China Adds PSV Eindhoven to Warm-up Schedule for World Cup Finals

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, March 30, 2002

China Adds PSV Eindhoven to Warm-up Schedule for World Cup Finals

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China's national soccer team, who will make its debut in this summer's World Cup finals, has decided to play top Dutch club PSV Eindhoven in Shanghai on May 19, increasing its warm-ups to five matches in April and May.

According to the Chinese Football Association on Saturday, the China-Eindhoven game, to be played in the 80,000-capacity stadium,will also mark the end of the second China International Soccer Expo, scheduled for May 16-19 in Shanghai.

PSV Eindhoven, one of the strongest teams of the Netherlands, has taken 15 titles for Dutch First Division League, seven for Dutch Cup, one each for the European Champions League and the UEFACup. The team's brightest glory came in 1988 when it swept the champions for the domestic league, cup and the European Champions League in a single season.

Besides PSV Eindhoven, China will play against South Korea, Uruguay, Ecuador and Portugal in its build up to the World Cup finals. All the four opponents are qualifiers for the 2002 World Cup finals to be co-hosted by South Korea and Japan on May 31-June30.

After the China's First Division League suspends on April 14, making way for the country's preparation for the World Cup finals,all the national team players will gather in Kunming, the well-known soccer training center in southwestern China, and stay thereuntil April 26.

On April 27, the national team will fly to South Korean city ofInchon to play a friendly against its South Korean counterpart.

Then the Chinese team will come back to Kunming for a relatively-long training camp of two weeks ahead of the World Cup soccer tournament.

The national squad will enter a period of frequent warm-ups since May 16 when they face Uruguay in Shenyang, the capital city of Liaoning province of China.

On May 19 and May 22, China will play against PSV Eindhoven andEcuador respectively in Shanghai.

May 25 will see China's last warm-up against Portugal in Macao.

China has been drawn in Group C of the World Cup finals, alongside Brazil, Costa Rica and Turkey. China will meet Costa Rica in Gwngju on June 4, face Brazil in Seogwipo on June 8 and play Turkey in Seoul on June 13.

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