Team China ready to shine at U17 World Cup

China’s under-17 women’s football team has concluded a monthlong training camp as coach Ma Xiaoxu prepares her young players for the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.

“We certainly want to win because results are what count in competitive sports,” Ma, 38, told Xinhua. “But I also hope the players can show their abilities on the World Cup stage without fear or restraint.”

China is in Group E with the United States, Samoa and Kenya. The top two teams from each group and the four best third-placed teams will advance to the knockout stage.

“At this age, I hope they can show their true abilities from training, show creativity, make their own decisions on the field and enjoy the games,” Ma said.

“The experience of competing is the most important thing for their development. Meanwhile, we will certainly give everything to fight for the best possible results.”

Ma knows firsthand how important a youth World Cup can be. As an 18-year-old player in 2006, she helped China finish runner-up at the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup and won both the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player and the Golden Boot as its top scorer. That same year, she was named AFC Asian Player of the Year.

Twenty years later, Ma is preparing for a global youth tournament on the other side of the touchline.

“When I first took over this team, I felt like I suddenly went back to their age,” Ma said. “Seeing their young energy and vitality was exciting for me and gave me motivation.”

However, Ma said she would not simply reproduce the methods that worked for her as a player. “Every player has a different path of development, and football is constantly evolving,” she said.

“I am also continuing to learn. I hope to teach them more advanced ideas and, after filtering out some of the problems I experienced before, give them better things.

“I hope every player can have her own personality. As a coach, I need to think carefully and treat every player individually. The most important thing is to let them maintain their love for football. I think it is very important that they do not lose that love as they get older.”

China earned its World Cup berth by reaching the semifinals of the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup in May. The team came back from two goals down to level the semifinal against defending champion the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea at 2-2 before eventually losing 4-2.

Ma said securing a World Cup place was the team’s most basic objective.

“Participating in a world-class tournament has a big impact on a player’s development,” she said. “Their future development will also help drive the overall development of Chinese women’s football.”

The semifinal highlighted both the progress the team has made and the weaknesses Ma wants her players to address. Against the DPRK’s high press, China tried to build through passing combinations from the back rather than repeatedly resorting to long balls. But mistakes under pressure gave their opponents opportunities to shoot.

“I think we have to make some changes and not blindly play long balls,” Ma said. “But that does not mean pursuing buildup from the back for its own sake. The most important thing is to get the ball behind the opponent’s defense and into the penalty area to create dangerous attacks.”

Ma praised her players’ execution but said they needed to improve their ability to adjust during matches.

“The players have strong execution, but they still need to improve their ability to adapt during a game,” she said. “Under high pressure, they may not even be able to hear some of the instructions we give from the sideline.

“I hope they can bravely face the challenges of a high press. Results are certainly important, and we will try to win every game. But for 17-year-old players, I think it is more important in this process to develop the habit and awareness of thinking independently.”

Ma noted that 18 to 20 years old is an especially important period for young players to develop, and that playing overseas can expose them to higher-level competition.

“I think those few years from 18 to 20 are when players improve the fastest,” she said. “If they can experience higher-level leagues and have teammates with stronger technical and tactical abilities, they will gradually adapt to the pace and intensity of matches, learn how to make decisions more quickly under pressure and make better use of their bodies in physical confrontations.”

Ma has also used the past several months to develop as a coach.

After completing the Asian Cup campaign, she briefly joined the women’s national team coaching staff as an assistant to head coach Ante Milicic during the team’s training camp and matches in central China’s Wuhan.

“For me, as a coach who has just started out, being able to work with a high-level foreign coach and see their working methods, their thinking and how they organize training camps has been very helpful,” Ma said.

“The national team coaching staff are very open. Whenever I have questions, they are willing to help.”