Fifa Women’s World Cup: US-born South Korean Casey Phair makes history as tournament’s youngest ever player, aged 16
- Koreans lose their first group match to Colombia in Sydney but Phair breaks a World Cup record that had stood since 1999
- ‘She’s got that self-belief, one of the aspects I’ve always admired from the US girls,’ coach Colin Bell says of the US-born striker
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South Korea made football history despite suffering a 2-0 loss to Colombia on Tuesday, as Casey Phair became the youngest player ever to feature at a Women’s World Cup.
At 16 years and 26 days, the US-born striker made her debut in the second half of the Group H match in Sydney.
The opening outing for both teams was settled by two costly first-half errors by South Korea that led to goals for Colombia, and substitute striker Phair had to wait until the 78th minute to step on to the pitch at Sydney Football Stadium.
With an American father and Korean mother, Phair is also the first player of mixed descent to make the senior South Korean women’s football squad. After being called up to play for the United States at youth level, the teen switched to South Korea and quickly found herself playing in a World Cup.
South Korea’s English coach Colin Bell said he was keen to protect the teenager.
“I don’t really want to hype up a young player too much before she’s even played,” he said on the eve of the Colombia game. “That’s why I’ve been safeguarding her from the media.”
The record for youngest player in the Women’s World Cup had stood since 1999, when Ifeanyi Chiejine played for Nigeria at 16 years and 34 days. Phair eclipsed it 24 years later by a mere eight days.
Despite her youth, Bell said Phair had qualities that set an example for her older teammates.
“She’s very powerful, very fast, strong,” he said. “She’s got that self-belief, one of the aspects I’ve always admired from the US girls, who go on to the pitch expecting to win. That’s not overconfidence or complacent, that’s a clear message for every opponent: we expect to win and that’s what we’re going to do.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to instil into this team for the last four years, and it’s not easy because it is a big cultural difference to go from this underdog mentality to a mentality that the expectation is to win.”
Phair will get the chance to continue her World Cup career when the South Koreans get a shot at redemption in their next group match, against Morocco in Adelaide on Sunday, while Colombia take on Germany in Sydney later that day.
