Last summer, soccer player Casey Phair made her FIFA Women’s World Cup debut playing for South Korea at just 16 years old. Phair’s performance gained attention from top clubs, and she eventually signed a three-year deal with Angel City FC. Phair joined Kelvin Washington on “LA Times Today” to talk about her career, and her move to LA. 

Phair was born in South Korea, but moved to the United States when she was an infant. She began playing soccer when she was 5 years old. Phair talked about playing for Korea at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. 

“It was definitely, definitely wild being there, but at the time it wasn’t that big for me because our head coach kept me very sheltered in a way from the media just to focus on soccer. The first game being there was just absolutely insane, seeing all the fans and stepping on the field for the first time. It was definitely very exciting, but also nerve-wracking. But it was an amazing experience,” Phair recalled. 

Phair explained how she came to sign with Angel City FC.

“I’ve always wanted to go to college, but once I was at that World Cup and experienced playing with and against some of the best players in the whole world, I decided that to stay at that level, at that caliber, the best way to stay there was to go pro and keep playing with people like that,” she said. “The whole energy and vibe I got from visiting [Angel City], from the front office to the coaching staff to the players. I felt so welcomed and so inspired by everyone. I just I knew that was the place that I wanted to be. Everyone seemed so happy to be there, which in turn made me super happy to be there.”

Phair joins a young team. Her teammates Alyssa and Gisele Thompson are also in their teens. Phair said she hopes her presence on the teams inspires other young girls to chase their dreams. 

“I’m super honored to be a part of that movement, because I feel like now there’s more people breaking the trend of going to college rather than professional. More girls maybe don’t want to go to college and want to just focus on soccer, including myself. I think it’s just really honoring to be part of that. And I hope I can inspire younger girls that maybe want to do that when they turn 16 or whatever age they want to go for it. But I hope I can inspire other people like me,” she said. 

Angel City FC kicks off the 2024 season on March 16 at BMO Stadium. In the meantime, Phair said she and her family are adjusting to life in LA, and gearing up for her NWSL debut. 

Click the arrow above to watch the full interview.

Watch “LA Times Today” at 7 and 10 p.m. Monday through Friday on Spectrum News 1 and the Spectrum News app.