In the end, Germany's size and outstanding goalkeeping proved too much for the much smaller Brazilian side. Marta's speed and mastery, while incredible to watch, was mostly neutralized by the power of the defenders around her. Still, she had the crowd on her side - every time she touched the ball, 31,000 fans screamed her name. The suspense hanging over the stadium when she took the penalty kick was surreal. But Nadine Angerer proved the difference in the match, as she continued her remarkable unbeaten streak.

Despite their accomplishment of playing in their first ever World Cup final, the despair from the Brazilian squad after the whistle blew could be felt in the stands. Many of them lay on the field with their hands covering their eyes, as the Germans celebrated their second title in a row.

For us, it was also a celebration of the end to a long month.

In the end, Germany's size and outstanding goalkeeping proved too much for the much smaller Brazilian side. Marta's speed and mastery, while incredible to watch, was mostly neutralized by the power of the defenders around her. Still, she had the crowd on her side - every time she touched the ball, 31,000 fans screamed her name. The suspense hanging over the stadium when she took the penalty kick was surreal. But Nadine Angerer proved the difference in the match, as she continued her remarkable unbeaten streak.

Despite their accomplishment of playing in their first ever World Cup final, the despair from the Brazilian squad after the whistle blew could be felt in the stands. Many of them lay on the field with their hands covering their eyes, as the Germans celebrated their second title in a row.

For us, it was also a celebration of the end to a long month. We had some remarkable experiences - the highlight was being able to cover the Canadian side as closely as we did, and the lowlight of course, the Cheryl Salisbury last minute goal that ended their tournament.

We saw some remarkable sights - I'll never forget reporting from the Great Wall of China. And the city of Shanghai is spectacular. We went out for dinner on the Bund River two nights ago and as our cameraman Keith went outside to take some video of the remarkable skyline, fireworks exploded over the river, enthralling the crowds.

It's been a long time away however, and a tough country to work in. We often had run-ins with security in the stadiums, who often tried to prevent us from going into areas we were permitted to go. And the language barrier was extremely difficult, as very few people speak English. Finally we would have to resort to just barging through, never knowing if those guns slung over their shoulders might actually be used on us.

One thing that we never got used to was the spitting. It is extremely common for men to spit - noisily - anywhere and everywhere. It's one sound I won't miss when I'm back home. It's so bad that the Beijing authorities have launched a crackdown on it leading up to the Olympics - in true Chinese form, they have a high-tech surveillance vehicle which records people violating the ban - and they are ordered to either clean it up or pay a fine. But throughout the rest of the cities we visited, the practice is thriving.

And finally, the smog. It was worse than we were prepared for. We all had difficulty breathing, particularly in Hangzhou, and it does make me wonder how the athletes will be able to compete in Beijing next August.

But overall - it was one of those trips of a lifetime. To learn about and experience another culture that is so vastly different than your own, is a rare treasure, and one I'm very thankful of.

To be in the stands during the final game, to see the best female footballers in the world, and to feel the charge of the crowd, was a thrilling moment.

Thanks to all of you who followed along with our journey, and who took the time to respond, and to tune in. I hope you enjoyed our coverage.

So long from China.

Those of you following the story know that I interviewed U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo in the mix zone after the stunning loss to Brazil - in fact, our CBC crew was the only media to interview her. We had a deal with the ESPN crew that we would share interviews, because of the craziness of the mix zone, and the fact the press conference with the US coach was happening concurrently. They did not get the Solo interview, so they asked us for it.

That led to what we're referring to as "the international incident."

Those of you following the story know that I interviewed U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo in the mix zone after the stunning loss to Brazil - in fact, our CBC crew was the only media to interview her. We had a deal with the ESPN crew that we would share interviews, because of the craziness of the mix zone, and the fact the press conference with the U.S. coach was happening concurrently. They did not get the Solo interview, so they asked us for it.

That led to what we're referring to as "the international incident." ESPN led with our interview with Solo (disappointingly, without giving the CBC credit for it, and cropping it so you couldn't see the CBC microphone). It seems every news agency in the States, as well as numerous blogs and forums, picked up on the story and how Solo blasted the coach for making the decision to bench her (again, most stories credit ESPN erroneously as having got the interview).

