Half-Korean forward named to Korean training camp roster ahead of Women's World Cup
Half-Korean forward Casey Phair in action for Korea during the qualifiers for the 2024 Asian Football Confederation U-17 Women's Asian Cup in April in this file photo provided by the Korea Football Association. Yonhap
Half-Korean forward Casey Phair was named to Korea's last training camp roster, Saturday, ahead of the FIFA Women's World Cup, becoming the first person of mixed heritage to join the Korean women's national football team.
The Korea Football Association (KFA) announced a 31-player camp squad featuring the 15-year-old Phair and two other teenagers: Hyundai High School teammates Won Ju-eun and Kwon Da-eun. At 15 years and 309 days old, Kwon is the second-youngest player ever to make a senior national football team, men's or women's.
Born to an American father and a Korean mother in the United States, Phair had a star turn for Korea in April in the qualifiers for the 2024 Asian Football Confederation U-17 Women's Asian Cup. She grabbed a brace in Korea's 16-0 rout of Tajikistan, and then scored a hat trick to help Korea beat Hong Kong 12-0.
Phair is training with the Players Development Academy in New Jersey. The KFA noted Phair's aggressive play and talent in front of the goal.
The teenagers are joined by the usual suspects such as midfielders Ji So-yun and Cho So-hyun, forwards Choe Yu-ri and Jung Seol-bin, and goalkeepers Yoon Young-geul and Kim Jung-mi.
The 31 players will report to training camp at the National Football Center in Paju, some 40 kilometers northwest of Seoul, between June 18 and 23.
Coached by Colin Bell, Korea will host Haiti in their final tune-up match July 8, after which Bell will whittle down the roster to the final 23 players.
This year's Women's World Cup, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, kicks off July 20. Korea will open their Group H play July 25 against Colombia in Sydney. They will then take on Morocco in Adelaide, July 30, and Germany in Brisbane, Aug. 3.
The top two nations from each of the eight groups will advance to the round of 16. This will be Korea's fourth appearance at the Women's World Cup. They've been in the knockout stage just once: in 2015 in Canada, where they lost to France 3-0 in the round of 16. (Yonhap)