# 2023 Dalian Professional F.C. season

The 2023 Dalian Professional F.C. season was the 14th season and the last season in team history. The team was in deep trouble throughout the season, and eventually relegated by winning only 3 league matches. The team failed to acquire entry into the 2024 league due to historical debts, and ceased operation on 17 January 2024.

## Overview

The CFA decided to ban Dalian Pro from registering new players at the beginning of January for previous salary disputes.
The team started winter training on 8 February for one week, then moved to Haian on 15 February. Multiplayers left the team as their contracts were expired.
As reported, Dalian Pro would be probably banned from transfer by FIFA for one or a few windows for violations in the previous season.
Lin Liangming entered national team's training squad on 26 February. Former Dalian Pro player Sun Guowen was also included.
On 13 March, the team moved again to Shanghai for another stage of preseason training.
Yan Xiangchuang scored the first and the second goal of the 2023 Chinese Super League, setting the team on a flying start. This victory also broke another awkward record that, throughout their Super League seasons (2012–2014, 2018–present), this was the first time that Dalian Pro could win their first match of the season. Previously there were 5 defeats and 3 draws.
Yan Xiangchuang was awarded Player of the Month. At the age of 36, he showed efficiency by scoring three goals out of four matches with only four shots in total.
Dalian Pro was unable to win any match since the first victory. They experienced five consecutive defeats and six consecutive draws in June and July. The team slowly dropped to the relegation zone. The team was able to snatch a tie from league leaders Shanghai Port, but also had desperate matches against reletation opponents Qingdao Hainiu and Nantong Zhiyun.
Gui Bing, chairman of the team, was taken into custody in September. The reason was believed to be connected with Dalian Shanhai Group, the investor of another local football team Dalian Zhixing F.C., as the enterprise was accused of illegal fundraising.
Dalian Pro acquired their second winning upon entering August by a 2-1 victory against Shanghai Shenhua, and the third against relegation opponent Shenzhen. However, the team was unable to acquire another single victory, even when the last two opponents played passive matches. In the last round, if Dalian Pro wins while Nantong finish without victory, Dalian would able to stay in the league. However, as Tsonev missed a critical penalty, the team lost 2-3 to Shanghai Port, finishing this miserable season with a second reletagion in the past 3 seasons.