The repercussions have been enormous. While Solo stands by her decision to speak out, defying the American media relations liaison Aaron Heifetz in doing so, and she stands by her criticism of the coach, she has apologized in person and on her MySpace page for what was widely construed as an insult to teammate Briana Scurry, who was put in net in place of Solo. She said at the time that she would have made the saves Scurry did not. There’s no way of knowing if that was true, and surely the entire American team must take responsibility for being outplayed by the Brazilians. But I understand Solo's point - she has to believe she would have won that game because she is a competitive, professional athlete. No one would have expected her to say anything different. The unfortunate part is that is now appears she is being vilified for comments made against a teammate.

She is also facing repercussions from the team, as she has been criticized by coach Greg Ryan for "not standing together" - and has been suspended for the final game against Norway. According to Ryan: "We have moved forward with 20 players who have stood by each other, who have battled for each other." It's a terrible way for Solo to end a tournament, that for her, was brilliant: she had not allowed a goal in almost 300 minutes of play, prior to getting benched for the game against Brazil.

For Ryan as well, the future hangs in the balance. According to the Associated Press, the president of the U.S. Soccer Federation, Sunil Gulati, has announced that Ryan's contract is up at the end of the year, and he has not said if it will be renewed. He said in events like this there is a quick analysis of what went wrong, and what went right, and it will happen "even more quickly in this case."

It has been one of the most interesting chapters of my career. I maintain I acted correctly in asking Solo if she wanted to talk, and I did so in the media-sanctioned mix zone. It was when she heard Heifetz tell me I could only talk to players who actually played the game, that she came back to me and gave me the interview. She was rightly furious at his actions, and that precipitated the emotion and anger she showed in the interview.

While she is being sanctioned for not standing with the team, I found it remarkable and refreshing that an athlete spoke from her heart. So often all we get in those mix zones are the standard media-trained clips - "We gave 110 per cent out there," etc. (If anyone remembers the scene in Bull Durham, you know what I'm talking about). Agree with Solo or not, I think she had incredible guts to speak out about what was clearly a terrible decision.

I don't regret asking her for the interview, but I do regret how that interview has hurt her reputation.

It's not an easy line.

More after we find out who goes home with the title - will Germany be the first ever team to defend, or will the Brazilians - who get so little recognition in their own country - capture their first ever Women's World Cup and finally get the appreciation they clearly deserve. It should be a fantastic battle between the top two teams here.

Stay tuned.

Hope Solo, of course, was coming off three consecutive clean sheets, Scurry had not played a minute here in China. But Scurry's record against Brazil was 12-0. She had beaten them three months ago in the States, as well as in that hard-fought battle in Athens in the Olympic gold-medal final. Solo had never played against Brazil. A bold move by Ryan, which he said was guided "by his heart."

Of course, hindsight is 20-20, but what a bad move it appeared to be. On a corner kick by Formiga, defender Leslie Osborne headed the ball into her own net past Scurry. Surely that set the US back on their heels as the Brazilian side went up 1-0 on the fluke goal.

Hope Solo, of course, was coming off three consecutive clean sheets, Scurry had not played a minute here in China. But Scurry's record against Brazil was 12-0. She had beaten them three months ago in the States, as well as in that hard-fought battle in Athens in the Olympic gold-medal final. Solo had never played against Brazil. A bold move by Ryan, which he said was guided "by his heart."

Of course, hindsight is 20-20, but what a bad move it appeared to be. On a corner kick by Formiga, defender Leslie Osborne headed the ball into her own net past Scurry. Surely that set the US back on their heels as the Brazilian side went up 1-0 on the fluke goal.

Seven minutes later, Marta made sure, and it was Brazil up 2-0. At this point we were wondering when Solo would be back in net. During the half, she was warming up, and we were convinced she would start the second half. During the entire first half she sat motionless on the bench, as her team was clearly outplayed by the Brazilians. You could almost feel the anger from her for not being able to contribute to her side.

