U.S. Women Welcome China Challenge
Coach Tony DiCicco brought his U.S. women’s national soccer team to the Algarve Cup with one thought in mind.
If all went as expected, the Olympic gold medalists would have the chance to play world champion Norway and Olympic silver medalist China in successive games.
Since one or the other probably will play the United States in the final of the third FIFA Women’s World Cup at the Rose Bowl on July 10, DiCicco figured getting an early look at both teams couldn’t hurt.
So far, it hasn’t.
On Thursday, the U.S. defeated Norway, 2-1. Today, the U.S. plays China, with each team seeking its first title in what over the course of six years has developed into the third- or perhaps fourth-most significant women’s tournament in the world.
“I think it’s a very prestigious tournament,” DiCicco said. “It pales in comparison to the Olympic tournament or the World Cup, but I would put it on a level, or maybe just below, the U.S. Women’s Cup that we play annually.”
What makes the Algarve Cup meaningful is the competition. Six of the eight teams here qualified for the June 19-July 10 World Cup in the U.S.
Then, the Americans will be favored, playing in front of their own fans. And as long as they can get past a first round that features Denmark, Nigeria and North Korea, and then oust probably Brazil and Germany in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, they will reach the Rose Bowl.
Where Norway or China probably will await them.
“I think there are probably two teams that consistently give us problems,” striker Mia Hamm said. “That would be Norway and China. No matter how many times we play them, it seems that we’re always battling to make our adjustments and to stay focused.
“They play totally dissimilar games. Norway is a very direct team, and I think they exploit a lot of our weaknesses. We’ve gotten a lot better with our clearances, heading out of the back, but they really put immediate pressure not only on our defenders but on our midfielders tracking back to win the second ball.
“I don’t think there’s any team, except maybe Brazil, that is as athletic or as skillful on the ball as China. Technically, they are all so sound. They’re incredible athletes. And for us, you know, we all joke about it--we basically wait for them to lose possession, and then hopefully try to score after that.
“We love the challenge of playing against those teams, but on any given day, as we’ve seen in the past, any team can win.”
The Chinese, put through a 90-minute practice in the heat on Wednesday without so much as a water break, have beaten Portugal, Denmark and Australia on their way to the final, scoring eight goals and giving up none.
The U.S. has tied Sweden and beaten Finland and Norway, scoring seven goals and giving up two.
The teams have met 18 times, with the U.S. holding a 10-3-5 advantage.
U.S. forward Tiffeny Milbrett leads all scorers in the tournament with three goals, followed by China’s Sun Wen with two. U.S. midfielder Tisha Venturini will be sidelined for two or three weeks because of a badly sprained ankle suffered Thursday. Defender Carla Overbeck is not expected to start today because of a neck injury suffered against Norway.
In other games today, Norway plays Denmark--the U.S. team’s first World Cup opponent on June 19 at Giants Stadium--for third place; Australia plays Sweden for fifth, and, in a game between the two non-World Cup ’99 qualifiers, Portugal plays Finland for seventh.
