NJ teen makes history as youngest player in FIFA Women's World Cup
WARREN TOWNSHIP, N.J. (CBS) -- A New Jersey teenager made history at the FIFA Women's World Cup and she's not representing Team USA.
In Monday night's Women's World Cup match between South Korea and Colombia, something epic happened.
Casey Phair, the forward representing South Korea, came onto the field in the 78th minute, and guess what? That very moment made the 16-year-old who's from Warren Township, New Jersey the youngest player in history to play in the tournament.
Phair's high school soccer coach, Lauren Molinaro was tuned in back home in Jersey.
"To have a 16-year-old kid jump on the pitch and get the last 12 minutes. It was just nuts," Molinaro said.
Phair is a sophomore at the Pingry School in Somerset County where Molinaro coached the young soccer star her freshman year.
"I was really excited to see her and you could tell right away just the way she moves her body," Molinaro said. "The way she sees things on the field. I think from the get-go I was like this kid's the real deal."
She says playing in the World Cup has always been Phair's goal.
The teen has been training with the Players Development Academy, a top-notch soccer club in Central Jersey, and was even pursued by both the U.S. and South Korean national teams.
Phair chose South Korea, a team that had only made three World Cup appearances before 2023 and you know why? It's because of her strong connection to her mother's South Korean heritage.
Although her team fell to Columbia in a 2-0 loss, Phair said on her Instagram she's honored to make her World Cup debut, thanking everyone that has supported her to this point, writing "This is just the beginning."
"She's a really dedicated kid. She can see the prize and go for it," Molinaro said. "You can see that as being the youngest in the World Cup but the ability to create her own journey is so neat."
South Korea's next match is against Morocco this Sunday.
We are sure Phair has fans across New Jersey and possibly worldwide who are ready to see her take the World Cup field again.