## Squad
### First team squad

    As of 12 April 2023
| No. | Name | Place of Birth | Date of Birth (Age) | Joined | From | Note |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||
| 1 | Zhang Chong | Dalian | (1987-11-25)25 November 1987 (aged 35) | 2013 | Dalian Shide | |
| 30 | Wu Yan | Yangzhou | (1989-01-07)7 January 1989 (aged 34) | 2022 | Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic | |
| 32 | Kudirat Ablet | Yining | (1997-02-05)5 February 1997 (aged 26) | 2021 | Gondomar | |
| 36 | Wang Jinshuai | Dalian | (2001-01-09)9 January 2001 (aged 22) | 2021 | Dalian Pro youth | With China U-23 |
| Defenders ||||||||
| 2 | Lin Longchang | Dalian | (1990-02-24)24 February 1990 (aged 33) | 2022 | Guizhou | |
| 3 | Zhao Jia'nan | Zhengzhou | (2004-08-11)11 August 2004 (aged 18) | 2022 | Dalian Pro youth | |
| 4 | Vas Nuñez | Hongkong | (1995-11-22)22 November 1995 (aged 27) | 2022 | Meizhou Hakka | |
| 6 | Wang Xianjun | Dalian | (2000-06-01)1 June 2000 (aged 22) | 2020 | Dalian Pro youth | |
| 8 | Zhu Ting | Dalian | (1985-07-15)15 July 1985 (aged 37) | 2022 | Qingdao | |
| 13 | Wang Yaopeng | Dalian | (1995-01-18)18 January 1995 (aged 28) | 2014 | Liaoning youth | |
| 14 | Huang Jiahui | Bozhou | (2000-10-07)7 October 2000 (aged 22) | 2019 | Dalian Yifang youth | |
| 16 | Liu Le | Beijing | (1989-02-14)14 February 1989 (aged 34) | 2022 | Dalian LFTZ Huayi | |
| 18 | He Yupeng | Anshan | (1999-12-05)5 December 1999 (aged 23) | 2019 | Dalian Yifang youth | |
| Midfielders ||||||||
| 5 | Wu Wei | Xinxiang | (1997-02-05)5 February 1997 (aged 26) | 2020 | Tianjin Tianhai | |
| 10 | Borislav Tsonev | Blagoevgrad | (1995-04-29)29 April 1995 (aged 27) | 2022 | Chornomorets Odesa | |
| 19 | Wang Zhen'ao | Wuhan | (1999-08-10)10 August 1999 (aged 23) | 2020 | Dalian Pro youth | |
| 20 | Wang Tengda | Dalian | (2001-02-18)18 February 2001 (aged 22) | 2020 | Dalian Pro youth | |
| 22 | Chen Rong | Lu'an | (2001-01-26)26 January 2001 (aged 22) | 2021 | Dalian Pro youth | |
| 26 | Cui Ming'an | Dalian | (1994-11-15)15 November 1994 (aged 28) | 2014 | Dalian Yifang youth | |
| 28 | Fei Yu | Shanghai | (1991-02-06)6 February 1991 (aged 32) | 2022 | Nantong Zhiyun | |
| 31 | Lü Peng | Dalian | (1989-10-28)28 October 1989 (aged 33) | 2022 | Qingdao | |
| 35 | Wang Yu | Dalian | (2002-04-28)28 April 2002 (aged 20) | 2021 | Dalian Pro youth | |
| 38 | Lü Zhuoyi | Guangzhou | (2001-04-16)16 April 2001 (aged 21) | 2022 | Dalian Pro youth | |
| 40 | Nemanja Bosančić | Pristina | (1995-03-01)1 March 1995 (aged 28) | 2022 | FC Lahti | |
| Forwards ||||||||
| 7 | Lin Liangming | Shantou | (1997-06-04)4 June 1997 (aged 25) | 2020 | Gondomar | |
| 9 | Shan Huanhuan | Pingdingshan | (1999-01-24)24 January 1999 (aged 24) | 2019 | Vitória Guimarães B | |
| 11 | Streli Mamba | Göppingen | (1994-06-17)17 June 1994 (aged 28) | 2022 | FC Kairat | |
| 15 | Zhao Jianbo | Dalian | (2001-05-07)7 May 2001 (aged 21) | 2020 | Dalian Pro youth | |
| 17 | Lobi Manzoki | Bunia | (1996-10-12)12 October 1996 (aged 26) | 2022 | Vipers SC | |
| 23 | Shang Yin | Shanghai | (1989-01-23)23 January 1989 (aged 34) | 2022 | Jiangxi Beidamen | |
| 39 | Yan Xiangchuang | Dalian | (1986-09-05)5 September 1986 (aged 36) | 2022 | Beijing BSU | |
| Unregistered during the season ||||||||
| 27 | Yang Pengju | Guiyang | (2000-06-06)6 June 2000 (aged 22) | 2020 | Dalian Pro youth | |
| 25 | Feng Zeyuan | Guilin | (2001-11-19)19 November 2001 (aged 21) | 2022 | Dalian Pro youth | |
| 33 | Song Zhiwei | Dalian | (1989-03-19)19 March 1989 (aged 34) | 2022 | Wuhan Yangtze River | Loaned out |

## Coaching staff

    As of 5 May 2022
| Position | Name |
| First team |||
| Head coach | Xie Hui |
| Assistant coach | Ng Wai Chiu |
| Assistant coach | Chang Lin |
| Goalkeeping coach | Everton da Rocha Santos |
| Fitness coach | Alex Ros Cladella |
| Tactical Analyst | Aitor Calero Garcia |
| Team doctor | |
| Reserve and youth teams |||
| Reserve (U-23) coach | David Rivas Martínez |
| U-21 coach | Liu Yujian |
| U-21 assistant coach | Zhou Ting |
| U-19 coach | Sun Wei |
| U-17 coach | Zhang Yaokun |
| U-17 assistant coach | Li Wenbo |
| U-15 coach | Zhao Peng |
| U-15 assistant coach | Chi Yaojun |
| U-14 coach | Li Yang |
| U-15 assistant coach | Zou Jie |
| U-13 coach | Wang Zhaochen |

## Transfers
### Pre-season
#### In

| No. | Pos. | Name | Age | Moving from | Type | Transfer fee | Date |
| - | FW | Chen Rong | 22 | Liaoning Shenyang Urban | Loan Return | — | 1 January |
| - | MF | Zhu Jiaxuan | 24 | Liaoning Shenyang Urban | Loan Return | — | 1 January |
| - | GK | Li Xuebo | 23 | Zibo Cuju | Loan Return | — | 1 January |

