BEIJING, Jan. 24 -- China's women's soccer team
is trying to move on after the crushing blow of last year's World Cup
disappointment and the subsequent coaching reshuffle. But the team's progress
seems far short of what it will need to reach its Olympic semifinal target with
the Games just six months away.
The latest proof came as the former powerhouse lost
to the US 1-0 following an unconvincing 2-0 victory over minnow Finland and a
lackluster 0-0 draw against Canada in last week's four-nation tournament in
Guangzhou.
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Chinese player Zhang Na (R) fights for
the ball with a U.S. player during the four-nation women's soccer
tournament in Guangzhou last Sunday. China lost the match 1-0 and finished
second behind the U.S.(Xinhua Photo)
Photo
Gallery>>> |
That tournament kicked off the second important
training session under French coach Elisabeth Loisel, who took over the post
from Marika Domanski-Lyfors, who resigned after September's World Cup.
"I do not see anything special from the new national
team," said Sun Wen, FIFA's Women's Player of the 20th Century and the
best-known female player in the late 1990s during China's prime. "China just
played a normal match. The progress and result tell our real level in the world
at this point."
With formidable World Cup winner Germany and upstart
runner-up Brazil posing a nearly impossible challenge, China has to at least
overpower the US, Norway or Sweden if it wants to grab a semifinal berth in
Beijing.
But there seems to be a big gap even between China
and US, narrowing China's chances if it meets the US in the Olympic
quarterfinals.
The US, which was trounced 4-0 by Brazil in the World
Cup semifinal, had two easy wins over Canada (4-0) and Finland (4-1) before
dominating China in the final.
Coach Loisel was impressed with the Americans' speed
and strength, but thought her players could still improve.
"They are stronger and faster on the pitch, so I have
to move the overall formation backward," said Loisel, China's seventh head coach
in four years. "But I'm very happy with our team's defense. I believe through
different training and competition, we'll get good results."
US coach Pia Sundhage was China's assistant coach
during the reign of fellow Swede Domanski-Lyfors. She said the US is stronger
than China and suggested China would have a tough time reaching its semifinal
goal.
"We are aiming to win the Olympic gold medal," she
said. "I know China wants to at least come into the semifinal and then fight for
a medal. But we are stronger than China and actually there are six to seven
teams like us who have the power to win a gold in Beijing."
After teaching China's team how to attack and defend
just a few months ago, Sundhage also suggested China must find a balance between
skill and physical development.
"China is a skilled team and has balanced transition
between offense and defense. But they are not strong enough and lack the speed.
"I saw their improvement under the new coach, but I
know the semifinal places big pressure on China's coaching team."
Headache in front
Loisel got her reign off to a perfect start with
back-to-back victories over New Zealand during last December's first training
session.
Those matches also marked a return to form for
leading striker Han Duan, who ended her three-month international goal drought
by scoring the second goal. But Han failed to find the net at all last week.
There was also bad news for Han's strike partner Ma
Xiaoxu, who ruptured a right-knee ligament during the first training session.
The Golden Ball and Golden Shoe winner of the 2006 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup
underwent surgery in Beijing and will be sidelined at least three months.
With only two goals in three matches - none from
strikers - and younger players still unable to simulate Ma's offense, Loisel
said more work must be done to increase the team's scoring chances.
"Han is short of stamina and our young strikers have
to work harder to catch up.
"It's impossible to develop another Ma Xiaoxu in such
a short time. All I can do is pay extra attention to our attacking ability in
the next six months and hope some of them could get up to Olympic standards."
Loisel has promised to develop a skilled and
aggressive team but her tactics against the US were criticized by media as the
Chinese held off the Americans with a conservative, low-pressure game, sagging
back in their own half of the field most of the time.
"It does not mean China is too weak to attack against
the US. We use different defensive tactics against different rivals. If we are
focused on attack, the result could be worse than 1-0.
"We will not depend on defense to prepare for the
Olympics. We will play more aggressive matches based on good defense in the
future. I believe our players have such ability."
The squad was dismissed on Monday and will reassemble
just before China's Lunar New Year for its third training session and the East
Asia Football Championship, which kicks off on February 17 in Chongqing.
China: speedy U.S. team takes Four
Nations title
BEIJING, Jan. 21 (Xinhuanet) -- Shannon Boxx scored on a
looping header in the 77th minute Sunday in Guangzhou, China, and the United
States beat China 1-0 to win the Four Nations Tournament. Full story
U.S. beats China to clinch Four
Nations Tournament title
GUANGZHOU, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- The United States women's national soccer team
successfully defended its title in a stylish way after downing host China 1-0 on
Sunday to get its third victory in a row at the Four Nations Tournament. Full story
