OXBOROUGH - One of the nicest things about the 1999 Women's World Cup is the way the American public has supported the US team.
The US has played in front of sold-out stadiums across the country, and the fans who aren't able to make the matches tune in on television. Hundreds of fans, young and old, turn out at US practices.
But with all due respect to the loyal American fans, take a few notes from the Norwegian and Chinese supporters. Both countries were well represented, by fans both local and visiting from afar, yesterday at Foxboro Stadium.
For China, the loudest cheering came from section 16, where more than 300 members of the Harvard University Chinese Review sat. Actually, they didn't sit that much. They were too busy yelling, clapping, stomping, and making any other noise they thought would fire up their team. The Review, an organization of Chinese-American students and professionals, decorated the section with Chinese flags and signs and sported T-shirts with '''99 WWC - China'' on the front and the Chinese word for ''WIN'' on the back.
''There are very few events like this,'' said Yang Zhiyoung, a student at Harvard who lives in Brighton. ''It's not so often you get to see people from your motherland. We don't care about the heat out here.''
The award for the most loyal fan has to go to Erik Larssen. He's a friend of Norwegian coach Per-Mathias Hogmo who has followed Norway throughout the World Cup.
How's this for a road trip? After Larssen flew to New Jersey to watch the Americans take on Denmark at the Meadowlands in the opening match, he drove to Massachusetts to watch his native Norway defeat Russia at Foxborough. Then he took a train to Washington, D.C., for the Norwegians' next match, a showdown with Canada at Jack Kent Cooke Stadium. Then he rented a car and drove to Chicago to watch the team take on Japan.
After that, it was on to Los Angeles, where he rented another car and drove to San Jose to cheer Norway to a quarterfinal victory over Sweden. He drove for 48 hours back across the country for yesterday's semifinal. Larssen made his plans to go to Los Angeles regardless of whether Norway advanced to the final against the US or played Brazil in the consolation. He's driving.
''I had never been to the US,'' said Larssen, dressed in a Viking helmet and the Norwegian flag. He said his favorite state is Wyoming because of its wonderful scenery.
Giving support
Bente Nordby's parents have watched their daughter shine throughout the Women's World Cup. Yesterday they were at Foxboro Stadium to watch her struggle. Her father, Bjornar, has followed the Norwegian team to every match. Her mother, Raufoss, met him in San Francisco for the quarterfinal against Sweden. Through wins and losses, and in yesterday's case intense heat, Nordby's parents are at every match to support her. ''I'm very nervous,'' Raufoss Nordby said before the match. ''I have to be here but I don't want to. But this is very special, especially when it's big events like this one.''
