Chinese women's soccer team unveiled a 22-player squad for the upcoming Olympics on Monday, including star striker Ma Xiaoxu and veteran midfielder Pu Wei.
The team's media officer Dong Hua told Xinhua that it is a preliminary Olympic squad and only 18 players among the 22 would take their places in the final roster, which will be announced just one day before the Olympic soccer competition kicks off on August 6.
Ma Xiaoxu, having just recovered from her knee injury, played ten minutes in China's 1-0 win over New Zealand in a warm-up on Sunday. Coach Shang Ruihua said he had put great hopes on the young talent's performance in the Olympics.
The 28-year-old Pu Wei, participating in her third Olympics, just returned from her retirement in April and will play as a defending midfielder.
Xie Caixia, 32, luckily received a last-minute call into the squad as her midfield partner Qu Feifei seriously injured her leg in Sunday's tune-up game.
Shang Ruihua also injected some fresh faces into the team such as the 17-year-old right winger Lou Jiahui and the 18-year-old left winger Gu Yasha, hoping they could bring more fighting spirits to the team.
Since the golden years of 1990s, the Chinese "Steel Roses" have suffered a downward spiral. The 63-year-old Shang, taking the reins of the team in April, has shouldered a burden of reviving the declining force and aimed to reaching last four in the Olympics.
China was in the same group with Sweden, Canada and Argentina in the Olympics.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Zhang Yanru, Han Wenxia, Weng Xiaojie
Defenders: Zhou Gaoping, Li Jie, Weng Xinzhi, Liu Huana, Yuan Fan, Jiang Shuai, Wang Kun
Midfielders: Pu Wei, Bi Yan, Zhang Na, Gu Yasha, Zhang Ying, Wang Dandan, Lou Jiahui, Xie Caixia
Forwards: Han Duan, Xu Yuan, Ma Xiaoxu, Liu Sa
(Xinhua News Agency July 22, 2008)