New coach of the Korean women’s soccer team Shin Sang-woo has expressed strong commitment to completely re-organize the team. At the inaugural press conference held at the Korea Football Center in Sinmun-ro, Seoul on Thursday, Shin said, “It is a difficult situation, but it is an opportunity to sketch and add color from scratch.” 안전놀이터
Such determination can be seen from the selection of the first match list. WK League players made up the list of 23 players announced ahead of the friendly match against Japan on the 26th. Of the 23 players, 19 are from the Korean league, and only four are from overseas leagues: Ji So-yeon (Seattle Lane), Lee Geum-min (Birmingham City), Lee Young-joo (Levante), and Lee Soo-bin (Inic Kobe).
Some veterans of the national team, including Cho So-hyun (Birmingham City), have also been excluded from the list. “I didn’t choose Cho because I have a substitute. I have no negative feelings toward Cho or Jungmi Kim, but I think there are resources that can be substituted,” coach Shin said.
Shin, who took the helm as Colin Bell’s replacement, served as the head coach of Boeun Sangmu in the WK League for Women’s Business Football in 2015, then as the head coach of Icheon Bridge in 2017 and as the first coach of Changnyeong WFC from 2018. Recently, he has also gained experience in coaching men’s soccer by serving as the K-League’s Gimcheon Sangmu Coach for three years.
He declined to comment on specific tactics, but emphasized a methodical approach. “I like to conduct all training sessions in a planned manner,” he said. “Since the period of call is not long, I will organize the intervals and systematically classify offense, defense, conversion, and set pieces.”
On the generational change, he displayed a cautious attitude. “It is true that generational change is not easy,” he said. “As the ultimate goal of players is to become a member of the national team, there is something that is not enough to change the team immediately.” This means that he will seek gradual change.
Japan, which will face off under coach Shin Sang-woo, is a strong team that ranks seventh in FIFA rankings. It is 12 places higher than the Korean women’s team. At the women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand last year, the team made it to the quarterfinals by making an extraordinary win over the favorite Spain.
Shin expressed his desire to play more international matches in the future. “In order to improve the national team’s performance, we should continue to play friendly matches. The match against the strong team helps develop Korean women’s soccer,” he stressed.
The women’s team participated in last year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, but failed in the group stage, and suffered a setback in the quarterfinals at the Hangzhou Asian Games. During the A-match period in July, the team reportedly failed to play due to the association’s budget.
