese teams facing off against 4 Korean teams, the 2 home teams won, the 2 away teams lost, unfortunately Guoan was one of the away teams.

Big thoughts:
1. We. Need. Height.
2. I could care less about you "stepping up", next time don't make the mistake!

The big team news was that Du Wenhui (for Martinez), Zhou Ting (for Zhang Xinxin), and Yan Xiangchuang (for Wang Changqing) were all used as starters. Lee also kept Zhang Yonghai on the pitch at center back, this was massive mistake number one. The crowd in Ulsan probably didn't top out at over 1,000 people, and quite possibly more like 500, of which 50 were very loud (or miked up) Guoan fans. What do the Korean fans know/don't know about this competition? Crowds in China were huge for both matches there, crowds in Korea were tiny.

On to the game, Guoan started out fast with two great early chances, the best from a Matic longball to Du, who was too quick with his shot when he had time. From then on, the first half was almost entirely Ulsan.

I don't know much about Kim Shin-wook and couldn't find very much about him online. He wears number 24 for Ulsan and is 1.96 meters and that's about all I needed to know, but after the performance on Tuesday, it wouldn't surprise me if you told me he was Korea's greatest soccer prospect ever. Kim straight up killed it, every long ball, every free kick was incredibly dangerous namely because Kim was huge and the tallest guy Guoan had on the field was 1.83 meters, meaning he won literally every header. It made for an incredibly dangerous first half as Guoan's defense was asleep much of the time, though thank God for Yang Zhi who kept the squad in the game. The only good development for Guoan was Huang Bowen taking a shot that challenged the keeper late in the half, not unusual except this was a rocket from outside the box. Damn, I really wish I could see a lot more of this from Guoan players, instead of constantly trying to play the ball into the box.

It was quite obvious Guoan needed to bring on 1.88 meter Lang Zheng or Paul in the 2nd half, however Lee took nearly 10 minutes to bring on Lang for Zhang Yonghai, which almost led to a goal a few minutes earlier when an Ulsan forward broke into the box (off of a headed long ball) and Zhou Ting gave him a slight push, but fortunately no foul. Just after the Lang move, Lee brought on Tao Wei for Ryan Griffiths.

Yang continued saving Guoan from a major beating throughout the 2nd half, but he was finally beaten when two Guoan defenders (Xu and Zhou) looked like they were totally lost and an Ulsan player was finally able to put one past Yang in the 69th minute.

With all the traffic being one way, it didn't look like Guoan was going to have a chance at pulling this one out, but Tao Wei played a great ball in to the elder Griffiths who was pushed over in the box and the referee gave a penalty kick. As a Guoan supporter, I admit it was kind of a soft call, I was also elated about it as I thought we'd be able to steal a point out of the game.

Huang Bowen stepped up to take the spot kick in the 84th minute and...the keeper made the save. From then on it was a foregone conclusion, Beijing's spirit was shot and there was no way they'd get a point out of the match.

It was an extremely ugly game for a Guoan fan as the side was almost completely impotent, the two best chances came in the very first minute and at the very end of the match. Huang apologized for not scoring the penalty, but a few members of the defense should also be apologetic.

Guoan has now scored 1 goal in 3 games, a miserable stat, made worse by how hard it is to watch their ugly football. We need size, Lee, please take Paul out of the doghouse for at least one match, let's see what happens. We need players to start clicking, at this point it still seems like nobody is on the same page and too many of our defenders, put simply, don't seem to understand how to play defense.

Things are made worse in the Champions League because Newcastle earned a draw in Osaka, meaning first place and fourth place are only separated by 2 points. Fortunately 2 out of the 3 remaining group games will be played at Gongti, so hopefully we will be able to recuperate and advance on top of the group.

Turn the focus on to the league and forget about this result for a fortnight.

Champions League Matchday 3 : Ulsan Hyundai

2009-04-07T01:35:00.000-07:00
Good afternoon from a hazy Beijing as our boys take on Ulsan Hyundai in Korea today. The game sort of snuck up on me after the long holiday weekend here (although I spent it in rather lovely, spring-ey Beijing), so this will be relatively short, sweet and to the point. Yes, I'm standing up like a Guoan defender (or forward) and taking the blame instead of simply passing the buck to Guoan's locker room gag order leading to limited news. Sure, there's the story of Lee Jangsoo heading back to Korea to face his university friend Kim Hokon, there's also the fact they have a Newcastle Jets defender who will be going up against the fabulous Griffiths boys, and then there's that they are sponsored by Hyundai, who briefly were lead sponsors of Guoan a few years back and....well, that's that. Oh wait, they're also coming off a draw this weekend, though they've only earned 2 points in 3 games so far this year.

In the Champions League, Ulsan has struggled so far, losing in their first two matches and there have been accusations that the manager is ignoring this competition and picking sides packed with reserve players. Guoan, currently sitting tied for top of the group with Osaka can certainly make their road a lot easier with a full 3 points in this match.

Lee has declared he's excited to be coaching a match in his homeland and that his side won't be afraid of their Korean counterparts, despite the trend in Chinese football, mainly at the national team level, of "fearing Korea". I would expect Lee to make more adjustments to the lineup than usual, using this as a chance for some of his recently recovering players to get match fit while resting some of the players who've been regulars in the lineup so far this campaign. Expect significant time for Zhou Ting, Zhang Yonghai, and Tao Wei in this match. What will be more interesting is how Lee handles the attacking setup, Joel Griffiths who was out with a red card suspension on Friday is likely to feature, but will Lee try to experiment a little and sit Martinez? Will Paul finally be removed from Lee's doghouse?

