One player that may not be competing for the Steel Roses at that World Cup is defender Xue Jiao, who injured her ACL in the team's opening game victory. And she has now undergone surgery in Germany to repair the damage.

The defender crumpled after trying to clear this ball, and needed to be stretchered off the pitch in their 4-nil win over Thailand. She has been ruled out for the remainder of the Asian Cup. She needed a massive knee brace to stabilize the joint after the game. Following her procedure in Germany she will need six to eight months to recover, which means Xue will miss not only this tournament, but her team's domestic league matches this year.