Ji So-yun determined to make this Korea's year at EAFF E-1

Football

Published: 07 Jul. 2022, 15:59

Ji So-yun determined to make this Korea's year at EAFF E-1

Ji So-yun answers questions in a pre-tournament press conference ahead of the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship on Wednesday at Paju National Football Center in Paju, Gyeonggi. [YONHAP]

Veteran midfielder Ji So-yun has her eyes fixed on winning the top prize at the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship for the first time in 17 years.

Korean national women's football head coach Colin Bell announced the roster for the EAFF E-1 Championship last Thursday.

Kim Jung-mi, Ryu Ji-soo and Yoon Young-geul take to the goal post, Kim Hye-ri, Shim Seo-yeon, Lee Young-ju, Jang Sel-gi, Hong Hye-ji were called up as defenders, with Kim Seong-mi, Kim Yun-ji, Lee Min-a, Jang Chang, Cho So-hyun and Ji in midfield and Kang Chae-rim, Ko Min-jung, Moon Mi-ra, Park Eun-seon, Son Hwa-yeon, Jang Yu-been, Jeon Eun-ha, Choe Yu-ri and Choo Hyo-joo as forwards.

A notable absence from the squad is Brighton & Hove Albion striker Lee Geum-min, who is a regular fixture on the national team. As the EAFF E-1 Championship is not a FIFA event, her Super League club was not required to release her for the tournament.

“It’s been a long time since I played the E-1 Championship,” said Ji, who played most of her career with Chelsea but recently moved to Suwon, in a press conference Wednesday.

“It’s also the first time that I’m playing the E-1 Championship with Eun-seon, so I’m excited about that. We will be playing together for the first time in seven years.”

The E-1 Championship is a biennial event and this year's tournament, the eight edition, will be held in Japan. With North Korea withdrawing from the competition, China, Taiwan, Japan and Korea will play each other starting July 19.

Korea had won the event once, in 2005, beating North Korea. Korea has two runner-up finishes in 2015 and 2019.

“I’ve only finished third at the EAFF, but Korea has finished runner-up before without me,” said Ji, who is Korea's all-time top scorer across both men's and women's football. "So I think this may be our chance because Korea was able to show a competitive performance at the AFC. I am looking forward to the match.”

The opening match is on July 19, when Korea will face three-time champion Japan.

"The first game is tough for any team,” said Ji. “Facing a strong team like Japan for our first match isn’t going to be easy but I also think that the fact that we face Japan first is encouraging. Looking at our head to head record, the record can’t be favorable to Korea... Our job is to make that better going into the future.”

This May, Ji made the decision to leave Chelsea after eight years and signed a deal with Suwon, joining Korea's WK League for the first time in her storied career.

However, her debut match with Suwon FC Women that was scheduled this July was postponed due to problems in the registration process.

"My debut in the WK League has recently been postponed," said Ji. "So I'm not physically as ready as I want to be because I haven't played for more than a month. But I will try to boost my strength and form during training."

Korea will first face Japan on July 19 at Kashima Stadium in Kashima, Japan.

For Korea, the E-1 tournament also serves as an opportunity for the team to continue to hone their skills ahead of the 2023 Australia/New Zealand Women's World Cup, which kicks off in July next year.

BY YUN SO-HYANG [yun.sohyang@joongang.co.kr]