The measure of progress will be tomorrow's World Cup quarterfinal: the No. 1-ranked Americans — unbeaten in 50 games — vs. England, which hasn't defeated the United States in 19 years.

"Undoubtedly we are the underdogs," England coach Hope Powell said today. "They are expected to beat us. We are under no illusions."

A decade ago — even a few years ago — it would have been a mismatch.

This time, maybe not. England's 0-0 tie a week ago with defending champion Germany shows how far the English game has come, and why it's being carried live on the BBC, going head-to-head with a slate of English Premier League games.

"Hopefully there are a lot of people tuning in back home," defender Faye White said, charged with marking American striker Abby Wambach. "That's a massive boost for us as players to know the support back home is really getting behind us."

The English are essentially amateurs — teachers, students, mail carriers — playing the American professionals. It wasn't until the early 1970s that women were even allowed to play at stadiums run by men's pro clubs.

Though there's no U.S. women's league, players on the World Cup team will all earn more than $200,000 annually in salary and bonuses if the Americans win the World Cup.

The United States Soccer Federation spends about $10 million annually on the women's team, and runs a six-month residency camp in southern California.

Former Kahuku High and University of Hawai'i player Natasha Kai is on the U.S. squad.

It's difficult to compare, but the women's game in England is now getting nearly the same financial support, England spokesman Alex Stone said.

"It's been a steady progression," Powell said. "We've kind of hit the mark at the right time and we're by no means the finished article."

"It hasn't been overnight. It's been a long, long, long, long journey. Very long."

The United States has experience on its side. American teams have won two World Cups ('91 and '99). England has only one player with more than 70 international appearances. The United States has five with more than 100, and captain Kristine Lilly has more than 300.

The English were heartened by a 1-1 draw with the United States eight months ago at the Four Nations tournament in southern China. However, five Americans starters didn't play, among them defender Christie Rampone, midfielder Shannon Boxx, Lilly and Wambach.

They'll be playing tomorrow, and England will be without suspended midfielder Fara Williams. Its attack relies on striker Kelly Smith, who has four goals in three games.

The Americans have scored only five goals in three games: a 2-2 draw with North Korea and narrow victories over Sweden and Nigeria. They've been getting by with stout defending, covering for missed scoring chances.

"A lot of that has to do with how good the teams have been playing against us defensively," said Wambach, who's scored three goals. "North Korea was one of the best teams I've played in a long time, and that game was kind of a dogfight.

"The finishing for our team always does come. And it's just going to be a 
starkly with the city's sooty, pollution-laden air.

As players trained this morning, visibility was just a few hundred yards in an industrial haze that almost touched the ground.

The city of 10 million has problems similar to neighboring Beijing, whose air quality is being questioned for next year's Olympics.

"I probably could speak for the rest of us," Wambach said. "We do train in LA, we've just been training in many different cities. We travel all over the world. So we don't really feel like anything is going to affect us."

Tomorrow's other quarterfinal is defending champion Germany vs. North Korea in the central city of Wuhan.

On Sunday, Brazil — the only team to win all three group matches — faces Australia in Tianjin and Norway plays China in Wuhan.