USA-Born Casey Phair Makes History At FIFA Women's World Cup

Casey Phair became the youngest player in the history of the FIFA Women's World Cup when she made her tournament debut for South Korea on Tuesday.

The teenage striker, whose full name is Casey Yu-jin Phair, started as a substitute in a Group H game against Colombia in Sydney.

She later entered the action in the 78th minute. Colombia won the match 2-0.

The record for the youngest footballer ever to play at a Women's World Cup had last been broken in 1999 when Ifeanyi Chiejine represented Nigeria just 34 days after her 16th birthday.

But that record has now been updated because Phair was aged 16 years and 26 days on Tuesday.

Phair was born in the United States to an American father and a Korean mother.

She scored 25 goals in 15 games during her freshman season with the Pingry School in New Jersey last fall.

Earlier this year, Phair netted five goals in two Asian Cup qualifiers for South Korea at U17 level, grabbing the attention of the senior selectors.

South Korea head coach Colin Bell told reporters earlier this month that Phair was "not going as a passenger but as a valuable member of the squad and has every chance of getting into the team."