Women's football coach eyes 1st Asian Games gold for S. Korea
Members of the South Korean women's national football team warm up before a training session for the Asian Games at Korea Football Park in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, Monday. Yonhap
Shin Sang-woo, head coach of the South Korean women's national football team competing at this month's Asian Games, said Monday he wants to make history for the country and bring home its first gold medal from the continental competition.
South Korea will be among the 12 nations that have been split into three groups of four at the Asian Games in Japan. The top two teams from each group, along with the two best third-place teams, will advance to the quarterfinals.
South Korea, world No. 19, will face 11th-ranked North Korea in Group F, with 55th-ranked Myanmar and 107th-ranked Bangladesh being the two other opponents.
South Korea will open the competition against Myanmar at 7:30 p.m. next Monday and then take on Bangladesh at 4 p.m. on Sept. 17, both in Osaka, some 140 kilometers west of the main host city of Nagoya.
The all-Korean showdown will kick off at 4 p.m. on Sept. 21 in Fukuroi, about 100 kilometers east of Nagoya.
Women's football made its Asian Games debut in 1990 and three countries have each won three gold medals so far — China, Japan and North Korea. The South Koreans won three straight bronze medals in 2010, 2014 and 2018. They lost to North Korea in the quarterfinals at the last Asian Games in 2023.
"The big goal is to change the color of our medal," Shin told reporters before a training session at Korea Football Park in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province. "We have won bronze medals before. We would love to reach the final this time and change the color."
Asked if fans can expect the gold medal from his team, Shin responded without hesitation, "Yes."
Shin went on to say his team will first need to accomplish smaller goals in order to realize their big objective.
"Our last group match is against North Korea, and if we win that one (and finish first in the group), we will get to stay in Fukuroi for the rest of the knockout stage," Shin said, assuming, like many pundits do, that the two Koreas will battle for the top spot in their group.
"Of course, matches against Myanmar and Bangladesh will also be important, but we will try to be well-prepared for the North Korea match. We have to win that one to give ourselves some good momentum."
Shin Sang-woo, head coach of the South Korean women's national football team, speaks to reporters before a training session for the Asian Games at Korea Football Park in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, Monday. Yonhap
The quarterfinals are scheduled for Sept. 25, with two matches in Osaka and two others in Fukuroi.
Fukuroi will host the semifinals on Sept. 29, and then the bronze medal match and the final on Oct. 2.
The South Korean women have just one win in 21 meetings against their North Korean counterparts, along with four draws and 16 losses. That lone victory came in August 2005.
Shin also praised the leadership of 30-something veterans, such as Ji So-yun, the country's all-time leader with 176 caps and 75 goals.
"Ji So-yun and other senior players are leading by example, and it is my responsibility as their head coach to help them win a medal of a different color," Shin said. "I think younger players feel the same way."
Ji, who has never beaten North Korea in her international career that began in 2006, said the much-anticipated match will come down to "mental fortitude."
"I think the outcome will depend on who will make fewer mistakes," Ji said. "We all know that we have to get past North Korea to get to where we want to. They are always an extremely difficult opponent. But to win gold, we have to beat strong teams. It will be a matter of who can focus better and who plays with a stronger sense of urgency."
Ji also said she was not looking past Myanmar, coached by Colin Bell, who led the South Korean women's team from 2019 to 2024.
"Coach Bell knows us so well, but we also know him pretty well," Ji said. "We have to get off on the right foot, and Myanmar will present a tough challenge."