OXBOROUGH - The Chinese were doing their best to remain humble after humiliating Norway, 5-0, in a Women's World Cup semifinal last night. But though the Asian nature is perceived as having a significant passive, or ying quality, there is a suspicion that these women's yang qualities are being given great room for expression.
The fact that China eliminated the defending champions was not surprising, but the margin of victory and the seeming ease in which it was achieved were a shock.
China displayed excellent tactical awareness and technical skill, and also seemed advanced enough athletically, and speedy enough, to give the United States a run for its money in the final Saturday.
Norway never had been dismantled this badly, and seldom had seemed to be playing from a position of weakness. The Norwegians have shown an ability to play conservatively, defensively, and win games in counterattack - as they have against the US. But they never have had to adopt a defensive mentality against any other country, and were not about to start with China.
Indeed, Norway's uninhibited willingness to go forward made this a wide-open match. And, after China took a two-goal lead, the Norwegians forced the issue even more, leaving even greater space for the Chinese to exploit.
Remarkably, at the beginning of the decade Norway might have been the best team in the world. Now, China is challenging for that label.
''We are going one step at a time, one game at a time,'' China coach Ma Yuanan said.
At least this was the English translation, and it is a statement that does not stir the imagination any more than another generic cliche.
But some 60 years ago, another great Chinese leader built a movement on a similar proverb to change the face of their civilization, leading his group on a long march that began with the first step.
The Chinese women began this journey in 1993. They have advanced relatively quickly, and accumulated more frequent flyer mileage than Mao's troops. They will be at a perceived disadvantage traveling across the US for Saturday's game, but their trip to Los Angeles will be a relative breeze compared to the land campaigns of their fathers.
In fact, the Chinese mentality also must be considered. The US women's team has been taught to play attacking soccer, to set the tone, to play aggressively, always to feel in a position of strength. China, though, also appears to have this way of thinking. The Chinese always have felt invincible, with the population and resources to achieve anything.
The Chinese women have a high level of confidence, technique, and team unity. They play with machine-like precision, but not with assembly-line predictability.
''Soccer is a game that, until you play, you don't know who is going to win,'' Ma said. ''We are confident we will play a very good game and we will see who will win Saturday.''
