Korea coach chases East Asian football title on home soil

Korea head coach Shin Sang-woo speaks at a press conference before the start of the East Asian Football Federation E-1 Women's Football Championship at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, July 8. Yonhap

Shin Sang-woo, head coach of the Korean women's national football team, said Tuesday he will try to lead his players to the top of the regional tournament on their home soil — FIFA ranking positions notwithstanding.

Korea will host the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Women's Football Championship starting Wednesday, with the men's competition having started Monday.

Shin's team will open the competition against China at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, some 30 kilometers south of Seoul, at 8 p.m. Wednesday. They will then play Japan at 8 p.m. Sunday at Hwaseong Stadium in Hwaseong, just south of Suwon. The finale will be against Chinese Taipei at 7:30 p.m. on July 16 in Suwon.

Japan are the top-ranked team in this tournament — and also in Asia — at No. 7. Among the participants here, China are next at No. 17, followed by Korea at No. 21 and Chinese Taipei at No. 42.

At the pretournament presser, Shin said he wants to deliver the EAFF title to supporters at home.

"In order to accomplish our goal, we must win our first match against China," Shin said. "So we're only thinking about that one match."

Korea have only beaten China four times in 42 meetings, and none since August 2015. Against Japan, the Taegeuk Ladies have had four wins, 11 draws and 19 losses, with their last victory also having come in August 2015.

"I know Japan and China are ranked much higher than we are, but we're the home team and the weather conditions can be a factor," Shin said, referring to record-setting temperatures nationwide. "And football isn't played with ranking positions. That's why our goal is to win this tournament."

This is the ninth edition of the E-1 Women's Football Championship. Korea's lone title came at the inaugural tournament in 2005.

The same four countries competed at the 2022 tournament, and Japan won their fourth title over China, with Korea finishing third and Chinese Taipei finishing last.

Shin took over from Colin Bell in October last year after a string of disappointing performances at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup and the 2023 Asian Games. With an eye toward the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Asian Cup next year, Shin's team is undergoing a transition.

"This is a great opportunity for us to compete against other strong Asian sides ahead of the Asian Cup," Shin said. "We're getting good contributions from veterans and new players alike. If we can keep building on that, we should have good results at the Asian Cup next year."

Captain Lee Geum-min, among the old guards at 31 with 96 caps, said she will try to lead her young teammates by example. The 25-player squad features 11 players born in the 21st century.

"Honestly, when it comes to football, I don't have much to tell those players. They are all talented, fast and energetic. If anything, we (veterans) have much to learn from them," Lee said. "When we talk to them, we stress the importance of representing the country well and how they should never take this opportunity for granted. We also remind them they should try to inspire others who will come after them."