Three-time Chinese Women’s Football of the Year Wang Shuang will be available to play in Racing Louisville FC’s Friday road matchup against the Houston Dash. It would potentially be the first match that the Chinese National Team superstar would play in the NWSL since signing with Racing earlier this week.
Wang began training Tuesday with her new Racing coaches and teammates, and the 2018 AFC Asian Footballer of the Year has impressed. Assistant coach Mario Sanchez called Wang “world class,” saying that “when you talk globally about the women’s game, she is right up there.”
“Even though there is somewhat of a language barrier,” Sanchez said, “Wang’s soccer IQ is so high that I can show her something one time and she can implement it, which speaks volumes to her as a soccer player.”
Coming to Louisville from her hometown club, Wuhan Jianghan University, could easily be a culture shock for Wang. However, she has been through this before – she joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2018. At both stops she’s been a teammate of Nadia Nadim.
Nadim was with PSG when Wang joined the club and helped her become accustomed to a new lifestyle in Paris. Nadim has already started in that role again in Louisville.
For Nadim, this process isn’t about her becoming an ambassador of sorts for Wang. It’s just part of the natural bedding-in process for a new signing, and in this case, an old friend.
“She does have to get used to the environment and the weather, which can be a big factor. I know it was for me,” Nadim said after Wednesday’s training session. “Everyone around me knows how hard it is to come to a new place with a different language. Everything feels so alienated. We want her to feel as comfortable as possible off the field so that she can be the best version of herself on the field.
“That’s what I want – for everyone to be great on the field, and sometimes that needs you to feel a part of the family off the field.”
One of the more difficult aspects of the transition to a new country can be the language barrier. Already used to working together in Paris, Nadim and Wang know how to communicate with each other, all the way down to simply pulling out their phones and using a text translator to assist.
“She’s gotten a lot better (with her English) I would say,” Nadim said, smiling. “Give her a couple of months and I think she’ll be ready for her first interview.”
Like Sanchez, Nadim raved about her friend.
“Wang is someone who is really good on the ball,” Nadim said. “She has a great left foot and is someone who is very technical but also works hard. She will add to our midfield, definitely. … Besides her being a great player, she is also an amazing person off the field, which I think is important for our club and our values, that we have players who want to be here and add more to what we are trying to build.”
