China Shows Its Firepower

China showed Saturday it can destroy a team as well as--or better than--the United States. It will be a lot closer if those rivals meet for the Women’s Gold Cup championship.

“I will give you my opinion of who’s better after the final,” China Coach Ma Yuanan said after his team dismantled Guatemala, 14-0, “if we meet in that game.”

The U.S. blasted Trinidad and Tobago, 11-0, Friday in the tournament’s opener at Hershey, Pa.

If they play for the title, the U.S. would face an offensive machine that amassed amazing numbers Saturday: a shot advantage of 45-1, four goals and four assists by Zhang Ouying and three goals by Shui Qingxia.

Goalkeeper Gao Hong spent most of the hot, sunny day about 20 yards in front of her goal, observing the assault. She easily handled Guatemala’s only shot, a soft popup from 25 yards by Claudia Galvez in the 24th minute.

In the second game, Canada defeated Mexico, 4-3, when Charmaine Hooper scored on a direct kick in the 87th minute from just outside the penalty area over a wall of defenders after Christine Latham had been taken down.