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Lily Yohannes

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Lily Yohannes
Personal information
Full name Lilian Isabella Yohannes[1]
Date of birth (2007-06-12) June 12, 2007 (age 17)[2]
Place of birth Springfield, Virginia,
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[3]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Ajax
Number 20
Youth career
Ajax
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2023– Ajax 24 (7)
International career‡
2024– United States 1 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 22, 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of October 22, 2024

Lilian Isabella Yohannes (born June 12, 2007) is an American professional soccer player who is a midfielder for Dutch club AFC Ajax of the Vrouwen Eredivisie and the United States national team. Born in the United States, her family moved to the Netherlands when she was ten.[4]

Early life

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Yohannes was born in Springfield, Virginia, to Ethiopian parents. She moved to the Netherlands when she was ten years old after her father Daniel accepted a job in Amsterdam. Yohannes played youth soccer in the Netherlands and began training weekly with Ajax when she was 13 years old.[5]

Club career

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At age 15, Yohannes signed a three-year contract with Ajax in April 2023, lasting through June 2026.[5][6] On November 15, 2023, aged 16, she became the youngest player ever to start a UEFA Women's Champions League group stage match and the youngest American to play in the competition.[7] Ajax won 2–0 over Paris Saint-Germain.[8] Yohannes was named player of the match in Ajax's 2–1 victory over AS Roma on January 30, 2024.[9]

Yohannes received the Johan Cruyff Talent of the Year award for the 2023–24 Eredivisie season, given to a top player under the age of 20.[10][11] In her first season in the top Dutch league, she scored 5 goals in 20 matches, helping Ajax finish second and, starting in the final against Fortuna Sittard, win the KNVB Women's Cup in 2024,.[12][13]

Ajax lost in the qualifying rounds of the 2024–25 UEFA Women's Champions League, with Yohannes starting both of the team's matches in Brøndby, Denmark.[14]

International career

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Yohannes trained with the United States youth national team at the under-15 and under-16 level in 2022.[15][16]

In December 2023, Yohannes attended camp with the Dutch under-19 national team.[7]

In March 2024, at age 16, Yohannes received her first senior United States national team call-up ahead of the 2024 SheBelieves Cup. She became the youngest player to be called in to a senior camp since 16-year-old Sophia Smith in 2017.[17] She made her international debut on June 4, 2024, against South Korea. She entered the game in the 72nd minute and scored her first goal in the 82nd minute.[18] At one week shy of her 17th birthday, Yohannes became the third-youngest goal scorer in USWNT history.[19] Later that month, she was not selected for the United States roster for the 2024 Summer Olympics.[20]

In April 2024, Yohannes said she was applying for Dutch citizenship, which would make her eligible to play for the Dutch national team. She can change national teams because her USWNT debut was in a friendly.[21] In September, she said she had not yet decided between the American and Dutch teams.[11] In October, Dutch national coach Andries Jonker said that Yohannes was still not eligible to play for the Netherlands.[22]

On November 11, 2024, Yohannes committed to representing the United States in international play.[23]

Personal life

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Yohannes is of Eritrean descent. Her maternal grandfather, Bokretsion Gebrehiwot, was a member of Eritrea's men's national soccer team.[24] Her two older brothers also play Dutch club soccer. Her oldest brother Aethan played on the United States under-15 and under-17 national teams and played college soccer at Wake Forest University.[25] He is currently on the under-21 team of FC Den Bosch in North Brabant.[26] Her brother Jayden plays for the under-21 team of SC Telstar in North Holland.[27][21]

Career statistics

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International

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As of match played June 4, 2024
National team Year Apps Goals
United States 2024 1 1
Total 1 1
Scores and results list United States' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Yohannes goal.
List of international goals scored by Lily Yohannes
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 June 4, 2024 Allianz Field, Saint Paul, Minnesota  South Korea 3–0 3–0 Friendly [18][28]

