WORLD CUP NOTES

Yang Zhongjian, assistant coach of the Chinese team, couldn’t understand why he was repeatedly asked about his country having disbanded its national team for two years after its quarterfinal loss in the 1991 World Cup.

After being told that information came from a news release issued by tournament organizers, he shook his head.

“There was a team, but it didn’t play international games,” he said.

He said he has encountered other erroneous reports about his country’s team, but he said the Chinese delegation is not perturbed.

“Of course, for the media, there must be positive and negative reports,” he said. “But it doesn’t really matter to the Chinese team.”

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The Chinese team has received a warm welcome everywhere, but it has taken to ordering its meals in, because when players go out, they often are stopped by compatriots for long chats and custom forbids them from being rude or curtailing a conversation.

They’re also mobbed at practices, although with slightly less fervor and by fewer fans than the U.S. players. They have been trying to oblige when they can.

“Every media exposure they have had are all pretty positive,” Yang said. “But they have to try and isolate themselves sometimes.”