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| South Korea and the United States during their teams' friendly football match at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City. (Photo from KSL Sports) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] SEOUL: Bending without breaking, South Korea held world No. 1 United States to a scoreless draw in the first of their two women's football friendlies on American soil. Goalkeeper Yoon Young-geul made key saves, and the visitors played some dogged defense against the American onslaught at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, on Thursday (local time).
The draw snapped the U.S. home winning streak at 22 matches. The last time the U.S. had failed to win at home was also against South Korea -- a 1-1 draw on Oct. 6, 2019, in Chicago. These two teams will meet again at 7 p.m. next Tuesday at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota, or at 9 a.m. next Wednesday in Korean time. South Korea, ranked 18th, remained winless in 14 meetings against the U.S., with four draws, 10 losses. South Korea is gearing up for the 2022 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Asian Cup, scheduled to kick off in January in India.
South Korea head coach Colin Bell said earlier this week that the two U.S. matches would provide "a great test" for his players in their preparation for the continental tournament. And at least on the defensive side, South Korea deserved high marks for their effort.
