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Baby steps Bora preps for another World Cup challenge with China
Updated: Thursday February 08, 2001 11:59 AM
OAKLAND, California (Reuters) -- The task at hand looms large, but Bora Milutinovic approaches it with his own characteristic aplomb. Known as "The Miracle Worker," Milutinovic is the only coach in history to take four countries to the second round of the World Cup finals, but now the jovial Serb faces perhaps his biggest challenge: guiding the People's Republic of China to the 2002 finals in South Korea and Japan. "Results for me right now don't matter," Milutinovic said just before his team lost 2-1 to the United States in another preparatory friendly at the end of last month. "Right now, I am looking for the right players, trying to play as many games as possible, getting the team some experience." The 56-year-old Milutinovic is in his second year in charge of the squad from a country that has a population of 1.3 billion, but is still taking baby steps in the world of international soccer. Milutinovic was coach of the MetroStars in U.S. Major League Soccer until October 1999. Their long-term aim is to gain some of the respect neighbors Japan and South Korea have garnered. Their short-term one is to reach the World Cup finals for the first time. The fact the finals are also in Asia for the first time is an added incentive. "The team is young," says Milutinovic, who counts only 12 of his pool of 30 players as a "serious" part of his team. "They don't have a lot of experience, but they're learning. "All of these friendlies are valuable for us. I don't have the time I had with the United States to prepare as I would like to. I had 92 games between 1991-94 with the U.S., but we are making progress." Past gloriesMilutinovic took Mexico (1986), Costa Rica (1990), the United States (1994) and Nigeria (1998) to the second round of the World Cup but past glories mean little when there are rumblings in the Chinese media and soccer circles for Milutinovic to produce results, especially following losses to Egypt and Iran in recent friendlies. "The pressure is part of the job," he said. "But for me, I would rather lose all the friendlies and qualify for World Cup." China field a team that is physically fit and very quick, yet technically far from astute -- and unlike the women's team, the Chinese men are tagged as chronic underachievers. A single Olympic appearance (1988) and a trip to the Asian Cup championship in 1984 where they lost to Saudi Arabia stand as China's only major international merits. The 12-team Chinese professional league is now six years old and beginning to produce better players, with the versatile Fan Zhiyi now established at English first division club Crystal Palace. Increased corporate sponsorship make it possible for the team to travel more and improve training and playing facilities. "We are making improvements," said Li Xiaoguang, the general manager of China's national teams. "Bora is teaching the team how to play modern football and he is developing leadership on the team. The players are better, there's more confidence and they have more ideas about how to play the game." Current U.S. coach Bruce Arena lauds Milutinovic for helping build the American program. "Bora not only brought our team to the next level of international play with the second-round appearance in the World Cup, but he also taught our players how to be professionals," Arena said. "He was a catalyst for what this team has become." Milutinovic knows all too well the fine line coaches walk between adulation and the sack. "When the team does well, you as a coach are good, but when the team's not good, you aren't either. My suitcase is always packed," he quipped. China open qualification in April and face the Maldive Islands, Cambodia and Indonesia in the opening round. For now, Milutinovic concentrates on putting the pieces of a challenging puzzle together. On Saturday China plays Sweden in the opening match of the Kings Cup in Thailand and will also meet Thailand and Qatar as the preparations continue. "Soccer is my life," he says. "I love my job. The language isn't a problem either. I speak soccer language, I take the ball and I play with my team. I show them what needs to be done. We're making progress and that's what is important."
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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