Marika Domanski-Lyfors' effort with her Chinese women's soccer national team has been approved by her counterpart as the United States' head coach gave thumbs up for the Swede here on Sunday.
"China's new coach do a very good job," said Greg Ryan at a pre-match press conference ahead of the U.S.' Group B opening match against DPR Korea on Tuesday.
"She inserts an attacking style to the team. I think it's the right direction for China," he added.
Giving advice to China, Ryan said: "They should bring more great players into the squad."
In paraphrasing it, the head coach added that "to bring more Han Duan and Bi Yan (both China's regular starting players)".
"China had many great players in their squad in 1999, and that's why they were so strong then," he added, recalling the memory back to the third World Cup on American soil where China finished runners-up after losing the final in shoot-out to the hosts U.S..
To list up the players he appreciates most, Ryan gave his list of top four, naming Brazil forward Marta Vieira Da Silva, DPR Korea skipper Ri Kum Suk, Sweden striker Victoria Svensson and Germany's former World Female Footballer of the Year Birgit Prinz.
As the world's first women's soccer team made up of full-time professionals and also one of the most successful teams (women's or men's) in history, the U.S. will vie for the third title when World Cup came back to China after 16 years.
They will kick off their fifth World Cup campaign on Tuesday against DPR Korea in Group B, which features exactly the same foes again in the "Group of Death" with the U.S. facing the DPR Korea, Sweden and Nigeria, just like four years ago.
Source: Xinhua
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