Honors

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Ajax

United States

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "UEFA Women's Champions League 2023/2024 – Booking List before Quarter-finals, 2nd leg" (PDF). UEFA. March 21, 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 26, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  2. ^ "Lily Yohannes" (in Dutch). AFC Ajax. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  3. ^ "Lily Yohannes". United States Soccer Federation. Archived from the original on March 26, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  4. ^ Abdullah, Abdullah (December 13, 2023). "'An incredible feeling': USWNT prospect Lily Yohannes on life in UWCL, Ajax at age 16 – Equalizer Soccer". Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Lily Yohannes, a 16-year-old American, is playing in the Champions League. Is U.S. Soccer watching?". Yahoo Sports. November 22, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  6. ^ "Lily Yohannes". Ajax.nl. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Meet Lily Yohannes, the 16-year-old American making Champions League history". Pro Soccer Wire. December 13, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  8. ^ "Ajax Amsterdam 2–0 Paris Saint-Germain (Nov 15, 2023) Commentary". ESPN. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  9. ^ "History: Ajax 2-1 Roma | UEFA Women's Champions League 2023/24". UEFA. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  10. ^ "Big winners of the Eredivisie Awards: Luuk de Jong, Tessa Wullaert, Johan Bakayoko, and Lily Yohannes"". Eredivisie. September 2, 2024. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Amerika of Nederland voor Yohannes? "Ik moet m'n tijd nemen"" [America or the Netherlands for Yohannes? "I have to take my time"]. ESPN.nl (in Dutch). September 2, 2024. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  12. ^ "USA - L. Yohannes - Profile with news, career statistics and history". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  13. ^ "KNVB Beker Vrouwen AFC Ajax-Fortuna Sittard". Soccerway. May 20, 2024.
  14. ^ UEFA.com. "Ajax vs Fiorentina | UEFA Women's Champions League 2024/25". UEFA.com. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  15. ^ "U.S. Under-15 Women's Youth National Team To Hold First Training Camp Under New Head Coach Katie Schoepfer". www.ussoccer.com. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  16. ^ "U.S. Under-16 Women's Youth National Team Set To Gather At Nike Headquarters In Portland, Oregon". www.ussoccer.com. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  17. ^ "Kilgore Names 23-Player Roster For 2024 SheBelieves Cup, Presented by Visa". www.ussoccer.com. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  18. ^ a b "USWNT vs. South Korea score, live updates: Emma Hayes continues final prep for Olympics in second game". June 5, 2024.
  19. ^ Abnos, Alexander; Yang, Steph (June 5, 2024). "Yohannes, 16, becomes third-youngest USWNT scorer". The Athletic. New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 5, 2024. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  20. ^ Vertelney, Seth (June 26, 2024). "Hayes: Yohannes still undecided on international future after USWNT Olympic omission". Pro Soccer Wire. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  21. ^ a b Griffin, Tamerra (April 3, 2024). "Who is Lily Yohannes? The 16-year-old USWNT goal-scorer breaking through at Ajax". The Athletic. Archived from the original on June 5, 2024. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  22. ^ "Jonker: "Nigel de Jong bezig met Yohannes, maar ze kan niet worden uitgenodigd"". ESPN.nl (in Dutch). October 20, 2024. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  23. ^ @LilyYohannes10 (November 11, 2024). "I want to extend my deepest gratitude..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  24. ^ "Yohannes' career kick-start in pictures: 'The loudest sound I ever heard'". Ajax.nl. December 20, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  25. ^ "Aethan Yohannes - Men's Soccer". Wake Forest University Athletics. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  26. ^ "JO21". FC Den Bosch (in Dutch). Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  27. ^ "Onder 21 Selectie & staf". SC Telstar (in Dutch). Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  28. ^ United States vs. Korea Republic - 5 June 2024 - Soccerway
  29. ^ "2024 Shebelieves Cup final USWNT vs Canada result". U.S. Soccer. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
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