Preview: US vs Korea

The US WNT has been in China for quite some time now, gearing up for their first game against North Korea with training sessions, sightseeing and everything else you could imagine doing in Chengdu, China a.k.a. the Panda Capital of the World. The Cup is only a weekend away, and with hordes of media crews trying to snap a photo or grab an interview with anyone wearing the red, white and blue, the WNT definitely feels the excitement. North Korea, our first opponents on September 11th and the fifth-ranked team in the world, is gearing up for the game too, but probably without all the hullabaloo (and yes, we just used the word “hullabaloo).

What are we going to see out of the North Koreans? Based on qualifying, a lot of competitive spirit. Like the other top teams from their region, they’re also technical, disciplined, and in top shape. Striker Ri Kum Suk, a Women’s Player of the Year nominee in 2006, leads the offense and will likely determine if the team can stay afloat in the Group of Death. Aside from that, there isn’t too much that’s known about the side.

On Tuesday the 11th, we’ll just have to wake up at 5:00am ET to check them out for ourselves (ESPN2).