Casey Phair has yet to turn 17 but she already knows what it is like to live her life in the glare of an intense media spotlight.
In July last year, aged 16 years and 26 days, the United States-raised striker broke Nigerian Ifeanyi Chiejine’s record to become the youngest player to feature at the FIFA Women’s World Cup when she appeared in Korea Republic’s 2-0 loss against Colombia.
Her introduction from the bench at Sydney Football Stadium with 12 minutes remaining of the Group H opener was historic, and it was the climax of a two-month build-up that had seen Phair-mania in Korea Republic reach fever pitch.
It was not only the prospect of Phair setting a new benchmark in Australia that drew media attention to the Seoul-born striker; selection by head coach Colin Bell also made her the first mixed-heritage player – male or female – to represent the country at a senior World Cup.
Some might have been swept away by the circus that ensued, but the level-headed teenager has used the experience to fuel the next step in her remarkable and rapid evolution.
“I had never experienced that before, it was my first cap and that two-month period was very intense and there were a lot of ups and downs mentally. But overall it was a dream come true.
“Since then I’ve grown and matured a lot. The players have said to me before, from that camp to our last Portugal camp, that I had completely changed in maturity.”“I think I understand what it takes to be a professional player now at this level. It really put my development in a lot faster. It sped up my development and my desire to be better sooner.
“Growing up it was always going to be (go to) college and then turn pro but going to the World Cup and playing with such amazing players on that stage has really made me want to push myself harder and further and become pro earlier so I can keep developing.”
That next step begins on Sunday when Phair and her new club Angel City FC kick off their 2024 National Women’s Soccer League against Bay City FC at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
Phair has signed a three-year contract with a club co-owned by a host of high-profile backers including Oscar-winning actress Natalie Portman, ex-United States striker Mia Ham and tennis great Serena Williams, with Angel City’s approach particularly appealing.
“It was the culture,” she says of her reasons for signing. “They were so welcoming, the coaches, the front office, I just felt so comfortable within the group and the environment. It felt like I was put in a position to thrive.
“As a player and a person I felt I was wanted there, as opposed to me just being there and other people having to deal with it. I felt really welcomed and everyone wanted to help.
“The people genuinely want to help you and they genuinely want to see you succeed, so with that I felt really comfortable and I was sure I could develop really well with Angel City.”
Phair has already struck up a friendship with new teammate and fellow teenager Gisele Thompson and is relishing working closely with hugely experienced former United States international striker Sydney Laroux, both of whom are on Angel City’s books.
“We play the same position and she’s gone through what I’ve gone through,” Phair says of Laroux, who also broke through during her teenage years. “She’s a veteran player, she’s been in the game a long time and so she’s inspiring.
“Angel City is a big team in women’s sport and in promoting women’s soccer and I think they’ve inspired me to want to take on that role a bit and, as I get older, to try to be a role model for younger girls that are maybe thinking the same thing that I was thinking last year: Do I want to go pro?”
Angel City’s offer to play full-time has seen Phair alter her intended course of completing college before embarking on a professional career and, as a result, her schooling has had to move online.
“That’s been rough,” she says of the switch. “It’s different for sure, but it hasn’t been that big of an adjustment. Since the World Cup I’ve been doing a bunch of different things and growing up I moved a lot with my family.
“With my family, academics has always been first and soccer has been second. Now being an online student has allowed me to focus more on soccer and it’s taken that stress away but it’s still school work and my parents don’t want me to be a high school dropout.”
While Phair has been coming to terms with her new life as a professional, she also has one eye on the future and helping Korea Republic build on their performances at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia last year.
Elimination in the group phase was a disappointing conclusion for the team, whose coach Bell – who Phair says inspired her to make the switch to the professional game – had targeted qualification for the knockout rounds for the first time in the country’s history.
Disappointing losses against Colombia and Morocco were followed by a draw in their final game with Germany, a result that eliminated the former champions from the tournament while also highlighting the ability of the Koreans.
“It was disappointing but I think the last game helped with morale,” says Phair. “We tied with Germany to knock them out, so we finally showed the world that we are a good side and the football we can play.
“That set the tone for this upcoming cycle and it’s what we want to continue to show as we play more friendlies as we continue to grow as a team.
“I hope we can develop as a team, not just myself,” she adds, with the focus now on the AFC Women’s Asian Cup ۲۰۲۶٫ “We’ve got a lot of camps until then, so we’ll keep playing as a team.
“I’m still a new face and I want to develop with the players that we have and keep improving, getting to the point to qualify like we did last year and improve on the past World Cup.
“The World Cup was a bit of a disappointment but it’s definitely a learning point, so we need to take what we learned from that and apply it in the qualifiers for the Asian Cup, and then our goal is to not just make it to the 2027 World Cup but to go further than we did last time.”
Before that, however, is that opening game of the NWSL campaign and another fresh challenge for the rapidly rising teen.
“I didn’t realise how quickly it was going to come,” says Phair. “I feel like it snuck up on us. I’m really excited because it’s my first time in the stadium and will be my first pro game experience as a player so I’m so, so excited.”