Angel City announced the signing of 16-year-old Casey Phair on Thursday, marking the second U18 signing by the team this offseason.

The club previously added Giselle Thompson to its young core, signing the defender just days before she turned 18. She’s the younger sister of Alyssa Thompson, who Angel City drafted No. 1 overall in 2023.

Signings of U18 players have become such a strong occurrence in the NWSL that teams are capped at having four players under 18 on their roster.

Phair already has international experience, having become the youngest player to feature in a World Cup in 2023 as a member of the South Korean national team. The New Jersey resident was also the first dual national to appear in a World Cup for South Korea.

After making her World Cup debut, Phair knew that she wanted to take the next step, and she didn’t know how her experience would translate to U17 and then college.

“I wanted to keep getting better and not just peak at the World Cup, then go down and go to college and then have to get back up to a professional level,” she told ESPN.

While Phair had trained with a number of NWSL teams, she told ESPN that she found LA to be the best fit.

“One of the biggest things I liked about L.A. was that it was similar to Korea, where I felt very comfortable in the environment and just meeting the staff and all the coaches and the other players,” Phair said. “They were just so welcoming. They gave off the vibe that they wanted me there and that they wanted to help me. I thought Angel City had the best plan for me.”

Just Women’s Sports is here with your daily World Cup Digest, breaking down all of the biggest storylines from each day of action in Australia and New Zealand.

Today’s top World Cup news: Philippines shock New Zealand after controversial VAR call

The Philippines got their first World Cup goal – and subsequently their first World Cup win – against New Zealand on Tuesday.

The stunning 1-0 defeat came after New Zealand seemed to equalize in the 68th minute but had the goal disallowed on a VAR call. The video review showed the head of New Zealand’s Hannah Wilkinson crossed the offside line by the slimmest of margins before her shot.

“It’s so heartbreaking for everyone in this team,” New Zealand coach Jitka Klimkova said. “We played to win and it didn’t go our way. We were fighting until the end, but it wasn’t enough.”

On the other side, the Philippines celebrated a historic triumph. Sarina Bolden scored the game-winner, which made her the all-time leading international goal scorer for the Philippines. The goal meant everything, she said after the win.

“It feels overwhelming, crazy — it feels like I’m in a dream,” Bolden said. “It doesn’t feel real.

“I literally can’t put it into words. This has been a dream of mine as a little kid to just be here at the World Cup, let alone even score.”

Today’s top highlight: 18-year-old Linda Caicedo scores first World Cup goal

Linda Caicedo broke onto the senior international stage in thrilling fashion as she scored in Colombia’s 2-0 win over South Korea. The goal came in her senior World Cup debut, and marked the third time she’s scored at a World Cup in a year – the only player to ever start and score in three World Cups in the span of a year.

Yes, you read that right.

Last August, Caicedo featured on Colombia’s U-20 team at the Under-20 World Cup in Costa Rica. She scored twice against New Zealand in the group stage. Two months later, Caicedo played at the U-17 World Cup in India, where she helped Colombia to a runner-up finish and was tied for the tournament’s top goal-scorer with four goals.

And last night, she made her senior World Cup debut, becoming the second-youngest South American player to score a debut goal since Marta in 2007. At just 18 years old, Caicedo already has beaten cancer (she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at 15), signed with Real Madrid and made her name known on multiple international stages. Get ready, world. Linda Caicedo has arrived.

Today’s results:

  • Philippines 1, New Zealand 0
  • Norway 0, Switzerland 0
  • Colombia 2, South Korea 0

More World Cup news to know:

  • At 16 years old, Casey Phair became the youngest player in World Cup history to appear in a match after subbing on for South Korea last night.
  • Zambia cut its match preview press conference short Tuesday due to persistent questions about an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct against head coach Bruce Mwape. Last September, Zambia’s FA announced that it had referred an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse to FIFA. In July, the Guardian revealed that Mwape was among those being investigated. When asked Tuesday if it would be good for the team for him to step aside, Mwape asked: “What environment affecting the team in particular? What are you talking about? I would like to know because there is no way I can retire without reason. Maybe your reason is because what you are reading from the media or from the press, but the truth of the matter should actually come out, not just on rumors.”
  • Norway winger Caroline Graham Hansen was unhappy about starting her team’s game against Switzerland from the bench. The game, which was missing Ada Hegerberg due to a groin injury, resulted in a 0-0 tie. “It’s tough, I don’t know what I can say. There’s not much I can say, I feel like I’m standing here with my hands tied,” she said in an interview after the match. “I feel I have been stepped on for a whole year — everyone says all the time that we have to stand together as a team and as a nation, but I feel I’ve been on the receiving end [of a raw deal]. … Nothing comes for free in life, but I thought I had earned a certain amount of respect, but maybe that wasn’t the case.”