Get home from work early (or find a bar with the game on), as its a 6 pm (Beijing time) kick off tonight!

Matchday 3 Review : Jiangsu Sainty

2009-04-06T06:02:00.000-07:00
Greetings from beautiful Beijing! It's such a lovely evening tonight and we're now coming to the end of an absolutely gorgeous holiday weekend, if not for Friday's result (and our fair city being overwhelmed by waidi ren over the past few days) I'd be able to enjoy it even more. Let's stop beating around the bush and go straight into the details...

The starting 11 for Guoan featured a few minor adjustments this week, mostly expected. At the back, Zhang Yonghai was given a run out after finally being approved as fit by the training staff, replacing Lang Zheng at center back. The only other adjustment was Guo Hui starting in place of Joel Griffiths, who was out after that insane red card last week.

At home, a big crowd, a Friday night, against a team yet to earn a point in 2 matches, pretty straightforward, right? Despite their record, we knew Jiangsu was still a decent squad, but I don't think any Guoan fan would have expected the end result.

Jiangsu went on the attack early and only 6 minutes in, one of their foreign forwards got the ball on the left wing and put what should have been a very easily blocked centering pass past Xu Yunlong (defensive error 1), Zhang Yonghai was frozen in place by the ball (perhaps because this was his first match back (defensive error 2)) and Lu Jiang stood watching as the other Jiangsu foreign striker went unchallenged and tapped the ball past Yang Zhi to make it 1-nil to Jiangsu. What. the. fuck. Lots of fans had yet to sit down and we're already losing?!?

Guoan picked up the pace and had two really good opportunities, one in the 27th minute when the ball fell to Xu Yunlong from a corner, the other in the 33rd minute when Wang Changqing knocked it wide. A few minutes later a Jiangsu forward had his own good opportunity when the defense fell asleep again. Shortly after the whistle sounded and Guoan went into the change room down a goal.

Manager Lee decided it was time for a change in the 2nd half, bringing Tao Wei and Du Wenhui on for Wang and Guo Hui. The moves seemed to pay off as Guoan went on the attack and Tao had a great opportunity squandered after a big rebound on a Du shot. In the 65th, Matic played a good ball in to Du, but the keeper came up with a nice save. Guoan had chance after chance but they just kept going wide. However, a minute later, the ball was crossed into the box, mayhem ensued as it bounced around, finally falling between Tao and Du, Tao swung at it and knocked it in to equalize and get the Gongti crowd excited again.

It looked like Guoan would take the lead only 3 minutes later when Martinez played a great ball in to Ryan Griffiths, though his header went just wide. In the 75 minute, Lee took Lu off and put on Yan Xiangchuang hoping to take all 3 points off of Jiangsu, but it was for naught as the Jiangsu keeper kept his wits about him and made a huge save on Yan in the 87th minute.

1-1, another 2 points dropped. What can I say? Another Monday and once again feeling depressed about a game that we could have so easily won, instead beaten by a weaker side's defensive strategy and good goaltending. Jiangsu also did everything they possibly could to delay the game late in the 2nd half, but I'm used to that after having watched Chinese football for awhile.

It might get harder to provide a look into the minds of the players as after this draw, needing to change something, the players have agreed to a gag order and will not talk to the media. Secretly, one team member is quoted as saying that in the locker room the player's moods are positive, its just that the media is constantly talking about all the pressure on the team. Also, yet another game and yet another player stepping up and saying it was his fault, this time Zhang accepted blame for his mistake on the Jiangsu goal.

Over the course of the past 2 games, Guoan continuously plays long balls or crosses in from the wing, but to no avail. The CSL is somewhat unique in that while the majority of players are Chinese, many of the center forwards and defenders are foreign, typically over 1.85 meters. Jiangsu's central defenders were 1.86 and 1.88, respectively, whereas the tallest Guoan forward on the pitch was only 1.82 meters. It's a problem that Lee recognizes and, according to him, the perfect scenario would be Guoan bringing in a striker who is at least 1.87 meters. Will it happen? Who knows at this point, but at least the manager recognizes this problem.

5 points in 3 matches, leaving us 4 points away from Tianjin, in first. Tianjin's opponents so far this year have been fairly weak (Dalian, Hangzhou, and Chongqing), though ours have been equally weak. I feel like I'm repeating myself, its still early in the season, but dropping points to teams like Jiangsu and Changsha, especially at home this week, is going to make things a real uphill battle as we get deeper in the season.

A break for the Champions League on Wednesday as we head to Korea midweek. Here's to a good start of the week tomorrow.

Matchday 3 Preview : Jiangsu Sainty

2009-04-02T20:09:00.000-07:00
So we get a Friday night fight at Gongti between Guoan and last year's 1st Division champions, Jiangsu Sainty. Guoan is undefeated in all competitions so far this season, winning both matches they played at home by convincing fashion whereas Jiangsu has yet to earn a point in 2 matches this season, however that includes a late defeat against Shanghai and an unlucky loss last week, so don't expect this Jiangsu squad to be a total pushover.

