Lily Yohannes became the US Women’s National Team’s third youngest goalscorer when she netted a goal at just 16 years old, only ten minutes after being subbed on for her debut.
Ajax’s 16-Year-Old Lily Yohannes Scores Only Minutes Into Her USWNT Debut
Yohannes Debuts Against South Korea
16-year-old Yohannes made her debut for the USWNT in the friendly match against South Korea on Tuesday, June 4 at Allianz Field, Minnesota.
Scoring alongside teammates Crystal Dunn and Sophia Smith, the midfidler helped to make it a 3-0 win to the USA.
The game was the USA’s second June friendly against South Korea. The first took place on June 2 in Colorado, which they also won 4-0.
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Yohannes’ goal came in the USA’s new head coach Emma Hayes’ second match with the team after taking over only a few weeks ago.
Fellow goalscorer Sophia Smith said of Yohannes after the match: “Lily is a baller. From the day she came into camp, she was just making passes that you don’t see a 16-year-old make. You don’t even see veteran players make these passes. She’s confident, she’s composed. We knew she was going to get into this game hopefully, and she came in and didn’t miss a beat.”
Yohannes is now the eighth youngest player in USWNT history and the youngest since 2001.
Tuesday’s Gameplay And Goalscoring
The teenager scored just ten minutes after being subbed on for Korbin Albert. Her goal came off a cross from Trinity Rodman in the 82nd minute, making her the third youngest player to score for the USWNT.
The Ajax player’s U.S. teammates rushed over to congratulate her after her goal and she later said: “I think that made it just that much more special. I just took off to the corner, and I saw all of them running at me. Just super, super special and so grateful. Such a great team.”
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Hayes gave Yohannes the freedom to play on the wing alongside Sam Coffey, who had been subbed on as a midfielder just ten minutes before.
Yohannes calmly took on the major task of getting around South Korea’s Ji So-Yun, who plays for Seattle Reign in the National Women’s Soccer League.
Hayes made her trust in Yohannes clear by giving her the space to demonstrate her full capacity on the field. The teenager described her first international goal as: “a dream come true, really. I played this scenario out in my head like how many times before this game?”
US-Born, Netherlands-Raised
Yohannes and her family moved from her childhood home in Virginia to the Netherlands when she was ten years old.
She had, until recently, remained undecided as to whether she would play for her birth country, the U.S., or her adopted nation, the Netherlands, where her footballing career is based.
Dutch team Ajax took on Yohannes when she was 15 years old and she recently won the 23/24 domestic league with the top Dutch side. She stood out during Ajax’s UEFA Women’s Champions League campaign.
In Autumn 2023, she became the youngest player to start a UWCL group stage match. Yohannes went on to help her side reach the quarter-finals, where they played Chelsea, Hayes’ former team.
The Netherlands had made her an offer to play on their national team, but she ultimately turned it down and stepped up for the USA instead. The SheBelieves Cup was Yohannes’ first call-up, but she ended up not playing any minutes.
She continued to prove herself in Ajax’s domestic and Champions League campaign until it looked imminent that she would get her first international start. Hayes selected the 16-year-old for the US June camp roster, but it wasn’t until this second game that Yohannes got her first minutes on the pitch.
Her debut performance did not disappoint, setting her up to claim a spot as part of the USWNT’s new generation.
International Opportunities For Yohannes
Yohannes has two more chances to make an impression with the U.S. in their final matches before Hayes’ side will travel to France for the Olympics.
They will play Mexico on July 13 at New Jersey’s Red Bull Arena before their last friendly against Costa Rica in Washington DC. They are set to kick off their Olympic campaign on July 25 against Zambia in Nice.
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Yohannes is certainly making a name for herself, posing the question of whether the teenager will be selected for Hayes’ 18-player Olympic squad.
Hayes spoke highly of the teenager after her debut: “She is a natural footballer that is confident in her abilities. I think playing in Europe has helped, has accelerated [her].”
She added: “She’s had exposures that many American 16-year-olds have not had, and it shows. There was a maturity to it even at a tender age. She manages it. It’s her second camp, and there’s already been a step up from the first to the second. I want her to celebrate her first cap. It’s a really special moment for her and her family.”
