SYDNEY — Throughout South Korea’s Women’s World Cup opener in opposition to Colombia on Tuesday, gamers stayed free behind the objective. Early within the 78th minute, one participant broke away from the group. Casey Phair, at 16 years and 26 days, stepped onto the sphere and have become the youngest participant to take action in a World Cup - girls’s or males’s.

“Going on, I was really, really nervous,” stated Phair, who has an American father and a South Korean mom and was raised within the United States. “It was a scary moment, but then going on and running around, I think it just settled in.”

The file beforehand was held by the late Ifeanyi Chiejine, who was 16 years and 34 days outdated when she performed for Nigeria within the 1999 Women’s World Cup.

In the 17 minutes she spent on the sphere in South Korea’s 2-0 loss, Phair was close to the ball always, competing with Colombian gamers for possession each probability she bought.

“She deserved the chance to play,” South Korea’s head coach Collin Bell stated. “She trained really well, just as well as anybody. I wanted to throw her on to give her that experience.”

Phair’s subsequent probability to play comes Sunday, when the Taegeuk Ladies tackle Morocco in Adelaide, Australia.

Born on June 29, 2007, in South Korea, Phair is also the primary multi-ethnic participant, feminine or male, to play for a South Korean senior nationwide workforce.

“I’m really proud and really honored to be the first mixed player for the Korean Federation,” Phair stated. “I really appreciate the opportunity I was given today.”

Phair isn't the one younger star on this 12 months’s Women’s World Cup. Two different 16-year-old gamers are on squads for the match, though each have been born in 2006. Giulia Dragoni began for Italy, sporting the No. 16, in its 1-0 win over Argentina on Monday, and Sheika Scott subbed in for Costa Rica in its 3-0 loss in opposition to Spain on Friday.

Four different Women’s World Cup gamers are 17, and there’s 39 youngsters among the many 32 groups.

One is Colombia’s 18-year-old Linda Caicedo, who scored her first World Cup objective within the thirty ninth minute Tuesday in her match debut, incomes her participant of the match honors. She is the youngest goal-scorer on the match in Australia and New Zealand up to now.

The crowd was noticeably pro-Colombia, which Phair needed to cope with as she created her piece of historical past.

“Warming up I think it was very loud,” Phair stated. “I really enjoyed that being my first time playing and I’m hoping to get used to it.”

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Abby Halpin is a pupil on the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.

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