Sun Wen will be lining up against Scotland’s rising star and captain Julie Fleeting, 21, who last year signed a full-time professional contract with US side San Diego Spirit. Fleeting followed in Wen’s footsteps as the Chinese player spent two seasons with American professional side Atlanta Beat before moving back to Shanghai. Sun set to shine on Scots football
Salaries for women footballers in the US are rumoured to reach up to 70,000 (pounds) a season before any TV ads or merchadising profits are added on. Why do I get the feeling that life in the WUSA is seen much rosier than it really is by female soccer players and their supporters in other parts of the world?
China beat Scotland 1 -0 In thier last match of their Euro Tour China "Steel Roses" beat a tough Scotish team. Julie Fleeting couldn't break truogh the Steel Roses defense. Bi Yan planted the ball past Gemma Fay, who otherwise had a good game in the Scottish goal. Final Result: China 1 Scotland 0 http://www.sport.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=5848825
Here's a good article about some comments that Sun Wen made about the SFA and I have to agree with her: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/2837487.stm The SFA rarely covers the women's side of the game on their website. But still there are some good team websites. "Why do I get the feeling that life in the WUSA is seen much rosier than it really is by female soccer players and their supporters in other parts of the world?" But also players around the world see the WUSA as a goal to reach. I have read articles from Australia to France where young talented players talk about how the WUSA is the pot of gold under the rainbow. They see it idealistically and ,while for us cynics, that may see foolish. We must not forget the wave of good feeling and the lifetimes of dreams that have been approached by the commencment of this league. However, in most parts of the world things are much worse and it will take strong FA and FIFa supportto change that. Things are worse for other players. However, But in some places like Zimbabwe and other African countries there is strong support from individuals. And in other countries like China and Norway, there is strong governmental support. Bravi to the Scottish women for playing yet another good game against a top notch team. This squad is getting better and better. Julie Fleeting will have a star-making season for the Spirit.
The rest of the world in female soccer is growing. It's like mens soccer in the USA 20 years ago, a side show... But the tide is rising, and I wouldn't mock the inspiration gained from WUSA. While the reality of WUSA is an illusion, the chase for the dream is what counts. And in countries where football is a significant part of their culture, giving woman a chance to play, and growth will be rapid. wusa may disappear, but the genie of female football is out of the bottle..
The SFA actually had a short account of the game, repeated word for word at european womens soccer. http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/news/index.cfm Except for Fan Yunjie (who left the game after 29 minutes), I do not recognize the other names in the Chinese lineup...