Casey Phair Signing
Angel City made the big announcement this morning that they had signed Casey Phair, the South Korean striker who made her debut this past summer at the World Cup at only 16 years old. There is a lot that I’m excited about with this signing, starting with her position. According to reports, she played all over the pitch growing up, but has settled in as a striker, which is where she played for South Korea. She’s listed at 5’10” and says that she models her game after Erling Haaland and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Angel City have already given her the #9 shirt. Angela Hucles Mangano has a quote in ESPN that Phair was brought in to develop as a #9, but that they may try her in a number of positions. I think that’s totally fair (at 16 she’s definitely not yet the player that she will be), but I think that there is a real need for a dominant #9 on Angel City, and I think that that mold of player is extremely rare in the NWSL.
Last year, the top goal scorers in the league were Sophia Smith, Kerolin, Debinha, Ashley Hatch, Lynn Williams, Alex Morgan, Morgan Weaver, Messiah Bright, Bethany Balcer, Adriana, Jaedyn Shaw, Ceci Kizer, Hina Sugita, and Tyler Lussi. If we look at non-penalty xG, we get Hatch, Smith, Williams, Weaver, Morgan, Trinity Rodman, Bright, Kizer, Kerolin, Balcer, and Shaw. I would classify maybe only four or five of these players as true center forwards. The majority of them, I think, like to get the ball in space, usually out wide, and face the goal. Even amongst the elite, there are very few players that are comfortable playing in congested space, with their back to goal, receiving passes under pressure. At 5’10”, I think that Phair is already amongst the tallest of this group of players, and at 16, she should definitely get even taller. Last year, Claire Emslie had more crosses than anyone in the league, but there was not a clear target forward to get on the end of any of them. Phair will immediately provide a better option there. Also, if she can occupy the center backs, that should give more time and space to whoever is playing #10 this year (my vote is Le Bihan or Endo), as well as providing opportunities for someone like Alyssa Thompson to run in behind. Having a dominant #9 should allow all of our existing players to play to their strengths.
I also don’t want to build up the excitement too much, however, even though she does fill a need. She’s still only 16, and we should expect that it will take time to adjust to the league and to her teammates. Her contributions will probably come further down the road. But how often do you get to sign a player that fills an obvious hole on the roster, and is simultaneously a signing for the future? Even though I expect it to take some time for her to make an impact, the current lack of a true center forward on Angel City means that there is a clear path to Phair getting minutes, and that should only help her develop.
This is also another great move by the front office on multiple levels. As I said earlier, center forwards are not easy to come by, and international center forwards with World Cup experience are extremely rare. On top of that, I don’t think that she will occupy an international slot, as she grew up and has been living in the US her whole life. A player like that would cost a top 5 draft pick in my estimation, or a substantial transfer fee if she were coming from a European club. Instead, Angel City is able to sign her outright, utilizing the U-18 Entry Mechanism. The front office identified a need, found a unique player to fill that need, and signed her. It should also be noted that Phair trained with Gotham and KC, but chose ACFC. With Phair and Gisele Thompson, it’s clear that Angel City is creating an environment that players want to be a part of, and being able to add two potential star players for free is a massive accomplishment. And allowing this core of young players to grow together is going to benefit everyone. Gotham is going to get the headlines this offseason, but we might look back at this winter as the time when Angel City began to build a dynasty.