It didn't help that Swiss ref Nicole Petignat made a horrible call at the end of the first half, sending off Shannon Boxx for alleged contact with Cristiane (her second yellow card) forcing the American side to take the second half a player down.

Cristiane and Marta, the tournament's top two leading scorers, took advantage of the U.S. disarray following Boxx's ejection. Two more goals from them, and they were dancing their way into their first-ever World Cup final.

For the two American goalies, it was a night of despair.

For me, the fascinating part of the night was in the "mix zone" where the athletes have to walk by the press, to get to the team bus.

We were busy getting a clip from Abby Wambach when I saw Hope Solo, clearly upset, walking by. I said quietly, "Hope, do you want to comment?" The press person for the U.S., Aaron Heifetz, said out loud to me, "She didn't play, you only want to talk to people who played the game." Hope spun on her heels when she heard Heifetz say that and said, "No, I want to talk!" This is after she had walked by ESPN and other crews waiting to get clips. We were the first crew to interview her, and the first thing she said is that it was the wrong decision not to put her in net, and that she would have stopped those shots. Also, she said, the only people who would have made that decision, didn't understand the game of soccer. A stunning announcement from her, and clearly something the press person didn't want her to say. She went on to say she didn't understand the decision, that this was 2007, not 2004 (a reference to Scurry's performance in the Olympic final in 2004) and that she was terribly upset by the decision to keep her on the sidelines.

She was honest, fair, and to the point, and in my opinion, quite brave to even do the interview when she was clearly devastated at the team's result. Even more interestingly, as she walked away from the interview, she again spun on her heels and said to Heifetz: "Don't you ever tell me what interviews I can do."

Then we attempted to talk to goalkeeper Briana Scurry about the game. The same PR person who told us we can only talk to players who actually played the game, refused to let Scurry stop to talk to us. I called out to Scurry to ask her to talk and she pointed to Heifetz and said, "He's the boss." I told her she was her own boss and Hope was willing to talk to us. Scurry shook her head, and walked away.

Afterward, I told Heifetz that wasn't fair to keep Scurry away from the press. He told me what wasn't fair, was the way I was "digging" at Hope Solo. I pointed out she was the one who wanted to talk, but he walked away from me, shaking his head.

I feel I only acted as I was supposed to do as a journalist. I approached Hope in a gentle way, simply asking her if she wanted to talk. When she was told by her PR person that she wouldn't talk, she reacted in a way I think I would have in the same situation. While many times PR people are helpful in these situations, Aaron Heifitz managed to upset and anger Solo even more. That led to good clips for us that ESPN even borrowed, since they didn't have them.

It was a good lesson - always be polite in the mix zone, always ask people if they want to talk, because sometimes you'll be surprised at what you get.

It is terribly disappointing that the U.S. was refusing to allow the goalie they put forward in their most important match not answer questions from the world media.

Even when the Canadians were unexpectedly knocked out in group stage against the Aussies, many of them were willing to face the music, not just with us, but with the Australian media as well. I think the U.S. could learn a thing or two from the Canadians' team management.

And my heart goes out to both American goalies, who were both put in unfair positions, in my humble opinion.

On to Shanghai, as the U.S. try to rebound against Norway, and the Brazilians will be in their first-ever World Cup final, against the apparently unstoppable Germans, reaching the final with the first-ever five clean sheets.

Can't wait!

The last few days have been quite interesting - we were on hand in Tianjin for the exciting game between Australia and Brazil. We've been spending a lot of time with the Aussie television crew here from SBS, but before the game started we were a little concerned about how badly we thought Australia would lose the game. Turns out we were incredibly impressed with the battle put up by the Aussie side, but again, like the Norway/Canada game, a blown call by the ref made the difference.

Brazil was awarded its penalty kick just over 20 minutes in after Australia's Kate McShea tackled Renata Costa a few steps outside the box. Referee Christine Beck immediately pointed to the penalty spot and the indomitable Marta wasn't about to miss.

