DPR Korea, dubbed as "dark horses" of Group B, will have their
youngster-packed squad tested, fighting against twice winners the
United States in the 2007 China World Cup in Chengdu on Monday.
The opener therefore came into the spotlight as three points
will be crucial for each in the arguably Group of Death, which
copied the same four teams as four years ago.
The United States won both of their encounters 3-0, in World Cup
2003 and 1999 respectively.
Arriving here with an apparent sense of revenge, though skipper
Ri Kum Suk just nodded on it without any words, the Koreans pose
the genuine contenders for the game's pre-tournament favorites.
Some joked that the sense of mystery surrounding the team from
DPR Korea was the aspect that has stayed utterly unchanged in the
quick-paced women's soccer world. That's true.
During their four-day stay here after the arrival on Thursday,
Kim Kwang Min's team opened no more than half an hour trainings to
the media and coaches and players said just some ten sentences all
together.
It's nothing about they being the tournament's outsiders, but in
addition to a FIFA world ranking as the fifth-best side, the Korean
team has successfully, though maybe not intendedly, made themselves
more difficult rivals.
With a handful of players from the U-20 world champion side, the
much-younger-looking Korean team comes with their trademark speed,
stamina and physical strength, coupled with a trademark
never-say-die spirit.
DPR Korean talisman Ri Kum Suk, recently named alongside
Brazil's Marta and Germany's Birgit Prinz as the world's best
female footballers by head coaches of Australia and the U.S., is
still counted on, while six of her teammates had been promoted from
the squad which had swooped to win the U-20 world title last year
in Russia.
The same squad were crowned at the Asian Games in Doha, Qatar
last December, as well as doing well in the World Cup advance and
are currently on top of the qualifying group for the 2008 Olympic
Games.
U.S. coach Greg Ryan lauded the Koreans as "a great team". "It
will be a pivotal game in our group," said Ryan. "They have been
the best team in Asia for the past few years."
Averaging a young squad, however, could be the shortest for DPR
Korea, especially when they face the experienced U.S. led by
36-year-old Kristine Lilly, the only five-time World Cup veteran in
this tournament who's still fit in.
With around 120 goals in her over 300 international caps, Lilly
is still the leading striker of the United States. But the most
frightful factor of the team is that Lilly is not the only
competitive player.
She gets strong support from a new generation of talents up
front, with battering ram Abby Wambach, who now has an astonishing
goals-to-games ratio for the United States, and midfielder Shannon
Boxx, just back from injury, is the ball winner in the side.
All the factors lead to a fierce fight between two aggressive
attack sides on Tuesday, starting 1700 local time, and the result
may set the tone of the group, hinting a tradition holding on or a
surprising burst.
(Xinhua News Agency September 10, 2007)