A Generational Change in Women's Soccer, About the 'Post Ji So-yeon Era'..."Another start"
A Generational Change in Women's Soccer, About the 'Post Ji So-yeon Era'..."Another start"
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Lee Geum-min and Choi Yu-ri gave their thoughts on the "post Ji So-yeon era."
The Korean women's national soccer team under coach Shin Sang-woo is continuing the generational change. Following the golden generation who was born in the late 1980s and early 1990s led by Ji So-yeon, a new generation who was born in the 2000s is looking forward to it.
Korea's women's national soccer team led by head coach Shin Sang-woo played two consecutive games against Colombia for an A-match schedule in May. The team lost 0-1 in the first round at the Incheon Namdong Asian Rugby Stadium on June 30 and had a 1-1 draw in the second round at Yongin Mir Stadium on June 2.
In March last year, Shin had one draw and one loss at an A-match held at home for the first time in a year and two months since former coach Colin Bell took office. She failed to win, but displayed potential for growth in women's soccer, which had suffered a slump.
The biggest challenge in women's soccer is generational change. The women's national team has had a golden generation of players born in the late 1980s and early 1990s, led by Ji So-yeon. Now, they are in their twilight years, entering their 30s. The need for a generational change has been steadily raised, and coach Shin Sang-woo, who took the helm in October last year, is steadily implementing it.
The coach made a bold decision in the upcoming schedule. Eleven players who were born in the 2000s were selected from the 26-member roster. They generally had little A-match experience, including new faces. Coach Shin Sang-woo sought to harmonize with key veterans such as Ji So-yeon, Lee Geum-min, Choi Yu-ri, Kim Hye-ri, Lim Sun-joo and Jang Seul-ki, as well as promising players including Ryu Ji-soo, Woo Seo-bin, Jeon Yu-kyung, Jeong Da-bin, Moon Eun-joo and Kim Shin-ji.
The appointment of players was also unconventional. They chose to change all 11 players in the first and second rounds. They seemed to make up for the disappointing result in the first round. In the second round, Minyoung Jung, who made its A-match debut in the second half at the second minute, scored the first goal to take the lead. Kim Jin-hee failed to win due to an unstable own goal in the 17th minute of the second half, but unlike in the first round, they played a more proactive role in pressuring Colombia.
Colombia is a strong team that advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. At that time, the team suffered a 0-2 defeat to Korea in the group league.
However, in the second game, Shin Sang-woo showed a close game against Colombia with the energy of newcomers despite the absence of ace Ji So-yeon.
After the second game, Shin said, "The players have shown their desire to do more. I think this schedule will be a big change for young players. "I hope it will serve as an opportunity for the development of women's soccer," he said. "Closer to that is the East Asian Football Confederation (EAFF) E-1 Championship (East Asian Cup) in July, followed by the 2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in Australia. If someone needs to change generations for the development of women's soccer, I want to do it. If players gain experience, they will show better performances. Then, I will repay the performance that I have shown in the losing games with continuous winning games."
As the new generation has shown promise, the team should also prepare for a time when there is no golden generation led by Ji So-yeon. As head coach Shin Sang-woo has fired flares in earnest, he needs to work together. 메이저놀이터
Lee Geum-min and Choi Yu-ri, a duo born in 1994, who are considered talents to lead the national team after Ji So-yeon, answered about the next generation.