In team news, Joel Griffiths will be sitting this one out after his questionable red card last week, which means Lee Jangsoo has a choice to make who he'll put up top, most likely to pair with Martinez. Guo Hui, Du Wenhui, and Yan Xiangchuang are all possibilities, but my guess is that it will be Du as Lee's liked to use him as a sub and will want to help him get his confidence back after the blown shot last week. It's also very likely that Paul won't see himself suiting up tomorrow and that our two injured veterans, Zhang Yonghai and Zhou Ting, will suit up. Most likely neither will be included in the starting lineup (or at least Zhou won't be), but I'd expect Lee to try and give them both some time in the game.

It will be interesting if the shortened week of practice helped sort out the Martinez/Huang Bowen difficulties. It seems Martinez likes the ball at his feet and needs to play in the hole behind a striker because he's the typical small, stocky(ish) South American forward and the CSL is all about the big man up top. The problem could be solved with Huang on the wing or, best of all, getting them to work together.

The last time these two squads met was back in 1994, when they were both founding members of the then brand new Jia A League. However, Jiangsu manager Pei Encai has a lot of experience going head-to-head against Guoan as former coach of Bayi and Wuhan and has earned himself 2 wins and 3 draws in 6 matches against the side.

Expect some Friday fireworks at Gongti and the fans are surely going to be out in masse and ready for this opportunity. As for me, I'll be making a stop by the Den before the match and then staying in the area afterwords for a drink or two (or possibly even hitting up Mix on a long bar crawl). It's sure to be a great night, but Guoan has got to win this one.

Matchday 3 League Preview

2009-04-02T19:31:00.000-07:00
This weekend sees 4 days of matches, lots of football action for the fans, including a holiday Monday matchup. Last week I went 3-5, hopefully this week will be a lot better.

4.03 19:30 Tianjin Teda - Chongqing Lifan
Due to the Champions League, we get treated to some Friday evening football, with 3 out of the 4 CL competitors playing at home. Tianjin has a perfect 6 points in CSL competition so far and taking on a whipping boy like Chongqing at home should be another easy 3 points for them. Prediction: Tianjin 3 - 0 Chongqing (though I wouldn't be surprised if Guinee continues his scoring streak)

4.03 19:30 Beijing Guoan - Jiangsu Sainty
Guoan is unbeaten in all competitions, having won twice at home and drawing twice on the road. A Friday night at Gongti is a rare experience and its sure to be a raucous crowd that will watch the Green Lions face off against last year's 1st division champions who've yet to earn a point this year. Should be easy pickings for Guoan. Prediction: Beijing 2 - 0 Jiangsu

4.03 19:30 Shanghai Shenhua - Shandong Luneng
This is the matchup of the weekend, last year's champion, Shandong, travels to Shanghai to take on last year's runners up. This one's hard to call with Shanghai playing at home in Hongkou and trying to recover from last week's debacle. Will be a great one. Prediction: Shanghai 1 - 1 Shandong

4.04 15:30 Shenzhen - Shaanxi Zhongxin
I like Shenzhen and believe in them after their away draw against Shandong, but last week was a tough derby loss. Shaanxi's also coming off a loss and looking to get back in form, in these early days, this is a hard call, but I'm sticking with Shenzhen in Saturday's only match. Prediction: Shenzhen 2 - 1 Shaanxi

4.05 15:30 Changchun Yatai - Chengdu Blades
Changchun opens up their home season tonight against a Chengdu team that has to be excited after their win over Shenhua. The elements in Changchun and the strength of that side should carry them past the Blades in a close one. Prediction: Changchun 1 - 0 Chengdu

4.05 15:30 Changsha Jinde - Qingdao Zhongneng
Two teams toward the bottom of the table go head to head in Hunan. Changsha plays anti-football and is incredibly boring to watch, but its been relatively effective so far earning them 2 points in 2 matchs, I have a feeling we're looking at another draw for them. Prediction: Changsha 1 - 1 Qingdao

4.05 15:30 Henan Jianye - Hangzhou Greentown
A win and a loss for each of these teams so far this season, Hangzhou's going to put up a fight (in its 2 different kits), but Henan and Netto will push past. Prediction: Henan 2 - 1 Hangzhou

4.06 16:00 Guangzhou Baiyunshan - Dalian Shide
The big holiday Monday matchup in Guangzhou as the home side takes on Dalian. Both teams are coming off a win, Guangzhou in their local derby and Dalian over Henan, but I don't think Guangzhou has the guns to get past Dalian. Prediction: Guangzhou 0 - 2 Dalian

Matchday 2 CSL Top XI

2009-04-01T07:16:00.000-07:00
Soccer News has picked its top XI from Matchday 2 and this time around its a 442:

Goalie:
Li Leilei (Shandong Luneng)

Defense:
Cao Yang (Tianjin Teda)
Li Zhihai (Guangzhou Baiyunshan)
Tang Jing (Changchun Yatai)
Liu Yu (Chengdu Blades)

Midfield:
Zhang Yuan (Chengdu Blades)
Wang Xinxin (Tianjin Teda)
Antar (Shandong Luneng)
Zhao Mingjian (Dalian Shide)

Forwards:
Rodrigues (Chengdu Blades)
Guinee (Chongqing Lifan)

Midweek Recap

2009-03-31T22:40:00.000-07:00
Bad news out of Beijing's training ground in Xianghe as it seems manager Lee Jangsoo prepared a scrimmage between the first team and the second team, made up of mostly youth teamers and recovering first teamers, and the second team won 3-0.

