Player Profile : Yan Xiangchuang

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.