After a year-long mess involving crackdowns on match-fixing and bribery, China's soccer needs a boost.

The Asian Cup should provide the perfect place to start the struggling sport's healing process.

But please do not use descriptions like "encouraging performances" or "rising stars" to comfort fans.

They are of no use to people like me who are desperate to see the team perform well on the field.

To me, a semifinal appearance for the 87th-ranked team in the world would speak much louder than hollow words.

If China can top Group A, it will probably skip Group B favorite Japan and clash with slumping West Asian giant Saudi Arabia.

It would be like a shot in the arm for the domestic league if China could beat Saudi Arabia and also enhance the sport's status as well as the team's preparations for 2014 World Cup qualifying.

The average age of the squad at the tournament is just 24 as China embarks on a long-term plan with qualification for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil as its objective.

The Asian Cup will definitely show us how much the team has improved since young coach Gao Hongbo took over in 2009 and how well it can compete with the continent's top teams, like Japan, South Korea and Australia.

Gao started well as last year marked a series of firsts for his side.

Its 3-0 defeat of South Korea at the East Asian Football Championship in February was its first victory over that rival in 28 attempts.

It missed out on a place at the World Cup in South Africa, but a shock 1-0 win over France on the island of Reunion in June was a stunning result.

However, surprise wins in small tournaments and warm-up games don't mean anything special.

History shows China tends to flop in big tournaments like the Asian Cup or World Cup qualifiers.

China has made one World Cup appearance, in 2002. It has made nine previous appearances at the Asian Cup but the closest it came to tasting success were runner-up finishes in 1984 and 2004.

There was huge disappointment at the last tournament, in 2007, when a 3-0 loss to Uzbekistan in Malaysia saw China crash out at the group stage.

A lack of mental application and fighting spirit at crucial times are always blamed for China's under-achievement.

I have seen something different for Gao's team over the past year as it has shown greater unity and more energy.

If coach Gao wants to erase the embarrassments of his predecessors, a semifinal appearance would be the best answer.

Chen Xiangfeng is a China Daily sports copy editor. You can reach him at chenxiangfeng@chinadaily.com.cn.