Following the Korean men’s soccer team, the women’s soccer team will run again with the new head coach.
In an inaugural press conference held at the soccer center in Jongno-gu on the 17th, new coach Shin Sang-woo (48) said, “We will do our best to develop Korean women’s soccer and the national team.”
Earlier, the Korea Football Association said on the 10th that it appointed Shin to replace coach Colin Bell. The contract period is until the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and will be evaluated in the interim through the 2027 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
Shin, who played for Daejeon Citizen (currently Daejeon Hana Citizen) and Seongnam Ilhwa (current Seongnam FC) when he was an active player, retired in 2012 and started his career as a coach at Gimhae City Hall in the National League. Since then, he moved to the K-League for men’s soccer and the WK-League for women’s soccer. In 2015, he moved to women’s soccer and served as coach of Boeun Sangmu (currently Mungyeong Sangmu) and coach of Icheon Bridge and Changnyeong WFC. From 2022, he returned to men’s soccer and served as Kimcheon Sangmu coach until recently.
The association appointed Shin and explained, “There is a firm football philosophy about team composition and game model,” adding, “I highly appreciated his experience as a leader in the WK League and his experience in promoting the K League.”
Coach Shin said, “I am grateful to coach Chung Jung-yong, Gimcheon, and the officials of the Armed Forces Sports Unit for their consideration,” about moving to the national team during the season, adding, “I told you that I was interested in women’s soccer when I met coach Chung for the first time.”
Despite concerns that there has been a gap in women’s soccer in men’s soccer for the past three years, he replied, “There is also a women’s team in the Korean military sports unit, so I watched the game in Mungyeong in person and watched women’s soccer through YouTube.”
Recently, Korean women’s soccer is in a slump. She aimed to achieve the best of 16 teams at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand last year, but failed to make it to the finals of the group league. She suffered from hardships in the quarterfinals at the Hangzhou Asian Games, and failed to fulfill her dream of making it to the finals of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Rather, Shin saw it as a good opportunity to wear a new color. “It is an opportunity to sketch while blank,” Shin said, suggesting three directions: △ communication △ motivation △ strategy and tactics. “Players and staff need communication and trust to form a team,” Shin said. “Motivation was what I felt the most during my nine years in women’s soccer. I will play a role of motivation.”
Regarding strategies and tactics, he said, “We need to wear a formation suitable for female players,” adding that the first call-up list was selected according to the criteria. “I like to do all training on a planned basis,” coach Shin said. “Due to the nature of the national team, which does not have a long period of call-up, we will systematically train offense, defense, conversion, and set play within it.” 안전놀이터
One of the challenges facing the national team is generational change. Still showing off her skills, she needs to consider the following of Ji So-yeon (33) of Seattle Lane, Kim Hye-ri (34) and Lee Min-ah (33) of Incheon Hyundai Steel. Shin agreed to some extent, but reflected on the meaning of being a member of the national team.
“If the leader’s final goal is the national team coach, the player’s final goal is the national team,” he said. “The player’s goal is the national team before retirement, so if it fits the plan, he can be picked at any time (regardless of age),” he said, explaining that he will focus only on his skills.
Meanwhile, Shin will make his debut in a friendly match against Japan, which will take place at the National Stadium in Tokyo on Saturday. Japan, the strongest team in Asia, advanced to the quarterfinals at the last World Cup. The team also ranks seventh in the FIFA rankings, higher than Korea, which ranks 19th. The team is also lagging behind in past records with four wins, 11 draws and 18 losses. Korea’s last victory was at the 2015 East Asian Cup, which had no win for nine years.