#### Out

| No. | Pos. | Name | Age | Moving to | Type | Date |
| 11 | DF | Sun Guowen | 29 | Shandong Taishan | Released | 31 March |
| 16 | DF | Tong Lei | 25 | Shandong Taishan | Released | 31 March |
| 22 | DF | Dong Yanfeng | 27 | Chengdu Rongcheng | Free | 5 April |
| 37 | FW | Ning Hao | 38 | — | End of contract | 1 January |
| 3 | DF | Shan Pengfei | 29 | Guangxi Pingguo Haliao | Free | 31 March |
| 21 | MF | Gui Zihan | 19 | Qingdao West Coast | Loan | 4 April |
| 12 | MF | Zhang Jiansheng | 23 | Shanghai Jiading Huilong | Loan | 6 April |
| - | MF | Wan Yu | 20 | Shijiazhuang Gongfu | Free | 6 April |
| - | GK | Li Xuebo | 23 | Dandong Tengyue | Loan | 6 April |
| 40 | MF | Zhu Jiaxuan | 23 | Heilongjiang Ice City | Loan | 6 April |

### Mid-season
#### Out

| No. | Pos. | Name | Age | Moving to | Type | Transfer fee | Date | Notes | Ref. |
| 33 | MF | Song Zhiwei | 34 | Guangxi Pingguo Haliao | Loan | | 1 July | | |
| - | GK | Li Xuebo | 23 | Liaoning Shenyang Urban | Loan | | 12 July | | |

## Friendlies

Preseason

## Chinese Super League
### Standings

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 12 | Cangzhou Mighty Lions | 30 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 29 | 60 | −31 | 31 | |
| 13 | Qingdao Hainiu | 30 | 7 | 7 | 16 | 34 | 45 | −11 | 28 | |
| 14 | Nantong Zhiyun | 30 | 4 | 10 | 16 | 26 | 42 | −16 | 22 | |
| 15 | Dalian Pro | 30 | 3 | 11 | 16 | 25 | 47 | −22 | 20 | Dissolved |
| 16 | Shenzhen | 30 | 3 | 3 | 24 | 22 | 79 | −57 | 12 | Dissolved |
* During season: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored.
* After season: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Scores of the weight ratio of the reserve league and youth leagues.

### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |

### Positions by round

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| Ground | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H |
| Result | W | L | D | D | L | D | L | L | L | L | L | D | D | D | D | D | D | L | L | W | L | W | L | L | L | D | L | L | D | L |
| Position | 3 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 |

### Fixtures and results
## Squad statistics
### Appearances and goals

| No. | Pos. | Player | Nat. | Super League | Super League | Super League | FA Cup | FA Cup | FA Cup | Total | Total | Total |
| No. | Pos. | Player | Nat. | App. | Starts | Goals | App. | Starts | Goals | App. | Starts | Goals |
| 1 | GK | Zhang Chong | | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | Lin Longchang | | 17 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 20 | 16 | 0 |
| 3 | MF | Zhao Jia'nan | | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | Vas Núñez | | 21 | 20 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 21 | 0 |
| 5 | MF | Wu Wei | | 15 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 14 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | Wang Xianjun | | 16 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 16 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | Lin Liangming | | 25 | 22 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 23 | 5 |
| 8 | DF | Zhu Ting | | 22 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 15 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | Shan Huanhuan | | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | Borislav Tsonev | | 27 | 24 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 31 | 26 | 5 |
| 11 | FW | Streli Mamba | | 26 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 27 | 21 | 4 |
| 13 | DF | Wang Yaopeng | | 11 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 10 | 0 |
| 14 | DF | Huang Jiahui | | 19 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 15 | 0 |
| 15 | FW | Zhao Jianbo | | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| 16 | DF | Liu Le | | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 17 | FW | Lobi Manzoki | | 21 | 18 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 20 | 8 |
| 18 | DF | He Yupeng | | 21 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 18 | 0 |
| 19 | MF | Wang Zhen'ao | | 22 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 18 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | Wang Tengda | | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 22 | MF | Chen Rong | | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| 23 | FW | Shang Yin | | 27 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 30 | 13 | 1 |
| 25 | FW | Feng Zeyuan | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | MF | Cui Ming'an | | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 28 | MF | Fei Yu | | 17 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 20 | 10 | 0 |
| 30 | GK | Wu Yan | | 23 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 23 | 0 |
| 31 | MF | Lü Peng | | 27 | 25 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 27 | 0 |
| 32 | GK | Kudirat Ablet | | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| 33 | MF | Song Zhiwei | | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | MF | Wang Yu | | 18 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 16 | 0 |
| 36 | GK | Wang Jinshuai | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 38 | MF | Lü Zhuoyi | | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 0 |
| 39 | FW | Yan Xiangchuang | | 25 | 13 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 27 | 13 | 6 |
| 40 | MF | Nemanja Bosančić | | 17 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 10 | 0 |
| TOTALS | TOTALS | TOTALS | TOTALS | TOTALS | TOTALS | 25 | | | 5 | | | 30 |