After that result, the manager was struck speechless. Lee being Korean and not completely able to speak in the same language as his players, typically seems fairly stoic on the sidelines and is not one to talk much, but this was particularly bad. He pretty much ignored the media after practice and said that there wasn't anything to say, the team was embarrassing.

Zhang Yonghai, former team captain and this year one of the assistants, stated that the most important thing was that players like him, Zhou Ting, and a few others get healthy fast and can feature in the lineup.

What was supposed to be a confidence booster after the team's questionable performance in Changsha turned out to be bring up more questions than expected. The CSL is taking into consideration the Champions League and so scheduled Friday games for its teams leaving them more time to prepare for midweek Champions League games. This means that Guoan will take on Jiangsu at Gongti Friday, before heading off to Korea for its Tuesday matchup.

A Friday at Gongti will be a unique experience and is sure to be a ton of fun, but more on that later in the week. Let's just hope tomorrow's practice is far more productive.

CSL Styles, Part 1

2009-03-31T20:54:00.000-07:00
Before the start of the season, the CSL reached an unprecedented deal with Nike for $200 million over 10 years, so the majority of teams have switched to a Nike kit this season, unfortunately almost all follow a strict template with "white armpits" on almost every top. While I'm typically a big fan of Nike kits, these look like they were cobbled together in a month (which is realistically what happened) and make the league look less professional, the opposite of what is desired. Here's a look at what we've seen so far:

Beijing Guoan: I love Guoan, but I've never been a fan of their adidas kits (here's the home kit) as the shade of green (or perhaps its because of the white) never looked as nice as the kelly green they used to wear in their Nike days.

Changchun Yatai: So far we've only seen their home uniforms, which strictly follows the Nike template and is more or less devoid of color, a disappointment because I loved the red, yellow, and black Umbro kits they wore last year.

Changsha Jinde: They've already worn two home kits this season. In their first game, they wore a very odd top with the crest on the right chest, highly unusual. A week later, a collar was added and the crest was on the left side. I definitely prefer their Kappa kits from last year, but at least this one is white armpit free.

Chengdu Blades: I don't love the home kit, but Chengdu is one of the few teams that rejected Nike this year, instead their Umbro kits are ho-hum, but at least stand out as one of the few swooshless offerings.

Chongqing Lifan: We've only seen this solid red home kit (with white armpits) so far this season. Not a good choice, but when you're just back in the top flight, you have to go with the flow.

Dalian Shide: Another brave swoosh rejecter, the boys in China's soccer city turn out in this home strip, staying true to their typical colors and only changing to the most recent adidas template (the same as Guoan). Of note, as of yet, they've yet to find a kit sponsor and are playing with blank fronts.

Guagzhou Baiyunshan: We've only seen their change kit so far, but because they were a Nike team last season, it appears they are avoiding the white armpit template and instead going with a little nicer design.
Hangzhou Greentown: two different home kits, there is the green with piping and white armpits, then there is this white collar, solid version. Not sure if its a long sleeve, short sleeve thing, but it looks really bad when the team comes on the pitch wearing two different kits. Not sure what to say, their Kappa kits last year weren't much better, but the two different kits makes it look extremely amateurish.

Henan Jianye: The last of the swoosh avoiders, Henan's Umbro home kit is a big "meh" for me.

Jiangsu Sainty: The champions of China's lower division last year are now playing with the big boys and are the only team we've seen both a home and a change strip from. Both are strictly new Nike template kits, though the change may be a little better with its collar.

Qingdao Zhongneng: Their change strip is pretty strict to the Nike template, though at least its not a solid white like so many other teams (this one has red armpits) and I'm not sure how I feel about the large sponsor's name under the badge. However, compared to this Kappa outfit, I actually think it may be an improvement.

Shaanxi Zhongxin: We've only seen their change strip so far, should we just call them Brazil? That said, this Mizuno uniform from last year isn't much better.

Shandong Luneng: They are another longtime Nike squad, and this year's home kit doesn't look much different from last year, except for the large sponsor name under the badge (ala their fellow Shandong team, Qingdao).

Shanghai Shenhua: Another long term Nike team, whose home kit looks like this (another view). The only major change from last year is the sponsor on the front (can't make out this year's very clearly) and the addition to the club's website to the back.

Shenzhen: Here's the home Nike kit, one of the only one that doesn't follow the template, but does have a strange white shoulder pads thing going on. The subliminal pattern on the front kinda sorta reminds me of this. This former league champion went through 2 different kits (and 2 different sponsors) last year and is one of the only ones that may have benefited from the Nike switch.

Tianjin Teda: Finally the team at the top of the table so far, Tianjin's change strip, all we've seen so far, isn't the worst, but is a little too simple for me.
So there's a look at what we've seen from all 16 teams so far this season, I'll update this when we start to see more of the change strips as well as showing what the 4 clubs in the Asian Champions League are wearing in the next few weeks.

Matchday 2 Recap

2009-03-31T06:44:00.000-07:00

Matchday 2 offered a lot less scoring than its first incarnation and some more surprises. While I did pretty crappy on my predictions, as the season moves on and things start to become clear, I should be doing a lot better.

Dalian Shide 1 - 0 Henan Jianye : WRONG
Zhao Mingjian opened up Dalian's home campaign on a positive note by scoring the matches only goal to help them win 1-0. My 1-1 prediction was a bit off.

