Ajax teenager Lily Yohannes has committed to represent the U.S. women’s national team at international level.
The 17-year-old midfielder was born in Springfield, Virginia, but moved to the Netherlands with her family in 2017 and was working toward eligibility to possibly represent the country as a Dutch citizen.
In a social media post confirming her decision, she wrote: “After much consideration, I have decided to commit to represent my country, the United States.
“The U.S. is my homeland, my birthplace, and where my extended family resides.
“These strong connections have driven me to honor my roots and proudly commit to U.S. Soccer.”
She added: “I want to extend my deepest gratitude to the United States and Dutch Football Federations for their unwavering support and patient guidance as I made my decision regarding my international future.
“Their dedication and encouragement have been invaluable, and I extend my heartfelt thanks to both Federations.”
Having progressed through the youth ranks at Ajax, Yohannes signed her first professional contract at the age of 15. She scored five goals in 20 appearances in 2023-24 and has netted two goals in six Eredivisie Women’s league games so far this term.
In November last year, aged 16, she became the youngest player to start a Women’s Champions League group stage game. In June, she scored in her first appearance for the USWNT after being handed her debut by head coach Emma Hayes in 2-0 friendly win over South Korea.
FIFA rules allow players to switch international allegiance as long as they have played no more than three competitive senior games for a country before the age of 21. A switch was not necessary in Yohannes’ case.
GO DEEPER
At 16, USWNT midfielder Lily Yohannes is right on time
‘Yohannes’ decision comes at the perfect time’
Analysis by Stephanie Yang
Yohannes’ declaration for the USWNT felt a bit like an inevitability after her debut for the United States against South Korea.
In that game, Yohannes entered as a substitute in the 72nd minute and then scored just 10 minute later, finding some separation between herself and a defender in the box and picking out a cross that she placed through several players into the net.
While friendlies do not cap-tie players, Yohannes did not appear to be a part of the Netherlands’ plans this year, with head coach Andries Jonker implying in late October that he was unable to invite her into camp, presumably due to eligibility reasons.
All the same, USWNT head coach Emma Hayes kept any discussion of Yohannes close to her chest, saying on an October 17 call, “There has been communication post-Olympics between Lily and us at the Federation, so I’m always optimistic, but I don’t like to pressure anybody in this situation.”
Now that Yohannes has made her decision, it’s the perfect time for her to make herself available to Hayes, who has been on a tour of the U.S. to observe players at NWSL clubs and most recently gave seven players their first caps in one international window.
Hayes has said repeatedly that this is a learning and planning period, allowing as many players as possible to come into a lower-stakes environment and ease them into the roster ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
Though Yohannes only has one cap, in that game she was entrusted to deal with a fair amount of pressure in midfield, including defending Korean legend Ji So-yun. She could become an important central attacking midfielder for the US with her vision and ability to play in forwards.
Multiple teammates at both club Ajax and in the US have complimented her ability to pick out passes and create with the ball, although it’s clear she still needs some seasoning as a pro – normal for any 17-year-old, no matter how mature.
She has time now to get that seasoning at the international level; the next set of US friendlies are a perfect opportunity to call in Yohannes for further evaluation as the US will be traveling abroad to play England and the Netherlands in the November FIFA window.
(Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
