After all, this group first gained recognition when it won the gold medal in 1996. These players have blown through the first five games of the World Cup. China, on paper, is the better team. There are those two victories over the United States this year. The United States, on the other hand, has a great goal scorer in Mia Hamm, who has been held in check for the past three games, and a defense that has looked vulnerable at times.
China also has plenty of motivation.
The political ramifications of this matchup can't be overlooked. The Chinese will be playing for their national pride, just weeks after the Chinese embassy in Belgrade was bombed by NATO forces, and not long after a military secrets scandal broke between the countries. It's an intriguing matchup, these teams that are so much alike yet from such vastly different starting points, born of very different movements and motivation. A win by China could help the status of Chinese women. Though their women's soccer team is successful, they are still overshadowed by the woeful men's team and don't have large-scale support in the country.