Casey HollandMbappe is a role model

Casey Eugene Fair, 16, the youngest player competing at the FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, says she hopes to emulate the likes of Elling Holland and Kylian Mbappe.

Casey, who is playing in her first World Cup, is the only 2007-born player (16 years and 1 month old) among the 736 players from 32 countries competing in the tournament.

"I feel great pride and honor to represent Korea at the World Cup, the biggest stage of women's soccer," Casey said in an interview published on the Korea Football Association's Nuri website on the 19th. "I want to make Korea proud at the World Cup and do my best in every role I am given. If I have one goal as a player, it is to win the World Cup with Korea."

At 6-foot-2, Casey's size, strength, and speed allow him to play as a flanker in addition to a traditional No. 9 striker. "I play up front, but I can also play on the flanks," he said, "I focus on strength and speed and I like to play direct."

"I'm good at breaking down defenses one-on-one to score, and I'm also good at creating chances for my teammates," Casey added.

Casey said he's learning a lot since joining the national team. "The biggest difference is the privilege of playing with world-class senior national team players every day," he said. "It's great to see how the seniors prepare and approach training. Training with them gives me daily motivation to be the best I can be."

Growing up in the U.S., Casey looked forward to absorbing the strengths of both American and Korean soccer. "Growing up in the U.S. women's soccer youth system, which emphasizes speed and physicality, and at the same time experiencing the Korean style of soccer, which is highly technical, selfless, and creative," he said. "I'm very fortunate to have experienced two different styles of soccer. I strive to showcase that on the pitch."

His role models are Manchester City's Elling Holland and Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe. Casey said he hopes to emulate Holland's goalscoring ability and Mbappe's speed.

"He is a constant threat on the pitch. "He's a constant threat on the pitch and I want to keep up with his goal-scoring tenacity," he said. "I also enjoy watching Mbappe play and he has an amazing mix of speed and technical ability. "I strive to have the same pace as him and improve my technical accuracy, 한국야동 and I learn from the confidence he shows in one-on-one situations," he added.