South Korea’s women’s soccer team is facing a wall of reality. After losing the first two games of Group H at the FIFA 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, there are calls for a generational change. To adapt to the increasingly high standards of the world stage, the team needs to rebuild by developing younger players.
The average age of the Korean women’s national team at the tournament is 28.9 years old. This is the highest among the 32 participating countries. This means that they have a lot of experienced players, but it also means that they are less active and faster. Morocco (72nd), who beat South Korea (17th in the FIFA rankings) on March 30, has an average age of 25.5. They are the youngest team in Group H. The Moroccans were inexperienced in their first World Cup appearance, but they staged an underdog uprising with grit and determination.
Fellow group member Colombia has an average age of 26.1. Colombia sits atop the group thanks to the play of Linda Caicedo, the “18-year-old goalie” who scored back-to-back goals against South Korea and Germany. The average age of Germany, whom South Korea will face in the final three matches, is also low at 26.3 years old.
Korea head coach Colleen Bell (pictured) has been calling for “high intensity football” because her team needs to adapt to the realities of women’s soccer, where quick transitions and forward pressure are the norm. South Korea came into the tournament prepared for this, but were unable to outplay their opponents in practice.
“We need to wake up to the reality,” Bell said after two consecutive group stage losses. He also mentioned Japan to emphasize the need for change in Korean women’s soccer as a whole.
The Japanese, who have undergone a long period of generational change, have an average age of 24.8 years old. They won two straight games in Group C to advance to the round of 16. Young players such as Aoba Fujino (19), Jun Endo (23), and Hinata Miyazawa (24) have been scoring goals and making a name for themselves. 메이저사이트
There’s also the matter of expansion. Morocco has been running a 1-2 women’s professional league since 2019, led by the Moroccan Football Association, to prepare for the World Cup. This is different from South Korea, which had to build a veteran-oriented team due to a lack of replacement players.
Bell focused on the younger players who have the potential to develop at the training center in Sydney, Australia, on Aug. 31. Casey Eugene Fair (16-PDA) and Chun Garam (21-Hwacheon KSPO) came on as second-half substitutes against Morocco the day before and made a strong impression in their short time on the field. Fair stood out for his aggressive physicality and shooting, while Chun was noted for his quick feet and dribbling.