The last few days have been quite interesting - we were on hand in Tianjin for the exciting game between Australia and Brazil. We've been spending a lot of time with the Aussie television crew here from SBS, but before the game started we were a little concerned about how badly we thought Australia would lose the game. Turns out we were incredibly impressed with the battle put up by the Aussie side, but again, like the Norway/Canada game, a blown call by the ref made the difference. Brazil was awarded its penalty kick just over 20 minutes in after Australia's Kate McShea tackled Renata a few steps outside the box. Referee Christine Beck immediately pointed to the penalty spot and the indomitable Marta wasn't about to miss.

Our cameraman was focused right on the play and said there was no foul at all. Still, that's sports, and the result can't be changed. The Matildas are to be commended from coming back from a 2-0 deficit after losing their captain in the first 20 minutes of play to stage a valid run at moving on to the semis.

I was amazed to see truly how quick Marta and Cristiane are - they can cover the field in mere seconds and keep up that pace through the whole game. It will be interesting to see how they stack up against a fast American team - lots of history between these two sides.

We also had a chance to travel into Beijing for a day, and to visit the Great Wall. What an incredible opportunity, although next time I go, I'd rather do it without hauling camera equipment up and down those stairs. My quads are still aching. And the spot that we were at was quite touristy and busy - I'd love to go a little further away and really experience it properly, without the tacky souvenir shops. Still, just to see this amazing, imposing structure snake its way through the countryside was breathtaking. Our feature on it will run this Sunday in between the final two games.

Beijing was insanely busy. The traffic is atrocious and makes me wonder how they will stage the Olympics successfully when it takes so long to get anywhere. I know there will be dedicated "Olympic" lanes, but the drivers here don't really observe any rules of the road, so I'm not sure how well that's going to work.

Case in point - today we headed in a cab to the Hangzhou stadium. If someone is turning left ahead of you, the normal thing to do is wait until they turn, and then you go. Not here. A cab was turning left in front of us, so our driver drove in front of him, cutting him off, so he could turn first. The other driver then continued driving forward, hitting our cab on my door. Thankfully we were all going slowly, so the damage wasn’t too bad and none of us was hurt. A bit shaken up however. On the way back, there was a lot of traffic on our side so the driver went the whole way home on the wrong side of the road. We did get there fast, but our hearts were in our mouths. You know the driving is bad when you're looking forward to the streets of Toronto.

Tomorrow is the last semifinal before we head to Shanghai. The winner will play Germany in the final, the loser to play Norway for bronze. We spoke a lot to the American team today, especially the two goalkeepers. Coach Greg Ryan has made a decision to put the second-string goalie, Briana Scurry, in net because of the immense success she has had against the Brazilian side. The regular starting goalkeeper, Hope Solo, is quite upset about the decision, especially since she's had three consecutive shutouts. An interesting move, and one that is being widely questioned here. Whether or not the strategy pays off will be answered tomorrow. Stay tuned!

For Canada, this was a result they hadn't predicted. Even with their backs against the wall, they were optimistic about a win against Australia. I talked to the team before hand, and they said they loved that type of pressure, and in fact, thrived on it.

That much was clear early on, as Melissa Tancredi scored the second fastest goal in World Cup history, 32 seconds into the match. Canada seemed to be on fire ... and that was capped by the Sinclair goal at the 85th minute of the game. It seemed that it would be a red tide going on to the quarter-finals, until the Aussie captain Cheryl Salisbury destroyed the hopes of a nation with her goal in the 92nd minute.

For Canada, this was a result they hadn't predicted. Even with their backs against the wall, they were optimistic about a win against Australia. I talked to the team before hand, and they said they loved that type of pressure, and in fact, thrived on it.

That much was clear early on, as Melissa Tancredi scored the second fastest goal in World Cup history, 32 seconds into the match. Canada seemed to be on fire ... and that was capped by the Sinclair goal at the 85th minute of the game. It seemed that it would be a red tide going on to the quarter-finals, until the Aussie captain Cheryl Salisbury destroyed the hopes of a nation with her goal in the 92nd minute.

The reaction from us, standing beside the Aussie journalists, was a complete see-saw. We thought the game was over with Sinclair's goal, until the indomitable Salisbury tied it up. It was heartbreak, in a second.

