Rather than who the opponent is, try to play as many games as possible. It is most important to Korean female soccer players. iKON’s Ji So-yeon emphasized the importance of the game once again.
On the 8th, the Korea-Philippines match, a friendly match for the women’s national soccer team invited by Shinsegae E-Mart, took place at Icheon Sports Complex in Icheon. The result of the match was a 2-1 victory for Korea. Choo Hyo-joo scored in the first minute of the first half and Choi Yuri scored consecutive goals in the 33rd minute of the first half. For the Philippines, Angela Beard scored a goal in the 28th minute of the second half. Ji So-yeon started the game.
After the game, Ji appeared in the mixed zone. Korean coach Colin Bell also told a very “serious story” at a press conference, while Ji also spoke about her sincere and heartfelt sincerity toward women’s soccer in front of the media.
“Just because we don’t have a big competition doesn’t mean it’s not important. For us, the duration of the match given by FIFA is really important. I hope the Korea Football Association (KFA) will continue to prepare so that we can continue to play games at this time. We need to meet strong opponents and get beat up a little more. We need time to study.”
The Korean women’s national team plays relatively few matches. Except for the matches held at major competitions and those held while preparing for major competitions, there is not enough work to achieve harmony. There are not a few evaluations that Korean women’s soccer has entered a downward trend. In the midst of this, if there is not enough opportunity to strengthen organizational power, the decline will inevitably accelerate. This is why Ji So-yeon asked and asked for consistent A-match hosting.
Furthermore, Ji So-yeon said, “Even the opponent didn’t think it was important. Whatever the opponent is, Korea definitely has something to learn. The fact that the level of Asian soccer has risen a lot was one of the reasonable reasons. Above all, he pointed out that it is more important to play an A match somehow during the A match period.
“It’s important to play an A-match. Whichever team it is, it’s important to play an A-match. It’s a little embarrassing not to play during the A-match period. In bad words, it can be ridiculed. You’re being ignored. Times have changed a lot. Not playing A-match is ridiculous. You have to use this period. There are a lot of teams that don’t make it to the Olympics. There are many other good teams besides 12 teams. I hope you find a good sparring partner.”
It is true that major competitions are very important to the national team. However, the ‘process’ of preparing for a major competition, so the games played at that time, is more important in a way. The output can only be expected when the process is decided. Plenty of games are given to give the players room to improve their skills. If an A-match is played without a major competition, the foothold for young players to grow will gradually disappear. There is a high possibility that Korean women’s soccer will also regress. 여우알바
It is true that there is still relatively little public interest in women’s soccer. In order to bring attention to it somehow, you have to ‘do well’ first. To do well, you have to have more process to prepare for the game. You have to be given the opportunity to study to learn. Coach Colin Bell, Ji So-yeon and Choi Yu-ri, etc., threw several serious stories after the match against the Philippines. Their common denominator was the expansion of the infrastructure for women’s soccer. The A-match is also one of the very important infrastructures at this point.