China’s Steel Roses aim to bloom again at Women’s World Cup
China women’s soccer team – the Steel Roses – must overcome a thorny opening match against hosts Canada at the World Cup as they bid to rediscover their blossoming form of the 1990s.
They are one of the youngest squads at Canada 2015, and with a player dubbed “Little Messi” in their ranks, some believe the team ranked 16th by Fifa have the potential to go far.
But the squad have lost their star striker, Yang Li, to injury, and they carry a heavy weight of expectation on their young shoulders after China failed to make the 2011 tournament, capping a period of relative decline.
It is a 50-50 affair and it is really down to finishing ability
China face Canada in the tournament opener on June 6, before matches against their other group A opponents Netherlands and New Zealand.
They lost to their North American rivals in the quarter-finals of the 2003 World Cup, with Canada’s 1-0 win their first victory in 12 matches over China.
Canada also claimed a morale-boosting victory over China in January’s Four-Nation Women’s Tournament, coming back from a goal down to win 2-1.
But Chinese midfielder Gu Yasha said her team were upbeat going into their first match of the tournament.
“Our coach asked us to do the post-match homework, watching the replay,” she said of January’s defeat.