Shandong Luneng 1 - 0 Shaanxi Zhongxin : RIGHT
I was a little surprised with how Shaanxi didn't come out to play. Shandong dominated their home opener and had a number of chances, Lebanese midfielder Antar knocked in the difference maker in the 57th minute toe seal the game. Original prediction Shandong 2 - 1 Shaanxi.

Chengdu Blades 1 - 0 Shanghai Shenhua : WRONG
I was wrong about this match, but happily so, by far this was my favorite result of the weekend, it almost makes up for Du Wenhui's error. You see, there's nothing I love more than seeing Shanghai lose as I really, really hate Shanghai. I also really hate Mao Jianqing, seeing him miss time and again and blow chances made me extremely happy.

Chongqing Lifan 1 - 1 Qingdao Zhongneng : RIGHT
The only game I nailed, Guinee scored his 2nd goal of the CSL campaign to lead the league in scoring off a corner kick in the 11th minute, this guy's going to be pretty unstoppable throughout the season even though his team will be horrible. Qingdao's equalizer came from Li Taiyong just before halftime.

Jiangsu Sainty 0 - 1 Changchun Yatai : WRONG
Jiangsu is very unlucky not to have a point, they played hard against Shanghai Shenhua and in their home opener they had a lot of chances, but just couldn't put one away. They even had a penalty kick that was missed, these are opportunities that they'll need to put away if they want to stay up. Changchun capitalized on Jiangsu's weak attack knocking in a header off a set piece to win the match. I said 1-nil to Jiangsu, in fact it turned out the other way, if they don't turn things around its going to be a long season as they are now the only team without a point.

Shenzhen 1 - 2 Guangzhou Baiyunshan : WRONG
I got the score right, but had the wrong team winning as Shenzhen failed to repeat their impressive performance in the season's opening game. Guangzhou's goals came off of 2 headers, 1 late in the first half and the other late in the 2nd sandwiching a 2nd half Shenzhen goal. Xu Liang scored the winning goal for Guangzhou, securing them the first of the year's Guangdong derbies.

Hangzhou Greentown 0 - 2 Tianjin Teda : RIGHT
Tianjin continued their success with a 2-nil win at Hangzhou with a goal n the 20th minute off a Mao Biao cross into the box and a scramble in which Wang Xinxin finally put the ball in the net, Cao Yang killed the game in the 86th minute off a sweet goal giving Tianjin the win. A 2-0 scoreline would appear to be a one-sided drubbing, but reality was far different with chance after chance falling to Hangzhou players who simply couldn't put the ball in the net. Tianjin remains at the top of the league, with a perfect record so far.

Changsha Jinde 0 - 0 Beijing Guoan : WRONG
Du Wenhui, must I say more?!?

A pretty miserable first week, getting only 3 out of the 8 matches right.

Why Support the CSL?

2009-03-31T00:22:00.000-07:00
I hear this question all the time from people around me. No matter how little Chinese people know about football, they understand that the Chinese national team is horrible and, as an extension, the CSL is pretty bad. This is not necessarily incorrect, but at the same time, the CSL, as a league, isn't so bad. When it comes to standards of Asian football, I really hope I'm not eating my words with this, but I believe at least 2 of the Chinese squads will do fairly respectable in the (Asian) Champions League and the CSL isn't far off some of the smaller leagues in Europe or the North American setup.

Sure, the CSL will never match up to the quality of play in England, Italy, or Spain. These games are on regular or pay tv in China on a weekly basis, meaning the Chinese football fan has a buffet of offerings on a weekly basis. If they can watch the best, week in week out, why support the (proverbial) worst?

The answer is simple, I have friends in Beijing who absolutely love Liverpool, who live an die by their weekly results. Except they've never been to Anfield, never been to Liverpool, never even been in the UK before. How can you feel so attached to a club that is thousands of miles away, without the first hand experience, without the group feeling? You can sit in the Den and watch a Liverpool match sitting in your jersey and scarf, maybe even find a few other Liverpool supporters around you or someone supporting the other team, but wouldn't it be more fun to just cross the street and sit inside a stadium and watch a match live?

And as a lover of football in general, especially if you want to see Chinese football improve, it requires supporting it, however indirectly it is to support the CSL. Perhaps its just me, but I'd much prefer going to Gongti and watching a crappy nil-nil draw between 2 CSL squads over watching an awesome 2-1 Premier League match alone on my couch in Beijing. As China is a huge country, you won't come across away supporters that often, but in almost every case, there will be games that you'll see a few hundred there. In Beijing, supporters of Tianjin, Shandong, and Henan will definitely show up in the capital and there are sure to be some other surprise away supporters in town.

Because of this, I've enjoyed the experience of just "being a fan", whether it be watching games in Beijing, Changchun, or Shanghai or in other cities around the world where I've stopped in and taken a look at the local game. It's interesting to see how Chinese supporters clubs are like their foreign counterparts and how different they are, how alike they are to other Chinese team supporters clubs.

Its about supporting the league, supporting the city, and having fun amongst other guys who are just looking to be a part of the crowd for 2 hours while drinking a beer, eating a chuanr, and hoping the home team pulls out 3 points.

Anyways, that's my plea for people to give the CSL a shot.

