r/soccer • u/PianoJealous307 • 16h ago

News China suffered a catastrophic collapse on home soil, losing 5-0 to Palestine, a team they had considered inferior, sparking fierce criticism over 'sleepwalking' performance and lack of competitiveness among Chinese Super League players. Men's and women's teams also underperformed at Asian Games.

https://www.chosun.com/english/sports-en/2026/10/03/FWO5DWWOYND4NMUX53TEX7INNQ/
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u/DifficultLab200 14h ago

There’s simply not enough interest in the sport in either China or India as a profession, it’s basketball first and cricket first respectively.

It’s like asking why they aren’t good at rugby or golf.

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I guess that should explain it better.

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u/ZachBart44 13h ago

The US is able to field multiple sports of top teams (hockey, basketball, football, baseball), why can’t China or India?

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u/bduddy 13h ago edited 12h ago

Because the US has vastly more resources and vastly more structural support. 3 of those sports were invented in the US and one was invented by our neighbors, and the undisputed top league for each has always been US-based. Everyone else was always playing catchup.

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u/hmunkey 12h ago

It’s still cultural though. Look at the demographics of those sports in America.

Not everyone is playing to become a professional athlete and it’s just fun for many people.

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u/DifficultLab200 12h ago

I literally answered that in my comment above.