Women’s soccer team’s first ‘biracial’ player…Bell calls up 2007-born pair
The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is just 40 days away, and for the first time in South Korean soccer history, a mixed-race player will be on the women’s national team.
The Korea Football Association on Tuesday announced the 31-player final call-up training roster for the 2023 Women’s World Cup, which includes Casey Eugene Fair (PDA), born in 2007 to an American father and Korean mother.
In addition to the usual suspects like Ji So-yeon (Suwon FC), Park Eun-sun (Seoul Metropolitan Government), and Jang Seul-ki (Hyundai Steel), the call-up also includes Europeans like Cho So-hyun (Tottenham), Lee Keum-min (Brighton), and Lee Young-joo (Madrid CFF).
In total, five players were named to the A team for the first time, including Paire.
Won Joo-eun and Kwon Da-eun (Ulsan Hyundai High School) joined the squad as high school students, while goalkeeper Choi Ye-seul (Changnyeong WFC) and 6-foot-2 striker Kim Yoo-na (Hwacheon KSPO) were also named.
Known for her physicality, which gives her an advantage over other players her age, Paire scored five goals in two matches for the U-16 national team in April during the first round of qualifying for the 2024 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-17 Women’s Asian Cup.
She exploded for two goals against Tajikistan (16-0 win) and three against Hong Kong (12-0).
She is a member of the Player’s Development Academy (PDA) of the United States, the world’s No. 1 soccer club in FIFA and a powerhouse in women’s soccer.
“My dream and goal is to become a member of the South Korean women’s national team and lift the trophy with my teammates at the FIFA Women’s World Cup,” she told the association last November.
Kwon joined the Bell at the age of 15 years and 309 days, making her the youngest player ever to join the A team, male or female, after Ji So-yeon (15 years and 219 days).
Kwon also scored four goals in the 2024 AFC Women’s U-17 Asian Cup qualifiers. Won Joo-Eun also scored four goals.
“Age doesn’t matter as long as you show the ability,” said head coach Colin Bell. “We don’t have a lot of time left before the World Cup, so we need to give 100% in training and matches,” said head coach Colin Bell. “Every player has to work hard every day to make the final 23-man squad.
The 31 players will be arriving at the National Training Center (NFC) in Paju from the 18th to the 23rd.
The final 23-man roster will be finalized after the team’s World Cup qualifying match against Haiti on March 8 before departing for World Cup host Australia.안전놀이터
The Women’s World Cup, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, kicks off next month on July 20.
South Korea, which is in Group H, will face Colombia on July 25 in Sydney, Australia. They will play Morocco on July 30 in Adelaide and Germany on Aug. 3 in Brisbane.