Matchday 2 Review : Changsha Jinde

2009-03-29T19:47:00.000-07:00

Du Wenhui, I'm going to have a hard time forgiving you...
But let's save that disappointment for a little later.
The Jinde club, whether in Changsha or Shenyang, has always struggled to get fans. Yesterday's match saw around 1,000 fans show up, of which at least 100 were the drummers who created an "atmosphere" and were employees of Jinde (the drummers are another holdover from Shenyang).
So we saw a head-to-head between Yang Zhi and Song Zhenyu, two of the Chinese national team keepers. The Guoan lineup featured minimal changes from last week's setup, the only switches were Lang Zheng in for Paul and Emil Martinez getting the start, meaning that Lee Jangsoo started out with Yan Xiangchuang on the bench.
Early on, both teams had some decent chances, each had a corner, but nothing came of it. Of note is that Martinez stepped up to take corners on the left side instead of Huang Bowen, who was taking all the corners in the past. The best chance of the half fell to Martinez in the 33rd minute, but the defender was able to recover and block his shot. The first half was a fairly boring, fairly typical CSL affair, not much doing by either side. I must say, Changsha was utterly pathetic on free kicks, I think every one got blocked by Guoan's wall. At the same time, Zhang Xinxin deserves particular praise for some of his moves coming up on the wing.
At the half it just didn't seem like Beijing's squad was on the same page, the announcers regularly wondered if Martinez was jet lagged or if it was language problems or if he just hasn't been given enough time to mesh with his new teammates, but blame can't be solely placed on him as the squad in general seemed a little out of sorts.
Only minutes into the 2nd half, Lee subbed Wang Changqing and put on Yan Xiangchuang. Many of the early opportunities fell to Changsha in the 2nd half. The 55th minute saw some lazy defending by Guoan lead to a nice breakaway opportunity for Changsha, only for the Beijing defense to recoup, while 10 minutes later Changsha put the ball in the net, though a foul was called on the forward for taking down Xu Yunlong. As the game progressed, it seemed that legs got tired and the field became wide open as both teams were getting more chances. Lee tried to take advantage of that by subbing out Ryan Griffiths and putting on the aforementioned Du.
Madness began around the 70th minute, Changsha got a great opportunity, though Yang came up with a good save off a header, moments later Beijing went on the attack, a botched clearance fell to Martinez, who didn't pull the trigger in time. Then disaster struck, an idiotic refereeing call saw Joel Griffiths see red. I will be the first to admit that it was a foul, probably not for the light push on the defender, but for his going into the Changsha keeper. I'd go as far as saying a yellow card wouldn't be undeserved for the play, but a straight red? For minimal contact? In the last 10 minutes of the game?!? That's some straight up bullshit!
I've talked about how Guoan has shown a great spirit to go for the jugular at the end of games and this one was no different. Even going down a man, the team continued going forward, attempting a great planned set piece play a few minutes later, though the cross was cleared easily. A lot of lying around and "injuries" on Changsha's part to run out the clock and secure a point, but then in extra time, Martinez beat his defender and found himself in space, the keeper goes for the ball and misses, Martinez puts a centering pass to Du who is wide open inside the 6 yard box with nothing but time, a simple tap in and its 1-nil to the Green Lions, but he knocks it off the freaking cross bar, a few minutes later the referee blows for full time and a disappointing result for our boys in green.
Afterwords, Griffiths was still incredulous about how his move on the keeper could be considered a red card. He also complained how Changsha played defensively from the start, though Guoan was able to come up with a few options. Coach Lee had plenty to say after the game, with some harsh criticism of Huang Bowen, stating "if he plays like that again, I'm definitely not going to start him." Huang put a lot of pressure on himself as this was a homecoming for him and him and Martinez never clicked.
Du was definitely disappointed after the game, reassuring me of what kind of player he is and how much he cares. He stated, "The fact that 3 points turned into 1 can be blamed entirely on me" and that he "didn't feel like eating, couldn't eat, I'm depressed over that shot, despite all the goals I've scored in the past, I have no feeling, this one, this was the reason we failed to win today." Lee tried comforting him and said that anyone can make a mistake like this, Du's one to take the blame and will use this to improve himself in the future.
What can I say, that close to 6 points and first place. If Guoan wants to win the title this year, they'll need to win against mediocre clubs on the road. It's still early days, and we're still sitting in 2nd. Hopefully more practice time together will help the teamwork come along, a short break this week as the team has a Friday fixture at Gongti, should be a fun night. Let's hope coming back home will help get these guys on track.
photos and quotes from Sina Sports

Matchday 2 Preview: Changsha Jinde

2009-03-28T09:22:00.000-07:00
After another Saturday of football, Guoan will go to battle on Sunday afternoon, this time around though, they'll be the only game around. Some very interesting results in today's matches, hopefully Beijing will be able to stay strong. It's still early days, but a win would keep them tied at the top spot with Tianjin, who won today.

Lots of talk during the week, much of it focusing on Paul and his mistakes in the last game, though he says everyone makes mistakes and that he's ready to get back in action and prove himself to the fans. It's very possible we'll be seeing Lang Zheng start in his place tomorrow. The mood around the team is good and coach Lee Jangsoo is confident his squad will be ready for this one in Changsha. Unlike a lot of CSL squads, Guoan has experience with a tough away match already, having played in Japan in the Champions League.

A little injury news as Yang Zhi was banged up a bit in training, though most likely he'll still be between the pipes tomorrow. Zhou Ting is still recovering, though its unlikely we'll see him for a few more weeks, though Zhang Yonghai is looking good and could feature in the squad in the very near future. Emil Martinez has continued to progress in practice and it wouldn't be surprising if Lee decides to split up the Griffiths brothers up top for this one.

