Ji So-yeon hopes to heal her World Cup heartbreak with an Asian Games gold medal.
Ji So-yeon, who we spoke to at the National Training Center (NFC) in Paju, Gyeonggi-do, on Monday, is one of the biggest stars in Korean women’s soccer. She remains a key midfielder for Colin Bell’s Asian Games women’s soccer team.
She was a disappointment at the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia-Brisbane. She played in all three group stage matches, but was unable to help her team to victory.
She was eager to make up for the previous year’s World Cup. “I think it was very disappointing for the players and the public because we didn’t achieve the results you would have expected from the World Cup,” she said. “We have to keep moving forward, so all the players have to work hard,” she added, vowing to show a different side.
“Last time, we didn’t show what we wanted to do in the build-up to the World Cup. I don’t think we did enough. We were punished so badly at the World Cup, so I really want our players to play hard this time,” he said, expressing his desire for victory.
The 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games are also important for the individual athletes. Ji So-yeon has competed in four Asian Games, but has yet to win a gold medal. “I’m very eager. If we make it through the qualifiers, we will meet Japan in the quarterfinals, and I think the color of the medal will depend on whether we catch them or not,” she said, adding that she will go for gold.
Ji So-yeon remained wary of Japan throughout the interview. Japan is currently considered the strongest team in Asian women’s soccer. Despite having no age limit at the Asian Games, they fielded a team of domestic league and university players.
This is not a sign of weakness, she says, but a sign of depth. “Japan has such a wide base, so many players have the opportunity to experience the Asian Games,” she said. “The lack of overseas players doesn’t make us weaker, and our strength is very good even with only Japanese league players.”
He also predicts that the quarterfinal match against Japan will be the deciding factor for the gold medal. South Korea and Japan will meet in the quarterfinals if they finish top of their group, which is the most likely scenario given their realistic strengths. “There’s no pressure to face Japan, but there’s a lot of pressure if we can’t play our soccer,” Ji said.
Meanwhile, Choi Yoo-ri finalized her move to Birmingham City Women of the English Championship (second tier) during the national team’s training camp. In an interview, she said that Ji So-yeon helped her a lot as a senior overseas player. 온라인카지노
“After the World Cup, we had a lot of players ready to go, but the results weren’t very good, but we still have the Asian Games and Olympic qualifiers, so I hope the younger players will do better and go out a lot. Choi Yoo-ri also did very well, and I think the national team will be stronger if one or two players go overseas like this.”
In closing, Ji So-yeon reiterated the team’s propaganda, saying that the Asian Games will wash away the World Cup pain. “The pain of the World Cup