We waited in the flash area for an interview with someone for the Canadian team, knowing no one really wanted to talk. But Andrea Neil, who has been called the vocal leader of the team, stepped up to say, although it was heartbreaking, it was a well-fought game and she was proud of what the team accomplished.

We were so taken by the Canadian team members' reactions. It's hard to cover a team for this amount of time and not feel compassion towards them. To see Kara Lang's reaction on the field truly brought tears to our eyes. This was a team that expected to contend - and though no one would say so, if that blown call in the game against Norway had been allowed, Canada would be headed to Tianjin now, instead of going home.

That being said, my crew and I were so incredibly impressed with the class of our athletes. I couldn't imagine a more difficult time to face the media, but we got really good interviews from Kara Lang, Christine Sinclair, Martina Franko, Andrea Neil and goalkeeper Erin McLeod.

The mood was horrible - all the girls were in tears, as was the team manager. And the coach, Even Pellerud was stoic in his disappointment, but it was clear how deeply he felt the loss.

But the girls stepped up to the mic, and one by one, explained what they felt happened. They felt they had outplayed the Aussies, but as is what happens in sport, a good shot at the 92nd minute ended their dreams. They were disappointed, yes, but classy in their respect of the Australian team.

Tonight at the hotel, one by one, the girls came over to thank us for our coverage and for being here to show the world what they had done. That was a very impressive move on their part - it would have been just as easy to ignore us - but said volumes about the team itself, and those around it.

If nothing else, these girls can hold their heads high. They played a great tournament, and above all, were incredible ambassadors for their sport, and for Canada.

We will miss them.

More later from Tianjin.

Being in the stands in the Hangzhou Dragon Stadium for the game against Ghana was incredible. We got to sit right behind the host commentator, Gary Bloom, who is worth his weight in gold in terms of insight into the game. Although we were a little bit nervous at the half with the score of only 1-0 for Canada, he told us that the Canadian team's ability to keep the ball up in the air, and to be precise on goal, would eventually wear down the Ghanian team. His analysis turned out to be prophetic, as Canada scored 3 goals in the 2nd half to win 4-0. It was a jubilant team that we got to interview post-game. Captain Christine Sinclair, with her two goal night, set a record for the most World Cup goals for a female Canadian soccer player. Her leadership on and off the field has been evident here in China, and she's been a great asset to the team, as well as to our coverage, as she's always willing to be interviewed and give solid analysis.

It was also nice to see the "vocal leader" of the team, Andrea Neil, set the record for international caps - at 131. She's been a real morale booster for team, and in her fourth World Cup, she's been invaluable at helping the younger players get used to the situation they're finding themselves in.

That situation got a bit more difficult when Australia played to a 1-1 tie with Norway. What that now means is that Canada must win against Australia to advance. Of course, that brings the whole blown call against Melissa Tancredi in their first game against Norway into perspective, because if that goal had been allowed, as everyone agrees it should have been, and Canada and Norway had tied, Australia and Canada would be tied in the standings. And in the case of a possible draw between Canada and Australia on Wednesay, Canada would progress to the quarter-finals because of the goal differential against Ghana (4 for Canada, 3 for Australia). The matchup Wednesday between the two sides should be fascinating. Australia plays a very fast paced game, but has some weaknesses in their defence that Canada will have to capitalize on.

We've had some interesting moments as we reflect back on our time in Hangzhou. Two of the funnier moments - our cameraman Keith woke up in the middle of the night to a woman in his room, who didn't speak a word of English, and to this day we don't know what she was doing there, but she apparently apologized profusely before leaving. We thought it might have been a dream, but he swears it was real. We do wonder if the local Tsing Tao beer played any part in this possible hallucination.

We also had a fascinating cab ride. We had gone out to see the Canadian team train, and the pitch was about an hour outside of Hangzhou. We had traveled out on the team bus, but had to take a cab back. There were no taxis where we were, so the local police commandeered a van to drive us back. The van they found for us was on its last legs, so we were a bit concerned anyway about our chances to make it back to Hangzhou. One thing we've learned here is that it is quite common to spit everywhere - the pollution taking its toll on everyone. Our van had all the windows down to deal with the incredible heat and humidity, and so when our "cabbie" spit out his window, it actually flew back in and landed on me. Let's chalk that up to one of the less glamourous moments of my television career.

