"Hey! Asia! We're coming~"
Chinese Super League club Chengdu Longcheng has succeeded in advancing to the Asian Champions League Elite (ACLE) finals for the first time in the club's history. Chengdu, led by head coach Seo Jung-won of 'Korea Football Legend', won the first goal of Yang Ming-yang in the second half of the ACLE Playoff (PO) against Bangkok United (Thailand) in the 2025-2026 season at Phoenix Hill Sports Park Football Stadium in Chengdu, China on the 12th (Korea Standard Time), and won the ticket to the finals with a 3-0 victory with Yang Ming-yang's first goal and multiple goals of 'former Gwangju striker' Felipe.
Chengdu, founded in 2018 and first promoted to the Super League, China's top league, from 2022, made it to the Asian stage for the first time in three years. The Chinese portal 'Sohu Dotcom' signifies that the club's huge investment efforts over the past few years have paid off, which will help it maintain a positive trend going forward.
There is a director at the center of the 'miracle'. Coach Seo took the helm of Chengdu in 2021 and put the team in the first division in a year, and advanced the team by ranking 5th, 4th, and 3rd in the CSL from 2022. Coach Seo, who presented the Asian ticket with his third-place performance in the league last season, was not satisfied here and reached the ACLE finals, where top Asian teams gathered.
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| A Chinese newspaper on the revelation of the press conference by director Seo Jeong-won. |
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| Seo Jung-won, head coach of Chengdu Rong-cheong, publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the club's management at a press conference on the 17th. |
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The process was not smooth. The Chengdu club has not fulfilled its contract with coach Seo and automatic renewal conditions for more than half a year since the opening of this season. Last month, senior team executives openly expressed dissatisfaction with coach Seo's leadership at a team meeting attended by all the players, causing an interception of coach Seo's pride. In response, the coach said in a pre-press conference against Tenjin on July 17,"Since the winter, the club has not trusted the (our) coaches." Dismissed the medical staff and interpreters. The coaching contract was signed in March (when the season started) and there were few decisions I could make," he said, revealing that the club cut off its hands and feet.
A Chinese soccer official said in response to the remark, "'Cut the arm first' in order not to renew the contract with coach Seo. It is intended to weaken its influence.' In addition, he has suffered from large and small problems such as unpaid agent fees, rental of training sites, and unilateral recruitment of players amid frequent changes in the leadership of the Chengdu club over the past year or two. Promises such as invoking the contract renewal clause were also not kept.
Coach Seo said, `We have to play three tournaments in the second half (Super League, domestic Cup, Asian Champions League), but the club has not contacted me (about recruiting and renting players). I don't know much about it. This situation is unacceptable." If the club is not satisfied with the coaching staff, please let me know as soon as possible. Please communicate with me as soon as possible so that we can make a decision."
After coach Seo dropped 'bomb', the Chengdu club's stance is said to have changed in a friendly way. Some Chinese media criticizing Suh for his inaccurate salary have also disappeared. Coach Seo, who focused on the game again, has led the team to five consecutive wins, including the Cup. In the Super League, he jumped to third place and reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
Coach Seo, who took the last train of the ACLE finals, is likely to face K-League teams such as Ulsan, Gangwon and Seoul in the league stage (group league). Coach Seo had taken the helm of Suwon Samsung before taking office in Chengdu. Director Seo's visit to Korea is expected to draw attention in many ways. The league stage, where the final schedule is confirmed on the 15th, will be held from September to February next year, and eight games per team will be played to determine whether they will advance to the round of 16.
In the East Asian region, 12 teams will compete, including three South Korean teams, three Japanese teams (Vissel Kobe, Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Machida Zelvia), three Chinese teams (Shanghai Port, Shanghai Shenhua and Chengdu), one Thai team (Buriram United), one Australian team (Melbourne City), and one Malaysian team (Johoru Darul).
Chengdu, who has been on the rise with four consecutive wins, including the FA Cup, showed his will to win by investing all of his key resources such as `K-League native" Felipe, Romulo, Timo, and Yang Mingyang, a midfielder naturalized for the Chinese national team.
Chengdu, who struggled to open the opponent's goal in the first half, scored the first goal that he had been waiting for in the 23rd minute of the second half. Chinese naturalized star Yang Mingyang hit a corner kick full of Romulo with a header from the gate. Coach Seo expressed his joy by swinging his fist immediately after scoring the first goal.
Chengdu, who pierced his scoring blood, widened the gap three minutes later in the 26th minute of the second half, when Felipe "Brazilian goaltender" received Delgado's pass in a counterattack and scored an additional goal with a sensational left-footed shot. Felipe received Romulo's pass in the 38th minute of the second half and scored a multi-goal with his left foot and a winning wedge. With Felipe's multi-goal and Romulo's multi-help, Chengdu eventually confirmed its advance to the ACLE finals with a 3-0 victory.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
