U.S. women ready for China in World Cup quarterfinal

OTTAWA, Ontario - The pressure is mounting on the U.S. women's soccer team amid final preparations for its quarterfinal against China on Friday, and coach Jill Ellis knows it.

She was peppered with questions on Thursday about her tactics and whether striker Abby Wambach - an aging veteran but still a commanding presence on the field - can once again shoulder a heavy burden of playing time.

Wambach will be available in Friday's match after receiving only a warning from FIFA for her comments about the officiating in the team's 2-0 win over Colombia.

Ellis said Wambach's minutes have been "probably right on" where the coach expected them to be.

"I think she'd be ready to go for 90 minutes if asked," Ellis added.

What will it take for the U.S. team to deliver the kind of commanding performance everyone has been waiting for? Forward Alex Morgan preached patience, not just for fans but as a value on the field.

"I think that we're seeing moments of greatness, but we're just not seeing 90 minutes of that," Morgan said. "We saw a little bit of impatience in the last game, and then we settled in the second half and got into a rhythm. We need that a little sooner."

Being without key creative midfielders Lauren Holiday and Megan Rapinoe, both suspended because of yellow card accumulation, won't make the Americans' task any easier. Whoever comes in, whether as starters or substitutes, will try to crack a Chinese squad that will likely be happy to sit back and defend for most of the night.

"They don't give much away," Ellis said. "They're a very organized team, probably one of the best-organized teams in the tournament. They make it very, very hard for you to break [them] down."

A few reporters tried to get the often-coy Ellis to divulge any hints about her likely starting lineup and tactics. Ellis didn't bite.

"A lineup is just an alignment of players," Ellis said. "It's really about how mobile we are, it's really about what we commit to in terms of how we want to play, and it's about selecting the right tools that we feel will be beneficial in this match."

Ellis conceded, though, that those players who have said the team isn't playing at its best - most notably Wambach and Carli Lloyd - are right.

"In front of you guys, it's about keeping it positive," Ellis said. "It's not a matter of being satisfied. . . . Certainly, we're capable of a lot more, and I think that's the expectation on ourselves."

It certainly is nothing new for American teams to produce strong performances in backs-against-the-wall mode at a World Cup. Becky Sauerbrunn, a key cog in the dominant U.S. defense, made that point while seated next to Ellis.

"This team performs better when it's under pressure," Sauerbrunn said. "We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to be the best."

The game will be the first meeting in a World Cup between the United States and China since their legendary clash in the 1999 Women's World Cup final.

"What's past is past," China coach Hao Wei said through an interpreter. "It doesn't make any difference."

StartText

Friday at 7:30 p.m., Lansdowne Stadium,

Ottawa, Ontario.

TV: Fox29.

Keys for the

United StatesExpect China to sit back defensively, as many other teams do when facing the Americans' vaunted attack. The United States will have more of a challenge than usual with key creative midfielders Lauren Holiday and Megan Rapinoe suspended because of yellow card accumulation. ... Morgan Brian is likely to replace Holiday, and there will be plenty of pressure on her and central partner Carli Lloyd. . . . Christen Press seems to be the leading candidate to replace Rapinoe.

Scouting China

FIFA ranking: 16th.

Past World Cups: Five (1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007)

Players to watch: Goalkeeper Wang Fei has 13 saves through four games. . . . Wang Lisi and Wang Shanshan have scored two goals each and are the only Chinese players to have scored in the tournament.

- Jonathan Tannenwald

EndText