### Goalscorers

| Rank | Player | Goals (Penalties) | Goals (Penalties) | Goals (Penalties) |
| Rank | Player | Super League | FA Cup | Total |
| 1 | Manzoki | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| 2 | Yan Xiangchuang | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| 3 | Lin Liangming | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| 4 | Tsonev | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| 5 | Mamba | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 6 | Shang Yin | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 6 | Zhao Jianbo | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| TOTALS | TOTALS | 25 | 5 | 30 |
Last updated: 4 November 2023. Source: Results

### Disciplinary record

| No. | Pos. | Player | Super League | Super League | Super League | FA Cup | FA Cup | FA Cup | Total | Total | Total |
| 1 | GK | Zhang Chong | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | Lin Longchang | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | MF | Zhao Jia'nan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | Vas Núñez | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | MF | Wu Wei | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | Wang Xianjun | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | MF | Lin Liangming | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | DF | Zhu Ting | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | Shan Huanhuan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | Borislav Tsonev | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | Streli Mamba | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 13 | DF | Wang Yaopeng | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | DF | Huang Jiahui | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | FW | Zhao Jianbo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | DF | Liu Le | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | FW | Lobi Manzoki | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 18 | DF | He Yupeng | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | MF | Wang Zhen'ao | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | Wang Tengda | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | MF | Chen Rong | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | FW | Shang Yin | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | FW | Feng Zeyuan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | MF | Cui Ming'an | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | MF | Fei Yu | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | GK | Wu Yan | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | MF | Lü Peng | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | GK | Kudirat Ablet | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | MF | Song Zhiwei | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | MF | Wang Yu | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | MF | Lü Zhuoyi | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | FW | Yan Xiangchuang | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | MF | Nemanja Bosančić | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTALS | TOTALS | TOTALS | 58 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 65 | 2 | 3 |

### Injuries

| Player | Injury | Duration | Notes |
| Lin Liangming | Ligament injuries to the knee | 9 Sep. – | |
| He Yupeng | Broken rib | | |

### Suspensions

| Player | Length | Reason | Date(s) served | Opponent |
| Wang Zhen'ao | 1 match | 4 Yellow Cards accumulated | 9 Jun. | Beijing Guoan |
| Tsonev | 1 match | 4 Yellow Cards accumulated | 8 Jul. | Shanghai Port |
| Vas Núñez | 1 match | Red Card vs. Shanghai Port | 12 Jul. | Nantong Zhiyun |
| Wang Xianjun | 1 match | Red Card vs. Nantong Zhiyun | 16 Jul. | Changchun Yatai |
| Wang Yu | 1 match | 4 Yellow Cards accumulated | 22 Jul. | Chengdu Rongcheng |
| He Yupeng | 1 match | 4 Yellow Cards accumulated | 5 Aug. | Shanghai Shenhua |
| Wu Yan | 1 match | 4 Yellow Cards accumulated | 9 Aug. | Cangzhou Mighty Lions |
| Mamba | 1 match | Red Card vs. Cangzhou Mighty Lions | 13 Aug. | Shenzhen |
| Manzoki | 1 match | Red Card vs. Shenzhen | 19 Aug. | Henan |
| Vas Núñez | 1 match | Red Card vs. Tianjin JM Tiger | 23 Sep. | Shandong Taishan |
| Manzoki | 1 match | 4 Yellow Cards accumulated | 23 Sep. | Shandong Taishan |