If China's women's soccer team wants to regain its former glory, it needs to abandon frequent changes and anxiety, and persevere in finding the right path.
On Dec. 3, when the morning sun was shining, the Chinese women's soccer team, which was training in the United States, suffered a warm-up match with the U.S. women's soccer team, and finally returned home in defeat with a score of 0-3. Looking back on this year, the Chinese women's soccer team's performance in the World Cup, Asian Games and Olympic qualifiers was unsatisfactory, and head coach Shui Qingxia resigned due to pressure. Although the coach needs to be responsible for the results, the overall performance of the Chinese women's soccer team is mediocre, the strength of the team is decreasing with each passing day, and the top level of world soccer is getting farther and farther away.
In the first half of the match, Sophia Smith was the first to break the deadlock in the 8th minute; in the second half, Lindsay Holland sent a precise pass and the ball went into the net in the 52nd minute; Trinity Rodman sealed the win in the 77th minute. In the end, the Chinese women's soccer team was defeated by the U.S. women's soccer team 0-3 in a friendly match.
The U.S. Soccer Federation's official website later reported the 3-0 victory.
After the match, the official website of the U.S. Soccer Federation also commented on the U.S. women's soccer team's performance this year. The U.S. women's soccer team has a brilliant record this year, with 13 wins, 4 draws and 0 losses, and the team's goal is to end the 2023 campaign on a winning note. Three days later (December 6, 9:00 GMT), the U.S. women's soccer team will play against the Chinese women's soccer team again at the Toyota Stadium in Texas.
Although the result of the friendly does not mean everything, the gap between the Chinese women's soccer team and the world's top teams is undoubtedly widening. Even if the U.S. women's soccer team did not go all out, the Chinese women's soccer team is still at a disadvantage, and this reality is more cruel than the score. The "Clanging Roses", which used to be the pride of the country, are in a situation of sailing against the current and retreating if they don't advance in the wave of popularization and professionalization of women's soccer in the footballing powerhouses.
Of course, some people will find excuses to explain the failure. For example, the time difference has not been adjusted, such as Shui Qingxia just left, the temporary acting head coach Wang Jun is not yet familiar with the team, and then some of the main players failed to travel with the team. But these excuses can not change the fact that the overall strength of the Chinese women's soccer team has declined, and can not cover up the lack of the overall strength of Chinese soccer.
On Dec. 2, Chinese women's soccer players thanked their fans after the game. On the same day, the Chinese women's soccer team defeated the United States women's soccer team 0-3 on the road in an international soccer friendly match in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Photo from Xinhua/Reuters.
The progress of soccer is often accompanied by the development of men's soccer, which is a reflection of the strength of a country and region's soccer. The rise of China's women's soccer team stems from the struggles of generations of players and the hard work of the resounding roses. However, it is undeniable that against the backdrop of unspecialized women's football 30 years ago, the Chinese women's football team dominated at the starting line by virtue of its long-term training and institutional advantages.
With the booming development of professional leagues in other soccer powerhouses, women's football has also ushered in the era of professionalization, especially in soccer powerhouses such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Spain, which have quietly pushed forward the progress of women's football through the advanced concepts and development experience of men's football. In contrast, China's soccer heritage is insufficient, the market for women's soccer is based on a weak foundation, the number of spectators is difficult to exceed 1,000 people, and it is difficult to increase the market value. The population size of Chinese women's soccer is far from that of soccer powerhouses such as the United States and Spain.
On Dec. 2, Wang Jun, interim head coach of the Chinese women's soccer team, paid close attention to the game on the sidelines. On the same day, the Chinese women's soccer team lost 0-3 to the U.S. women's soccer team on the road in an international soccer friendly match in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Photo from Xinhua/Reuters.
Of course, after Shui Qingxia led her team to win the Asian Cup, the CFA also encouraged more women's soccer players to study in Europe with the support of socially responsible companies such as Alipay. However, due to the lower income of women's soccer in Europe and the higher income of the domestic professional league, this gap also limits the willingness of players to develop abroad.
In the final analysis, the Chinese women's soccer team is an integral part of the soccer family, and its development cannot be separated from the overall progress of Chinese soccer. China's women's soccer team's 0-3 defeat against the U.S. women's soccer team, as with the men's soccer team's 0-3 loss to South Korea, has exposed the lack of strength. Players, fans and the media should have a clear understanding of the strength of the national team, recognize the gap, see the backwardness, so as to catch up. For China's women's football, the only way to expand the soccer population, encourage more campus girls to participate in soccer, send more potential young players to study in Europe "borrowing power", can find the glory of the past.