Some of the more fascinating moments however - after the game against Ghana, we went onto the pitch to do a post-game interview with Christine Sinclair. When my producer Jennifer Barr and I were walking off the field, the Chinese fans in the stands kept calling to us and waving, to take our pictures. We didn't know what to make of that reaction at first, but it seemed they were generally interested and proud to have foreign journalists in their stadium. It was our 15 minutes of fame, I suppose. However, I always thought if I became a celebrity, I'd be wearing something fancier than the hideous brown shapeless bib given to us by FIFA to give us access to the field. Let's just say Dolce & Gabanna weren't involved in the design. That being said, it was definitely a nice moment that we will both always remember. The Chinese people have been fantastic to deal with, always anxious to please "the foreigners" and making sure they can provide us with whatever we need. They are so proud to be hosting this event, and it's definitely an interesting trip as we lead up to the Beijing Olympics.

We've been continually impressed with the Canadian "team behind the team" here in China. From the manager, Les Meszaros, to the coach, Even Pellerud, down to the medical staff, we've had great access and insight into how the Canadian women are doing. There are a few Canadian journalists here following their progress, and the team is always obliging to help us out in our jobs. Frankly, we'd be lost without their patience and understanding as we all try to do our jobs so far away from home.

Tomorrow, we head to the Panda Research Centre with the team - two baby pandas were born here in the last month, so we're looking forward to seeing them, and seeing Team Canada away from the pitch.

Stay tuned for that, and for updates as they head into the game Wednesday against Australia. Both teams were on the flight today, and the tension between the two sides was more than evident. Both countries know a loss Wednesday, and their World Cup dreams are finished.

Exciting times in Chengdu - I'll be back with more from China soon.

We're interested in hearing your response to our coverage of the FIFA Women's World Cup, so please feel free to respond and let us know what you think.

Good night, from China.

We were in the stadium for the game, and were so impressed during the first half, and couldn't believe how strong the team looked. But after halftime, the momentum changed.

We asked the players about it and they said they felt like they came out so hard in the first half, that they didn't have the legs for the second half. Norway definitely sensed the shift and capitalized on it. The team has said they need to do a better job of pacing through the whole 90 minutes - and they'll have to do that against Ghana.

We were in the stadium for the game, and were so impressed during the first half, and couldn't believe how strong the team looked. But after halftime, the momentum changed.

We asked the players about it and they said they felt like they came out so hard in the first half, that they didn't have the legs for the second half. Norway definitely sensed the shift and capitalized on it. The team has said they need to do a better job of pacing through the whole 90 minutes - and they'll have to do that against Ghana.

Even though Ghana is only ranked 47th, they have a physical running game which might be hard for Canada to get used to. We'll get a chance to see the match later today, Hangzhou time. It really is a must-win game for Canada, and they're definitely not taking an easy win for granted.

Tomorrow we move to Chengdu, which is the panda capital of China. We're looking forward to a change of scenery as we've been in Hangzhou for about 10 days now. We've really enjoyed our time here, but we're itching to see more of this fascinating country.

We're also hoping there is less smog in Chengdu, as we're all beginning to feel the effect of the pollution. It definitely wears you down, and the players have noticed it as well. It does make me wonder how much of a factor the pollution in Beijing will be for the Olympics next year.

I'll check back in once we arrive in Chengdu. The game there against Australia could stack up to be the most important one for Canada as the two teams may well be battling it out for second place in the group, and the chance to advance to the quarter-finals.

Talk soon,
Erin

It is high travel season here in Hangzhou, and the Chinese people seemed to be just as fascinated with us, as we were by the scenery. As we prepared to shoot our standups, a large crowd gathered to watch. Our fixer (translator) was asked if I was a famous actress! I had to laugh and hoped they weren't disappointed to hear I was only a sports reporter from Toronto, Canada.

