China will be trying to finish in the top two in their pool to earn a spot in the 2018 World Cup. If they do that, it will be the first time the PRC have been able to compete at football's showpiece event since 2002. And one of the key players in helping the team make that happen is Wu Xi. Peter Koveos, has a closer look at the midfielder.

Wu Xi started his professional career with Shanghai Shenhua. But now the 27-year-old plys his trade for Jiangsu Suning, and is captain of the CSL club.

He has also spent time with the national team, and has been a key member of the squad. In a match against Oman, in qualifying for the 2012 Olympics, the midfielder was able to find the net, but China lost 3-1, and failed to earn a spot to the London Games.

Wu said, "I think that in the first half, this is the hardest match of my career. The temperature is over fourty degrees. We faced big challenges, and we had little room for error. A lot of factors led to our failure in qualifying. It is a pity. But, this is how football goes sometimes."

In 2015, again on national team duty, this time facing Uzbekistan, Wu scored a second half marker, helping his side grab a 2-1 victory.

He was also a part of China's improbable run to this stage of qualifying. The PRC grabbed an unlikely 2-nil win over Qatar, in their final qualifying match, in the previous round in late March. That victory helping move the team closer to reaching the World Cup, a place they have not been to since their maiden appearance in 2002.

Wu said, "We will put all the pressure into improving our performance on the field. Reaching this level, and being in the top twelve in Asian qualifying will give us more confidence.   If you are confident on the pitch, you have the possibility to defeat your opponents. Everybody has same wish, to earn a berth to Russia, and we will try our best to achieve glory for China. "

Wu Xi and the rest of the Chinese squad begin that quest to get to Russia on September first.