Personally, it hasn't been the best of weeks for me, a Guoan victory would go a long way in making things a bit happier around here. Last year, Guoan managed to get 4 points off of Changsha (a draw in Changsha, a win in Beijing), Changsha's squad isn't quite as good as last year, especially without Chen Tao leading the way and this contest is ripe for 3 points.

Matchday 2 League Preview

2009-03-27T19:04:00.001-07:00
The first edition of picks sure to go wrong starts now:

3.28 15:00 Dalian Shide - Henan Jianye
Henan opened strong, while Dalian will want to make up for their tough loss when they open at home, however, they don't seem to have the tools, a 1-1 fight between the squads is what I predict.

3.28 15:10 Shandong Luneng - Shaanxi Zhongxin
Shandong remains at home to take on Shaanxi in what could be the best match of the day. Can Shandong make up for the loss of Zhou Haibin in the off-season? Who is going to step up for them? Can Shaanxi make the step to the next level? This game could help answer some of those questions. Prediction: Shandong 2 - 1 Shaanxi

3.28 15:30 Chengdu Blades - Shanghai Shenhua
Chengdu welcomes Shanghai to town as they open up their season at home, I predict lots of talk about how Chengdu is percervering after the earthquake and the hated Shanghai cruising to a victory. Prediction: Chengdu 0 - 2 Shanghai

3.28 15:30 Chongqing Lifan - Qingdao Zhongneng
After what I saw of Chongqing in Beijing, they do have a dangerous side to them, mainly through their big man up top Guinee. Qingdao is a midtable squad that will meet their match in this one. Prediction: Chongqing 1-1 Qingdao

3.28 15:30 Jiangsu Sainty - Changchun Yatai
Changchun opened up disappointingly while Jiangsu lost in a late shocker. It will be interesting to see if newly promoted Jiangsu will continue punching above their weight in their home opener. Prediction: Jiangsu 1 - 0 Changchun

3.28 15:30 Shenzhen - Guangzhou Baiyunshan
It's derby day in Shenzhen as these two Guangdong squads do battle. These are two of the league's younger teams featuring a lot of players that are sure to have gone up against each other a lot in local Guangdong youth matches and so its going to be interesting. Shenzhen was impressive in their first game and I think they'll continue their tactics and wear down Guangzhou to come away with the win. Prediction: Shenzhen 2 - 1 Guangzhou

3.28 19:30 Hangzhou Greentown - Tianjin Teda
The night's only match will be an interesting test for Hangzhou, as they'll be facing one of the league's premier squads. Tianjin will be facing its first road challenge, but it shouldn't have a great effect on them. Prediction: Hangzhou 1 - 3 Tianjin

3.29 15:30 Changsha Jinde - Beijing Guoan
The only Sunday start, allowing Guoan to feature on national tv as they head to Hunan. Changsha doesn't have the guns and Guoan have shown themselves to be strong in these early days. Because I don't want to tempt fate and sound overconfident, I'm going to tone down my choice. Prediction: Changsha 0 - 2 Beijing

Matchday 1 League Recap

2009-03-27T18:10:00.000-07:00
Yes, it took me a week to complete this. Yes, I'm extremely lazy. Yes, it wont take a week next time around.

Here goes:
Henan Jianye 2 - 1 Guangzhou Baiyunshan
The season kicked off in Zhengzhou with an interesting opening ceremony, a huge crowd, and the home team coming out on top. A goal in the first half by Brazilian, Netto, opened up the scoring, but Guangzhou came back with an early second half goal in the 53rd minute, though less than 5 minutes later Henan once again took the lead and this time held on to it.

Shandong Luneng 1 - 1 Shenzhen
This had to be the shocker of matchday 1 as Shenzhen, a squad that narrowly avoided relegation, was able to earn a point at last year's champions. Shenzhen took the lead in the 70th minute off of an Yin Xiaolong goal, though the hosts were able to avoid embarrassment when substitute Lu Zheng equalized 10 minutes later.

Shaanxi Zhongxin 2 - 0 Chengdu Blades
Shaanxi had a very workmanlike victory over the Chengdu squad with 2 second half goals. One even set up by that most hated of Chinese footballers, Li Yi.

Changsha Jinde 0 - 0 Changchun Yatai
A great result for Changsha, a bad start for Changchun, a snorefest for everyone else.

Hangzhou Greentown 2 -1 Qingdao Zhongneng
Hangzhou scored the quickest goal so far when Otto put it in just 2 minutes after kick off, though Qingdao was able to equalize before the end of the first half. However, just a few minutes into the 2nd half, Hangzhou took the lead. Hangzhou was able to hold onto the lead, despite some close calls in the 2nd half.

Tianjin Teda 4 - 1 Dalian Shide
In what could truly be a changing of the guard in Chinese football, Tianjin decimated Dalian, scoring 4 times and perhaps symbolizing their ascendance into the top tier of Chinese football while Dalian continues to fade away. Mao Biao kicked off the scoring for Tianjin and also assisted on a goal by Hao Junmin.

Shanghai Shenhua 2 - 1 Jiangsu Sainty
In what was a very boring game early, the two teams did a lot to make it interesting at the end. Newly promoted Jiangsu went ahead in the 76th minute off of a header by Carlos, making it look like we might see a great upset, though Shanghai (unfortunately) was able to equalize in the 87th and then go ahead in the 91st off of a goal from Shen Longyan to seal a victory.

