Lily Yohannes, No. 6, of the United States ,celebrates scoring during the second half against the
Yohannes, a midfielder who will turn 17 next week, scored within 10 minutes of coming on the field in a friendly match with South Korea Tuesday.
Yohannes has played for Ajax, a Dutch women's soccer club, since she was 15 years old, and in November became the youngest player to ever start a UEFA Women's Champions League group stage match—and the youngest American to ever play in the Champions League.
The Yohanneses, who are Eritrean-American, moved to the Netherlands when Lily was 10 to pursue her soccer career.
Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We’re launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here: joinsubtext.com/forbes.
“It’s a dream come true, really,” Yohannes said after the goal.
If Yohannes keeps playing for the United States. The young soccer player is currently in the process of applying for citizenship in the Netherlands, according to the Athletic, which would make her eligible to play for the Dutch national team. Because she has only played for the U.S. in a friendly, and not an official match, she is eligible to switch teams.
Yohannes scored in the first game under U.S. women's soccer's new head coach, Emma Hayes. Hayes, who previously coached at Chelsea in England, signed a deal with the U.S. team in November to become the highest-paid coach in women’s soccer. She replaces Vlatko Andonovski, who stepped down as head of the team after the United State was eliminated earlier than expected in the Women's World Cup last year and fell short at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. The two less-than-stellar international performances came after years of global dominance by the Americans—the team has four World Cup titles and four Olympic gold medals.
Twitter. . Mary Whitfill Roeloffs
One Community. Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts.
Our community is connecting through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space.
