The 2024 Olympic Games are fast approaching, providing another chance for one nation to achieve major silverware. The United States Women’s National Team looks to claim a fifth gold medal and first since 2012, but there are few opportunities remaining to round into form. Providing a two-friendly challenge and tune-up is Korea Republic, which failed to qualify for the upcoming competition.
The first match is set for Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, an 18,061-seat soccer-specific stadium with a Kentucky Bluegrass surface located in Commerce City, Colorado; the latter is scheduled for Saint Paul, Minnesota’s Allianz Field, a 19,400-seat venue with a GrassMax Systems hybrid stitch system surface. These are the 16th and 17th all-time meetings between the two nations, with the USWNT holding an undefeated 11-0-4 advantage and claiming the most recent rendezvous, a 6-0 victory in October of 2021.
Ranked 20th internationally by FIFA, Korea Republic endured a series of poor results last year: finishing last in Group H at the World Cup (but managing to knock Germany out of contention on Matchday Three), falling in the quarterfinals of the Asian Games, and failing to advance from Group B in the second round of the Asian Football Confederation Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament. 태극낭자 (Taegeuk Ladies) remains a solid program that has struggled to take the next step, improve upon a run to the Round of 16 at the 2015 World Cup, or break into Asia’s established footballing hierarchy of China, Japan, North Korea, and Australia.
Colin Bell was appointed to the manager role in October of 2019 after being approached by the Korea Football Association that wanted to “utilize the talent available in the West.” The 62-year-old Englishman boasts a long list of stops on his résumé, most notably a spell in charge of the Republic of Ireland and winning the UEFA Women’s Champions League with German club 1. FFC Frankfurt. The first foreign head coach in program history, his contract has been extended twice, currently running through December of 2024.
Bell named a 23-player roster for the pair of friendlies, a first-choice group that features most of the important figures. The domestic WK League is home to 16 of the call-ups, while a further six are on the books at foreign clubs, including two in the National Women’s Soccer League. Hong Seo-yoon, a 15-year-old midfielder, earned her first senior call-up.
GOALKEEPERS (3): Kim Jung-mi (Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels), Choi Ye-seul (Gyeongju KHNP), Kim Kyeong-hee (Suwon FC)
DEFENDERS (8): Kim Hye-ri (Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels), Jang Sel-gi (Gyeongju KHNP), Lee Young-ju (Madrid CFF), Hong Hye-ji (Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels), Choo Hyo-joo (Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels), Lee Eun-young (Changnyeong WFC), Go Yoo-na (Hwacheon KSPO), Kim Jin-hui (Gyeongju KHNP)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Ji So-yun (Seattle Reign), Cho So-hyun (Birmingham City), Lee Geum-min (Brighton & Hove Albion), Kang Chae-rim (Suwon FC), Jeon Eun-ha (Suwon FC), Lee Jeong-eun (Hwacheon KSPO), Hong Seo-yoon (Kwangyoung Girls’ High School)
FORWARDS (5): Choe Yu-ri (Birmingham City), Moon Mi-ra (Suwon FC), Chun Ga-ram (Hwacheon KSPO), Casey Phair (Angel City FC), Kwak Ro-yeong (Gyeongju KHNP)
Bell has employed a variety of different formations but tends to rely on a 3-4-3 or a 3-5-2 “against teams that require more defensive solidity,” utilizing a deep-lying center midfielder with “exemplary passing skills” to aid in the build-up. He preaches balanced tactics that alternate between “high-intensity football” with an “intense pressing game” and methodically “advancing in numbers” when working out of the back.
Total Football Analysis notes a direct and fluid style of play with minimal touches that provides players with the freedom to make dribbling runs at opportune intervals. Stopping the counter-attack is described as “a bit of a problem,” exacerbated by the high line that can leave plenty of open space for the opponent.
At the age of 39, Kim Jung-mi continues to hold down a position in the starting lineup, having made her senior international debut in 2003. The 5’10” goalkeeper is on an incredible run of 11 consecutive domestic league titles with Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels WFC. She has a good sense of timing on crosses and set pieces, making the right runs to reach the ball and rising above the opponent. Her deliberate footwork is more suited to long-distance stops than close-range efforts, the latter of which can sometimes expose awkward movements.
A captain for club and country, Hyundai Steel’s Kim Hye-ri has the pace to cover players on the outside and chase down balls over the top. The 33-year-old defender is praised as “an absolute rock at the back” with constant sacrifice and intervention. Lee Young-ju of Madrid CFF is known for being “supremely calm on the ball” during the build-up phase. Another versatile option, her passing at all ranges is an asset along with picking up a more physical style in Spain.
Rounding out the trio is Hong Hye-ji, the five-foot-eight “powerful aerial presence” who is expected to win the majority of the headers. Known for her “power, speed, and dexterity,” she is an “indispensable player” for the manager. Choo Hyo-joo patrols the wing for Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels, whether in an attacking or defensive role, and is tasked by the manager to “run hard and outwork opponents.”
The “high-intensity” 23-year-old Busanian presses the opponent over the length of the field and looks to cut inwardly with shooting as a primary instinct, boasting “speed and dazzling tricks”. On the opposite side of the formation is Changnyeong’s Lee Eun-young, who was the first overall selection in December’s WK League rookie draft and brings a similar level of attacking mindset. She has decent speed on the wing, a tight cutback, and the composure to finish when given limited touches in the final third.
Seven-time Korean FA Women’s Player of the Year and program all-time leading goal scorer Ji So-yun recently made the jump to Seattle Reign, praised as a “string-pulling midfield artist” with “a game based around technical quality and intelligence rather than speed or strength.” The “little genius” and “pass master” is a commanding creative presence but also works hard on the defensive side to fill space and take away opponents’ options.
Birmingham City’s Cho So-hyun is known as “Chottuso” due to her similarities with Italy’s Gennaro Gattuso. She is an “engine” in the core of the formation, covering miles of ground as a facilitator and a disruptor. The advanced role is taken by Lee Geum-min, who is “suited to the high intensity football” expected from the manager while displaying “movement and strength in winning duels.”
The veteran on the books at Brighton & Hove Albion can create her own shot, finish from distance, and latch onto loose opportunities in the box, possessing the dual qualities of meshing with teammates and casting gold from low-percentage situations. A plug-and-play option who can thrive on any line, Jang Sel-gi is dangerous in the final third and uncorks a laser of a right-footed shot when given the time to line up an attempt. Despite being the mere age of 16, Casey Phair enjoyed a transformative year, earning a late call-up to the World Cup roster and signing for Angel City FC, with coaches praising her “game intelligence, good vision, tactical awareness, and composure under pressure.”
The 5’10” striker is strong on the ball with the ability to “exploit space in the attacking end” while scoring in bunches in all manner of ways at the youth level. The potential front-line partner is Birmingham City’s Choe Yu-Ri, a pacey connector who looks to push…
