Casey Phair


Casey Yu-Jin Phair is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a striker for Angel City FC of the National Women's Soccer League and the South Korea national team. Phair was the youngest player ever to feature in a FIFA Women's World Cup, having made her debut at the age of 16 years and 26 days in 2023. A Korean American who was raised in the United States, she was the first multiracial footballer to play for South Korea at a World Cup.

Early life

Phair was born in South Korea to an American father and South Korean mother. Her family moved to the United States when she was one month old. Formerly residing in Exeter, New Hampshire, she then moved to Warren Township, New Jersey, where she subsequently started playing soccer at the Pingry School, and training at the Players Development Academy in New Jersey. She played one season for the Pingry School as a freshman in 2022, scoring 25 goals in 15 games and earning first-team all-conference honors. In 2023, she was named the ECNL conference player of the year and tabbed ECNL All-American for her club season with PDA.

Club career

Following her strong 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup performance, Phair trialed with local NWSL club NJ/NY Gotham FC as well as the Kansas City Current and Angel City FC. On 18 January 2024, Angel City announced that they had signed Phair to her first professional contract on a three-year contract under the NWSL Under-18 Entry Mechanism. She was the youngest player ever to sign with the club. On 26 July 2024, she made her debut for Angel City as a 66th-minute substitute for Messiah Bright in a 2–0 win over Bay FC in the Summer Cup.
On 22 February 2025, Phair scored her first goal for Angel City at the Coachella Valley Invitational preseason tournament, scoring an 86th-minute header to secure a 1–1 draw with the Seattle Reign. On 18 April 2025, she made her NWSL debut as a 76th-minute substitute for Riley Tiernan in a 4–0 loss to Gotham FC.
On 21 July 2025, Angel City signed Phair to a new three-year contract and loaned her to Swedish club Djurgården through the end of the year.

International career

Phair was called up to the United States under-15 team in March 2022. She also played for the South Korea under-17 team before she was called up to the senior team for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. She helped the under-17 team qualify for the 2024 AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup, scoring two goals against Tajikistan and three goals against Hong Kong.
At the 2023 Women's World Cup, Phair became the youngest player to ever appear in a senior World Cup— men's or women's— at the age of 16 years and 26 days, coming on as a substitute in South Korea's opening game against Colombia on 25 July 2023; the distinction had been previously held by Ifeanyi Chiejine. In the process, she also became the youngest footballer to have reportedly won a cap for a women's senior national team, a record that was later broken by Una Rankić in September of the same year. She was also the first multiracial player to represent South Korea at a World Cup. Phair played in all three of South Korea's group stage matches and went on to make her first start in the team's final match against Germany, which ended in a 1–1 draw.
On 26 October 2023, Phair scored her first senior goal, as well as her first hat-trick, in a 10–1 win over Thailand in the second round of the 2024 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament: in the process, at 16 years and 119 days of age, she became the second youngest goalscorer in the history of the South Korean women's senior national team, behind only Ji So-yun. She also became the youngest player to ever score a hat-trick for any South Korean national team, in men's or women's football.
On 10 October 2024, Phair was named to the South Korea under-17 roster for the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.

Career statistics

Club

International

No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
126 October 2023Xiamen Egret Stadium, Xiamen, China1–010–12024 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament
226 October 2023Xiamen Egret Stadium, Xiamen, China6–010–12024 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament
326 October 2023Xiamen Egret Stadium, Xiamen, China7–010–12024 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament
424 February 2024Cidade do Futebol, Oeiras, Portugal2–02–1Friendly