We are amazed by this beautiful vibrant city, which manages to beautifully blend the excitement of Times Square with the history of one of the world's oldest cultures. The people here are extremely curious about us, and we never fail to draw a small crowd, especially when the television camera comes out.

It is high travel season here in Hangzhou, and the Chinese people seemed to be just as fascinated with us, as we were by the scenery. As we prepared to shoot our standups, a large crowd gathered to watch. Our fixer (translator) was asked if I was a famous actress! I had to laugh and hoped they weren't disappointed to hear I was only a sports reporter from Toronto, Canada.

We are amazed by this beautiful vibrant city, which manages to beautifully blend the excitement of Times Square with the history of one of the world's oldest cultures. The people here are extremely curious about us, and we never fail to draw a small crowd, especially when the television camera comes out.

The people of Hangzhou are very proud to be one of the host cities for the FIFA women's world cup of soccer. China was supposed to host the tournament in 2003, but because of the SARS epidemic, it was moved to the United States. One year out from the Beijing Olympics, and the pride in this country is evident. We talked to a Chinese journalist from the local television station today who said they are very honoured to be hosting the world in China, and bring international attention to their country.

Tonight we watched Canada's first opponent, Norway in practice. This is a team with both a World Cup title (1995) and Olympic gold (1996) to their credit - ironically, both achieved under the guidance of now-Canadian coach Even Pellerud. I was curious who gets the advantage in that situation - his former team that knows how he coaches, or the coach who knows his former team so well. Overwhelmingly, the Norwegian players say the advantage lies with Pellerud and the Canadian team (even though Pellerud will be serving out a one-game suspension for the match). The Norwegians acknowledge that while they are the favourite in the group, Canada and also Australia will give them stiff competition. Both Canada and Norway said to expect a very physical matchup when they take to the pitch at the Hangzhou Dragon Stadium on Wednesday.

Tomorrow is an off-day for us - and might just be the perfect time to check out some of the beautiful shops that line these busy streets. At least, that's what producer Jennifer Barr and I have in mind - we'll just have to convince our cameraman and fixer of it!

I'll check in on Monday - defending champions Germany take on Argentina in the first game of the tournament - stay tuned!

My crew and I will be covering the Women's World Cup on the ground, and over the next month, I hope to provide you with some insight to the Canadian team, the tournament, and some of the culture here in this remarkable country.

We arrived in Shanghai on Thursday after a 14.5 hr flight from Toronto. Our first destination is the town of Hangzhou, where Group C will play their preliminary games. Hangzhou is a 3 hour drive from Shanghai - not exactly ideal after a long flight, but made even more daunting because of the nature of the driving here in China, where it seems to be that anyone who has the guts gets the right of the road. Being from Toronto, I thought I was a fearless driver, but I've met my match. Thankfully we've hired drivers here, or else we'd still be stuck at the airport, trying to get out of the roundabout, in a scene reminiscent of National Lampoon's European Vacation.

My crew and I will be covering the Women's World Cup on the ground, and over the next month, I hope to provide you with some insight to the Canadian team, the tournament, and some of the culture here in this remarkable country.

We arrived in Shanghai on Thursday after a 14.5 hr flight from Toronto. Our first destination is the town of Hangzhou, where Group C will play their preliminary games. Hangzhou is a 3 hour drive from Shanghai - not exactly ideal after a long flight, but made even more daunting because of the nature of the driving here in China, where it seems to be that anyone who has the guts gets the right of the road. Being from Toronto, I thought I was a fearless driver, but I've met my match. Thankfully we've hired drivers here, or else we'd still be stuck at the airport, trying to get out of the roundabout, in a scene reminiscent of National Lampoon's European Vacation.

At the hotel, we were met by staff excited about North American journalists travelling halfway around the world to cover the event. Flags from around the 16 countries were flying in the lobby, and all of Hangzhou seems to be buzzing about hosting Group C, which features favourites Norway and Canada, as well as Australia and Ghana. It is different being in a country so overwhelmingly controlled by the state, however. For example, when we checked in we were told they had taken away our double rooms in order to put all the media on one floor - the one with single beds only - for our safety. That seems to be the catch phrase whenever the authorities step in. And they're not kidding - there is a 24 hour security guard on our floor who dutifully records each time we enter and leave our rooms.

