Shanghaiist: We're all wondering: Why is China so bad at soccer?

T

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:54:28 +0800

US Cruises to 4-1 win over China http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=436030&cc=5901 While not an elite team, the US is at least a decent side who has snuck into the 2nd round in 2 of the last 4 World Cups, while China would not have even qualified except that Korea and Japan hosted a World Cup. Andy - I think you're close, but not quite there. I think one of the reasons is a lot of Chinese sport programs participants are based on childhood measurements (basketball especially) but you can't measure in childhood for things like creativity, touch and shotmaking. And if perhaps a player were to emerge in his early teens, there's few paths to put his talents on display unlike the US (school sports) or Europe/South America (club team open tryouts)

eastman

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:21:57 +0800

--to nanheyangrouchuan "the US men typically beat up on the PRC men's team"? Were US men salivar dropping midwest rednecks, Chinese would get more humiliated as you wished. lol!

McLustin

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 10:15:58 +0800

The US has soccer?

nanheyangrouchuan

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:07:39 +0800

Except that the US men typically beat up on the PRC men's team. All American Beef!

eastman

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 21:06:12 +0800

Yes, CHina's footballers is so bad that they remind me of USA.

Andy Best

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 18:12:00 +0800

China has a massive population and a commitment to national sports but the football thing is not hard to understand. Recent interviews with the women's team confirmed it, they are still selected to train in the old way. Kids with good running times in elementary school are shipped off to 'special' sports schools' and randomly assigned to their various sports. Most schools across China don't have fields or programs and Junior high schools in cities just play basketball. So the amount of China's population that is exposed to soccer playing in their early years is probably much smaller than countries with comparitively tiny popualtions. So it's a kind of illusion, China is large country with national sprots programs - but if you take the size of player pool, youth playing regularly in programs to pick for teams and excellence schools, they are actual a small nation. It's nothing to do with 'being Chinese', whatever that implies. Someone step in if I am way off here.

moneyinabox

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 17:49:34 +0800

Chinese players lack pace, anticipation, and creativity. In other words, they are completely useless footballers.

nanheyangrouchuan

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 14:39:10 +0800

A Chinese girl told me "the women's team makes Chinese girls smile, the men's team makes Chinese boys cry!". China's women don't hold up half of the sky, they hold up all of the sky. Chinese boys are too busy playing grab ass with each other, playing "village idler", smoking 6 packs a day and puking on the subway.

nancysitu

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 23:11:54 +0800

geez, we're already good at math and haggling - nobody's perfect!

ououou

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:02:45 +0800

there ain't nantional team standing for PRC

ououou

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:00:44 +0800

hey hilary! don't you know there ain't national standing for the people's repulic of china! the FA is full of shits ,and the footballer? no more words!