Taeguk Ladies jet off to Toronto ahead of Canada friendly

Ji So-yun, left, and the Korean women's football team arrive at Incheon International Airport in Incheon on Monday to fly to Toronto for a friendly against the Canadian national team on June 26. [NEWS1]

The Taeguk Ladies jetted off to Toronto on Monday to train ahead of a friendly against the Canadian national team at BMO Field in Toronto on June 26.

Colin Bell and the team departed from Incheon International Airport in Incheon on Monday evening after two days training at the National Football Center in Paju, Gyeonggi. The team will train for a week in Canada before taking on the Olympic champions at BMO Field at 3 p.m. on June 26, or at 4 a.m. on June 27 in Korea.

Regular starters Suwon FC’s Ji So-yun, Korea’s all-time top scorer across both men’s and women’s national football, Tottenham Hotspur’s Cho So-hyun and Incheon Hyundai Steel’s Jang Sel-gi, who missed the most recent call up due to injury, were all called up for the Canada game.

Veteran forward Park Eun-seon was recalled to the national squad for the first time in seven years, since the 2015 Canada Women’s World Cup. At 35 years old, Park is the oldest outfield player ever called up to the Korean women’s national team. The oldest player remains longstanding 37-year-old goalkeeper Kim Jung-mi.

Speaking at the National Football Center on Saturday, Bell, who insisted on answering questions in Korean, said that he had been considering calling Park up since 2019, when he saw her play for Seoul against Sejong Sportstoto WFC.

Adding Park to the squad, Bell said, could give the squad more depth and give him more options to adapt the squad during a game. Referencing the Tokyo Olympics playoff against China last year, Bell said that if an opponent opts to fill the pitch with tall and strong players, Park offers a more physical alternative for Korea.

Ji, who left Chelsea in May to join Suwon FC, said the opportunity to face the reigning Olympic champions is a good chance to see where the Taeguk Ladies stand.

"Canada is the Olympic champion and a strong team that has been on the rise recently,” Ji said. “I want to learn a lot from the game. We will be able to evaluate our skills and position while dealing with such a world-class team."

Ji also discussed Park’s return to the team.

“I’m very glad to have her back,” Ji said, joking that she’s happy to have an older player rejoin her in an increasingly youthful squad.

“She has a lot of strengths that other players don't have, so there will be a lot of positive factors for the team.”

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]