The real excitement started for us today, when we went to see the beautiful Hangzhou Dragon Stadium, where the Zhejiang Greentown FC, of the Chinese Super League plays. With its stunning structure and natural turf, and seating for 52,000, it should serve as a spectacular venue for the matches.

Then it was off to meet Team Canada, who've been practicing and training in Singapore for the past week to acclimatize to the time zone and the heat here in Asia. Andrea Neil, the veteran on the team, who is playing in her fourth World Cup and is set to break Charmaine Hooper's all-time record of caps for Canada (131 when she takes the field to Norway on Wednesday) said it was a great thing for the team to come and prep there, especially since the heat and humidity is so bad in Singapore, it makes the low 30 degree here temperatures feel refreshing.

Climate is a big thing to these athletes. Team Canada's medical staff have brought puffers for all the athletes to help deal with the pollution - a good air day here is about 100 times what we're used to in Toronto (which is probably at least twice as much as the rest of the country)!

Our communication skills have not worked as smoothly as the rest of our trip, probably not helped by our cameraman Keith Whelan, who is from Newfoundland, and whose accent is tough for even us to understand. So far, he's got Chinese people we meet saying "How ya' gettin' on, by'?" I think between that, and his remarkable ability to turn everything into a song, we've convinced the Chinese people that Canadians are crazy. And so far, the only Cantonese phrases we have picked up are "thank you" and "cold beer please.” However, that does seem to get us quite far.

At the Team Canada practice, we were surprised by the number of spectators out to watch the team, and it's a seemingly knowledgeable crowd. Our fixer, James, was particularly impressed by goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc, who made some unbelievable saves. By his reaction, you would have thought he was at Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final. It gave us a lot of excitement as we watched the team practice, and we saw the confidence they had.

The team had some bad press after a bronze place finish in the Pan Am games, after a dismal loss (7-0) to the home Brazilian side, and then another loss to the U-20 American team. But several of the players and the coach said today they took the few weeks after that tournament to regroup and rest. They were extremely tired from their hectic travel schedule, and riddled with injuries, said the best thing they could do to prepare was to get reinvigorated. From the practice we saw today, the team has done just that. They were full of energy, and sharp.

The test of course comes on Wednesday with their first game against the top side in the group, fourth ranked Norway. Of course the Canadian coach, Even Pellerud, is Norwegian, and helped that side to a World Cup title in 1995. The twist here in China is that Pellerud must serve a one game suspension after being ejected from the Gold Cup final in November - and that game is against his former team this Wednesday. The team has shown no qualms about Pellerud not being on the sidelines, in fact, they're joking about not having to hear him yelling during the game. Star striker Christine Sinclair said the preparation they have done with Pellerud prior to the match is what will get them through that first game. Pellerud of course is legendary in this tournament - having coached the most matches at the World Cup - and never failing to make the final four. So this is team filled with confidence, and not showing any sort of weakness. Tonight when the Norwegian team filed into the room beside us, you could sense the tension between the two top-seeded teams in the group. If nothing else, Wednesday's game is going to be packed with emotion.

Tomorrow, we meet the Norwegian side in person. It will be interesting to see what they have to say about their former coach, and their first opponents in the World Cup. On paper, you have to give it to the Norwegians - in the eight games the two sides have played - Norway has won or drawn all 8 games. But as the Canadian players said tonight, it's been a long time since the two teams have met, and it's a very different and very experienced Canadian side heading into battle Wednesday.

Stay tuned for more on the Norwegian side after tomorrow's practice.

And for all of you music trivia lovers out there - try to stump my cameraman Keith with an east coast tune. It is almost, but not quite, impossible. I stumped him with a Stan Rogers tune (Forty Five Years). He's got a ditty for just about any situation, and given what we've dealt with so far in China, that's a pretty amazing feat!

Talk at you soon.
Erin