The reality that we still have to trust Ji So-yeon Regrettable women's soccer 2-match series against the US

The reality that we still have to trust Ji So-yeon Regrettable women's soccer 2-match series against the US

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The Korean women's national soccer team, which went on an expedition to the United States to reclaim its stronghold as

the 'world's strongest', finished the two-game series with disappointment in both content and results.

The women's national soccer team, led by coach Colin Bell, suffered a crushing defeat 0-3 against the United States in a

friendly match held at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA on the 5th (Korean time).

After losing 0-4 in the first game in Commerce City, Colorado on the 2nd, Velho finished the two-game series against the

United States without scoring a goal, allowing seven goals in the second game.

Although the United States, the undisputed powerhouse of women's soccer, has fallen to 4th place in the FIFA rankings

after being eliminated in the round of 16 in the Australia-New Zealand Women's World Cup last year, the wall is still high.

The United States, which is starting anew under coach Emma Hayes, has gained confidence with two complete victories

ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

As shown by the FIFA rankings of 4th and 20th, and the record of 4 draws and 13 losses in 17 A matches, the 'weight

difference' between the US and Korea in women's soccer is clear, but it was a match that left even more regret for our

national team in that it was difficult to even show a challenging attitude.

In particular, the fact that most of the flashy scenes that left an impression on fans that day came from veteran Ji So-yeon

(Seattle Reign) makes us realize the still-stable reality of Korean women's soccer.

The closest Korea came to scoring was Ji So-yeon's free kick in the 30th minute of the first half.

Ji So-yeon's right-footed free kick from the left side of the penalty arc flew towards the goal with an exquisite trajectory,

but was blocked by American goalkeeper Casey Murphy, preventing a goal from being scored.

Ji So-yeon, who has played in Japan, England, and the domestic WK League and is challenging the American stage for the

first time this year, occasionally showed off her 'class' with kicks in set-piece situations and sensational passes that

troubled the American defense.

However, the national team as a whole hardly showed any signs of creating clear opportunities in attack, and it is

questionable whether it was a 'profitable defeat' as the pattern of past bad times continued, such as mistakes or

vulnerabilities that directly led to goals conceded in defense.

Ji So-yeon, who has played in 160 A matches since 2006, holds the record for the most appearances by a Korean player,

often complains, saying, "I know that I am 'dead water' and that I should leave the national team quickly."

But even now that she is in her mid-30s, Korean women's soccer is still represented by Ji So-yeon, and she cannot easily

give up the Taegeuk mark. This was confirmed again in this match.

Kim Jung-mi (Hyundai Steel), who started as the starting goalkeeper in both of these matches, was born in 1984 and

played in her 150th A match. Most of the existing key players, including Ji So-yeon and Kim Jung-mi, were named in the

starting lineup today as 카지노사이트모음 well.

The women's national team, which was eliminated in the group stage of last year's Women's World Cup and failed to

advance to the Paris Olympics, has announced that it is aiming for generational change in preparation for the 2026 Asian

Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Asian Cup and the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup from a long-term perspective.

For this US expedition, striker Hong Seo-yoon (Gwangyang Girls' High School), who had not even played for the national

team by age group, was surprisingly selected, and defender Lee So-hee (Hyundai Steel) was also named for the first time.

Won Ju-eun and Kwon Da-eun, born in 2007 (both from Ulsan Hyundai High School), and Kim Gyeong-hee (Suwon FC),

born in 2003, were also included, but coach Bell did not use them boldly. It was not until the 45th minute of the second

half that Won Ju-eun and Lee So-hee stepped onto the field and made their A-match debuts.

Although it is said that young players can learn from training with seniors or sitting on the bench during big games, it is

hard to shake the impression that the emphasis was on familiar choices that focused on immediate results rather than

generational change. It did not lead to any noticeable results.

Although the difference in the player base of the two countries must be taken into consideration, the United States was

more active in terms of 'experimentation', such as changing 9 players in the starting lineup on this day compared to the

first game, ahead of confirming the final entry for the Paris Olympics.

The substitution cards were used a total of 6 times in the 17th and 27th minutes of the second half, with Sophia Smith

(born in 2000) scoring the second goal in the 22nd minute of the second half, and Lily Johannes (born in 2007) scoring

the clinching goal in the 37th minute of the second half. Johannes scored her debut goal in her A match debut.

Among the so-called 'young blood' on our senior national team, the only one who consistently gets a chance is Casey

Eugene Fair (Angel City), born in 2007 to a Korean mother and an American father.

Since Coach Bell took over in 2019, the women's national soccer team has advanced to the finals and finished as runners-

up in the 2022 Asian Cup, but has since had disappointing results in major competitions such as the World Cup,

Hangzhou Asian Games (elimination in the quarterfinals), and Paris Olympic qualifiers. With no major competitions for

the time being, the team should use this as an opportunity to reorganize, but its direction seems unclear.

Coach Bell's contract, which was renewed in April last year before the Paris Olympic qualifiers, runs until the end of this

year.