By SCOTT FRENCH, Senior Editor

Savior or not, no question Chinese businessman Xu Ming is the biggest thing to happen to the WUSA since the league kicked off nearly two years ago.

The 31-year-old industrialist and owner of Dalian Shide, the top men's soccer club in China, is in discussions with WUSA brass to become an investor in the league. How much cash he would provide, and what he would get for his investment, isn't clear.

Xu was in the United States in November to meet with officials from the WUSA, the Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS) and the Home Depot National Training Center in Southern California. WUSA president/CEO Lynn Morgan met with Xu then and plans a Jan. 23 trip to China for another meeting.

''I don't know a lot about it, to be honest,'' WUSA Commissioner Tony DiCicco said. ''That's probably a question for Lynn Morgan, who has had the most dealings with him. He's obviously shown great interest in the league.''

Morgan wouldn't return calls asking for comment — she informed Soccer America through a spokesman that she couldn't comment ''for legal reasons'' — but a WUSA insider guessed details would be finalized sometime in February.

Some around the league are painting Xu as a savior who could save the WUSA, which has teetered in a difficult economy and is said to be in ''survival mode.'' The league's discussions with the Players Association to iron out a new Collective Bargaining Agreement have centered primarily on ways the league can cut costs while raising revenues. Clubs are operating with bare-bones staffs, and the front office is slowly downsizing its crew.

''He seems to be the type of person who would fit in well with the [investors] we have in the WUSA,'' said San Jose CyberRays star Brandi Chastain. ''My hope is he does get involved in the WUSA. From what I hear, he has a lot of passion for the game and for women's soccer, and that's what this league needs.''

Why would the Chinese want to get involved in the WUSA, beyond supplying the league with talent? For one, the last thing they'd want to see is the world's foremost women's league disband before next fall's Women's World Cup, which will be played in China. (WUSA and Players Association officials say there is no chance the league would fail to complete a third season.) That would reflect poorly on the women's game as a whole.

More important, Xu is looking to diversify his holdings and make a greater impact in business beyond China's borders. Xu, the son-in-law of Chinese vice-premier Wen Jiabao (his mother-in-law is a major player in China's diamonds/precious gems industry), is in charge of Shide Group, an insurance-to-plastics conglomerate based in Dalian in the Liaoning province. The company creates, among other things, building materials, home appliances and automobiles.

Xu's press material describes him as ''China's youngest billionaire'' and ''18th-wealthiest entrepreneur.'' Forbes in 2001 estimated his wealth at $240 million, based on his 2000 holdings.