Ji So-yeon is taking on a new challenge. Once again, she’s going to the best league in the world.
Seattle Reign FC announced on the club’s official website today that it has signed South Korean forward Ji So-yeon. We will be together until the 2025 season.”
“We have finalized an agreement with Suwon FC to transfer Ji So-yeon. She will join the team as soon as her US visa is finalized. She will then participate in the preseason as normal. This is an important signing in the history of our club. She is a proven striker who has played in the English League.”
The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), of which Seattle is a member, is one of the top two women’s soccer leagues in the world, along with the English Women’s Super League (WSL). With 14 teams, it is the largest women’s soccer league. Ji So-yeon became the first Korean female soccer player to play in both the American and English leagues.
The transfer negotiations were quick. With Ji-So-Yeon on board, Seattle finished fourth last season with nine wins, eight draws, and five losses. They made it all the way to the championship game, but lost to Gotham FC to finish as runners-up.
This upcoming season, they’re looking to win the title. In particular, they needed to strengthen their offense. The team has been actively pursuing the signing of Ji So-yeon.
Ji So-yeon has long been a fixture in South Korean women’s soccer. Her path has been one of history in South Korean women”s soccer.
She made her professional debut in 2011 with Kobe Leonessa in Japan. She quickly established herself as the team’s ace. She also made a name for herself on the international stage.
In 2014, she became the first Korean woman to play in the English Women’s Super League (WSL). She won six league titles with Chelsea. She also won four English Football Association Cups, two League Cups, and one Community Shield.
In 2022, he returned to Korea, joining Suwon FC. He wanted to focus on the 2023 FIFA World Cup in Australia and New Zealand and keep the WK League alive.
His performances for the national team were consistent. He was an irreplaceable ace. In 2018, she played her 100th A match at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Asian Cup. She became only the fourth female soccer player in history to join the Century Club.
To date, she has played 154 A matches. She has scored 69 goals. This is the most A-Match appearances and goals by any South Korean male or female soccer player. In 2021, she became president of the Korea Professional Footballers’ Association.
Her nickname is “Jimesi,” which means Lionel Messi of women’s soccer. Her skills have been compared to Messi’s and she has a high level of finishing power. Her kicking and passing are top-notch. Her offense is one of the best in the world.
Meanwhile, Ji So-yeon will face teammate Casey Eugene Fair on the American stage. Fair is a 2007-born prospect born to a Korean mother and American father. She made her professional debut on March 18, joining Los Angeles-based Angel City FC. She will inevitably face off against Ji So-yeon.
The pair have been called the future of the South Korean women’s national soccer team. At the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, she became the youngest player in World Cup history to make an appearance in a Group H match against Colombia. At the time, she was 16 years and 26 days old. American sports media outlet ESPN noted that “Fair, an American-born teenager, became the youngest player in World Cup history.” Her athleticism allowed her to dominate her peers from a young age.