On June 26, when the American and Chinese women's teams faced each other in the semi-finals in the Football World Cup, it brought back memories of the last time they faced each other in the World Cup: the 1999 final in the United States. Then, after a scoreless game, the US won 5-4 on penalty kicks. This time, the US won 1-0 after a hard-fought game. The two games reflect not just how women's soccer has changed in the last 16 years, but also how China, the US and their relationship have changed.

Earlier, for Chinese fans, sports was the only area in which their country was able to compete with the world powers, and sporting success was linked with patriotism. The fact that most of the early successes were achieved by women did not matter much in the era when the public craved any kind of international recognition. With women's soccer being a new sport, the government-supported equality of the sexes enabled China to excel, a strategy that paid off over the years in many newly created women's events. China's early edge faded over time, as the world-wide participation of women expanded rapidly over the years.

Fast forward to 2015. The US-China rivalry is no longer new. Chinese patriots can now be proud of their achievements in many areas besides sports. However, attempts to wean sports off government support has had limited success. Corporate sponsorship was slow to take off because of the lack of a Western-style sports culture, and stringent registration procedures for non-governmental organizations discouraged the formation of sports clubs.