Casey Phair Explained

Casey Phair
Full Name:Casey Phair
Birth Date:29 June 2007[1]
Birth Place:South Korea
Height:5 ft 10 in
Position:Striker
Currentclub:Angel City FC
Clubnumber:9
Years1:2024–
Clubs1:Angel City FC
Caps1:0
Goals1:0
Nationalyears1:2023–
Nationalteam1:South Korea U-17
Nationalcaps1:6
Nationalgoals1:7
Nationalyears2:2023–
Nationalteam2:South Korea
Nationalcaps2:5
Nationalgoals2:4
Nationalteam-Update:15:58, 19 May 2024 (UTC)

Casey Yu-jin Phair (Korean: 케이시 유진 페어;[2] born 29 June 2007) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a striker for National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) club Angel City FC and the South Korea national team. She was the youngest player to ever feature in a FIFA Women's World Cup, having made her debut in the tournament in 2023 at the age of 16 years and 26 days old.

A Korean American who was raised in New Jersey, United States, Phair was the first multiracial footballer to ever receive a call-up to the South Korea women's national team.[3] [4]

Early life

Phair was born in South Korea to an American father and South Korean mother.[3] [5] [6] Her family moved to the United States when she was one month old.[6] Formerly residing in Exeter, New Hampshire,[6] she then moved to Warren Township, New Jersey, where she subsequently started playing soccer at the Pingry School, and training at the Players Development Academy (PDA) in New Jersey.[5] [7] [8]

Club career

Angel City FC

Following her strong 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup performance, Phair trialed with local NWSL club NJ/NY Gotham FC as well as the Kansas City Current and Angel City FC.[9] On 18 January 2024, Angel City announced that they had signed Phair to a three-year deal through the NWSL Under-18 Entry Mechanism. She is the youngest player ever to sign with the club.[10] She made her debut for Angel City as a 66th-minute substitute in a Summer Cup game against Bay FC on 26 July 2024.[11]

International career

Phair played for the South Korea under-17 team before she was called up to the senior team for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.[3] She helped the under-17 team qualify for the 2024 AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup, scoring two goals against Tajikistan and three goals against Hong Kong.[5]

At the 2023 Women's World Cup, Phair became the youngest player to ever appear in a senior World Cup— men's or women's— at the age of 16 years and 26 days, coming on as a substitute in South Korea's opening game against Colombia on 25 July 2023;[12] the distinction had been previously held by Ifeanyi Chiejine.[13] [14] In the process, she also became the youngest footballer to have reportedly won a cap for a women's senior national team, a record that was later broken by Una Rankić in September of the same year.[15] Phair played in all three of South Korea's group stage matches and went on to make her first start in the team's final match against Germany, which ended in a 1–1 draw.[16]

On 26 October 2023, Phair scored her first senior goal, as well as her first hat-trick, in a 10–1 win over Thailand in the second round of the 2024 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament:[17] [18] in the process, at 16 years and 119 days of age, she became the second youngest goalscorer in the history of the South Korean women's senior national team, behind only Ji So-yun. She also became the youngest player to ever score a hat-trick for any South Korean national team, in men's or women's football.

Career statistics

Club

Club! rowspan="2"
SeasonLeagueCupPlayoffsTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Angel City FC2024NWSL001000
Career total00100000

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
South Korea202343
202411
Total54

Scores and results list South Korea's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Phair goal.

List of international goals scored by Casey Phair
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1 26 October 2023 1–010–12024 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament
26–0
37–0
424 February 2024Cidade do Futebol, Oeiras, Portugal2–02–1Friendly[19]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Phair Casey Yu-Jin Stats, News, Bio . . 5 July 2023.
  2. Includes NWSL Playoffs.
  3. News: South Korea call up US-born teenager Phair for Women's World Cup . Church . Michael . 4 July 2023 . . 5 July 2023.
  4. Web site: 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup team-by-team preview . ESPN.com . 18 July 2023 . 18 July 2023.
  5. News: Half-Korean forward named to S. Korean training camp roster ahead of Women's World Cup . Yoo . Jee-ho . 10 June 2023 . . en . 5 July 2023.
  6. Web site: Casey Phair, the US-based rising star poised to make World Cup history for South Korea . Melanie . Anzidei . The Athletic.
  7. Web site: U.S. Under-15 Women's Youth National Team Will Bring 36 Players to March Training Camp in Chula Vista, Calif. . 14 March 2022 . . 5 July 2023.
  8. News: Girls' Soccer: Phair's Hat Trick Propels Pingry to Comeback Win at Bridgewater-Raritan . Olivola . James . 25 September 2022 . . Bridgewater/Raritan, New Jersey . 5 July 2023.
  9. Web site: 18 January 2024 . After 16-year-old Casey Phair became the youngest-ever World Cup player with Korea, the NWSL is next . 18 January 2024 . ESPN.com . en.
  10. Web site: Angel City Signs South Korea International Casey Phair . 18 January 2024 . Angel City. https://web.archive.org/web/20240118162746/https://angelcity.com/news/article/angel-city-signs-south-korea-international-casey-phair. 2024-01-18.
  11. News: Match Recap: Angel City 2, Bay FC 0 (Summer Cup) 7.26.24. Best. Katelyn. 2024-07-26. Angel City FC. 2024-08-01.
  12. News: 3 August 2023 . Youngest 2023 Women's World Cup players: Phair, Dragoni, Scott . en . . 7 August 2023.
  13. News: Dure . Beau . 25 July 2023 . Colombia v South Korea: Women's World Cup 2023 – live . en-GB . the Guardian . 25 July 2023 . 0261-3077.
  14. Web site: Subramaniam . Tara . 25 July 2023 . US-born Casey Phair becomes youngest player in World Cup history . 25 July 2023 . CNN . en.
  15. Web site: Todić . Maja . 25 September 2023 . Una Rankić, čudo od deteta i svetska rekorderka! . 27 September 2023 . Sportklub . sr-RS.
  16. News: 3 August 2023 . South Korea Sends Germany Out, Letting Morocco Move On . en . . 7 August 2023.
  17. Web site: Yoo . Jee-ho . 26 October 2023 . S. Korea rout Thailand to begin women's football Olympic qualifiers . 26 October 2023 . . en.
  18. Web site: Jeong . In-seon . 26 October 2023 . 여자축구, 올림픽 예선서 태국 10–1 대파…케이시, 해트트릭 폭발 . 26 October 2023 . . . ko.
  19. Web site: Czechia vs Korea Republic - 24 February 2024 . Soccerway . 25 February 2024.