Matchday 1 CSL Top XI

2009-03-22T23:42:00.000-07:00
Put together by Soccer News, here is Matchday 1's top players. The newspaper picked a 343 lineup that features 3 Guoan players:

Goalie:
Zong Lei (Changchun Yatai)

Defense:
Xu Yunlong (Beijing Guoan)
Nikolaev (Shenzhen)
Cao Yang (Tianjin Teda)

Midfield:
Shen Longyuan (Shanghai Shenhua)
Huang Bowen (Beijing Guoan)
Yin Xiaolong (Shenzhen)
Hao Junmin (Tianjin Teda)

Forwards:
Otto (Hangzhou Greentown)
J. Griffiths (Beijing Guoan)
Netto (Henan Jianye)

Matchday 1 Review : Chongqing Lifan

2009-03-22T19:45:00.000-07:00
Satisfaction.

After watching many of the other sides open up this 6th season of the Chinese Super League, it was finally Guoan's chance Sunday night. In front of a big crowd of 38,000 supporters, the Green Lions didn't let their fans down.

A few minor changes were made to the lineup that earned a draw in Japan, this time Lee Jangsoo set out a 442 using Yang Zhi between the pipes, Zhang Xinxin, Xu Yunlong, Paul, and Matic at the back, Huang Bowen, Yang Xiangchuang, Wang Changqing, and Lu Jiang in the midfield, and the fabulous Griffiths brothers up top. Chongqing responded with a 451 that didn't produce much more than a few decent counterattacks.

Guoan played hard and controlled the ball early and were rewarded with a great goal when Xu Yunlong played in a beautiful pass that Joel Griffiths buried in the back of the net only 14 minutes in, though the celebrations came too fast as only a minute later, Costa Rican Guinee knocked home a goal to equalize.

At the half, sitting on a 1-1 draw, I feared I made the wrong decision coming to the game as there wasn't too much action. Having seen some of the other scores from the weekend, I was worried Guoan wouldn't be able to put the game away, though they continued to control the ball in the 2nd half and 52 minutes on Xu Yunlong gave us the go-ahead goal knocking in a loose ball in the box. Just a bit later, Guoan knocked in another one, though the referee called it off due to a foul. Huang Bowen made up for it slotting in a penalty kick in the 84th minute on a play where there were at least 2 fouls, one on Ryan Griffiths and another on Wang Changqing in the box. The play was set up by Guoan's big transfer pickup, Martinez, who only recently arrived in Beijing and came on as a substitute in the 72nd minute.

So a fine 3-1 win, capped off once again with a late goal, it seems like Lee's strategy is always to go for the win and so far its paid off, with 2 late goals in 2 games (and a close call or 2 in Japan).

In his postgame press interview, Lee had a lot of good things to say about Martinez and was also complimentary about Chongqing and their coach, Wei Xin, who played under Lee during his stint as a coach of Chongqing during the late 90s.

After the game, Huang Bowen stated confidently that although Guoan scored 3 goals, this wasn't the best football they could have played, and in the weeks to come there will be more to see. A number of players talked about nerves as this was the first home game and the large crowd in attendance.

The biggest sticking point was Guoan's Cameroonian defender, Paul. His mistake is what led to Chongqing's goal and there were a few times where he seemed unable to handle Guinee, leading to some dangerous moments whenever Guinee had the ball. He was up for some sharp criticism from the manager after the match, Lee stating that if Paul would have stood his ground instead of going for the header, it is unlikely Chongqing would have gotten the goal, however the manager also praised how he was able to recover from the error.

While this may lead to worry as the season moves on, on the day, it was a minor blip in an overall celebratory atmosphere. The talk this year is that this is the "Dragon team" (龙队) as Xu Yunlong is assuming the captaincy, and our captain sure came through last night with a man of the match performance. A nice warming win on what turned out to be a very cold night at Gongti.

Match 1 Preview - Chongqing Lifan

2009-03-21T19:33:00.000-07:00
The wait is over, all the talk no longer matters, and many other cliches, the season begins tonight at Gongti. Beijing comes into this game having performed impressively in two Asian Champions League matches and with expectations of the fans that this will finally be their year. Chongqing is a squad with very different expectations, after having gone down in 2007, they were able to make the move back up finishing 2nd in the lower division, besting Ba Yi by only 1 point in a tight promotion battle. They are without any big names and will have to work hard and get a little lucky if they want to stay in the top flight this year.

As a Guoan supporter its hard not to be optimistic about this year's season and especially the team's return to Gongti. The team is a solid mix of veterans like Xu Yunlong and Tao Wei while also featuring maturing youngsters like Yan Xiangchuang and Huang Bowen, who hopefully will finally step up and earn their star status. The addition of the Australian Griffiths brothers has already paid dividends.

Tonight Gongti is sure to be alive, the Champions League match saw over 30,000 fans in attendance, hopefully tonight will see another strong attendance. I've been debating back and forth all week but have decided to skip my basketball game so that I can be at Gongti, a difficult decision indeed. I watched the league's "opening ceremony" last night from Zhengzhou and will probably catch the 3pm match today, I'm already getting excited and really look forward to this evening. The weather in Beijing has been great lately and there's nothing like nice spring weather and expectations for a new season to make me happy.