Lily Yohannes scores on her debut. Who is the new star of the USWNT?
The teenager marked her debut in the best way possible, with a goal. With that, a new era in women’s soccer begins, one in which she’s set to be the star.
In a match that the USWNT won 3-0 against a decent opponent in the form of South Korea, it was the young substitute who secured the Americans’ third and with that, stole the headlines as she announced herself to the footballing world.
Introducing Lily Yohannes
On Tuesday night, USWNT fans and fans of soccer in general were given a treat. Indeed, the moment came when 16-year-old Lily Yohannes steered in a low shot to take the score to 3-0 in the second of two wins over South Korea. In doing so, Yohannes who is 16 years and 358 days, became the eighth the eighth-youngest player to debut for the USWNT and the third-youngest to score, trailing only Kristine Lilly in 1987 (16 years, 22 days) and Tiffany Roberts in 1994 (16 years, 340 days).
Of course, that’s the latest entry in the story of this new star of the sport but for a better understanding of who she is, we’ve got to go back to the beginning. Born in Springfield, Virginia, Yohannes didn’t exactly grow up in a soccer-crazy town, but what she did do was move to Amsterdam at the age of 9 with her parents and two older brothers and that’s where things took a turn. At the tender age of 13 she began to train with one of the Netherlands’ most prestigious clubs, AFC Ajax. Today she is a starter for its senior women’s team. In that sense, Yohannes stands as a largely unique inclusion in the USWNT with effectively all of her teammates playing for American clubs or universities.
As we look forward, it remains unclear as to whether Yohannes will be included in the Olympic squad which will be coached by current national team coach Emma Hayes. Indeed, with the roster limited to 18 players and a range of other options available, it would be a surprise, to say the least. With that said, as she prepares for her 17th birthday next week, there is no way to deny that she has turned heads. To that end, it could be that her debut this week was not simply a case of youth being given an opportunity against a lesser side, but rather a sign of things to come, something that would make sense when we consider what Lily Yohannes just showed us.