Lilian Isabella Yohannes (born June 12, 2007) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Dutch club Ajax of the Vrouwen Eredivisie and the United States national team. Born in the United States, she moved to the Netherlands at age ten.[4]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Lilian Isabella Yohannes[1] | ||
| Date of birth | June 12, 2007[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Springfield, Virginia, U.S. | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[3] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Ajax | ||
| Number | 20 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2023 | Ajax | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023– | Ajax | 16 | (4) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2024– | United States | 1 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of june 4, 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of June 4, 2024 | |||
Early life
Yohannes was born in Springfield, Virginia, to Eritrean Parents. She moved to the Netherlands when she was ten years old after her father 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
At age 15, Yohannes signed a three-year professional contract through June 2026 with AFC Ajax.[5] On November 15, 2023, aged 16, she became the youngest player to ever to start a UEFA Women's Champions League group stage match and the youngest American to play in the Champions League.[6] Ajax went on to win 2–0 over Paris Saint-Germain with goals from Tiny Hoekstra at the 34th minute and Sherida Spitse at the first minute of injury time during the first half.[7]
International career
Yohannes trained with the United States youth national team at the under-15 and under-16 level in 2022.[8][9]
In December 2023, Yohannes attended camp with the Dutch under-19 national team.[6]
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.[10] 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.[11] At 16 years and 358 days old, Yohannes became the third-youngest goal scorer in USWNT history.[12] Later that month, she was not selected to the United States roster for the 2024 Summer Olympics.[13]
As of April 2024, Yohannes is applying for Dutch citizenship, which would make her eligible to play for the Dutch national team. She remains able to change national teams because her USWNT debut appearance was in a friendly.[14]
International statistics
- As of match played June 4, 2024
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | |||
| 2024 | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 1 | 1 | |
International goals
| Key (expand for notes on "international goals" and sorting) | |
|---|---|
| Location | Geographic location of the venue where the competition occurred Sorted by country name first, then by city name |
| Lineup | Start – played entire match on minute (off player) – substituted on at the minute indicated, and player was substituted off at the same time off minute (on player) – substituted off at the minute indicated, and player was substituted on at the same time |
| Goal in match | Goal of total goals by the player in the match Sorted by total goals followed by goal number |
| # | NumberOfGoals.goalNumber scored by the player in the match (alternate notation to Goal in match) |
| Min | The minute in the match the goal was scored. For list that include caps, blank indicates played in the match but did not score a goal. |
| Assist/pass | The ball was passed by the player, which assisted in scoring the goal. This column depends on the availability and source of this information. |
| penalty or pk | Goal scored on penalty-kick which was awarded due to foul by opponent. (Goals scored in penalty-shoot-out, at the end of a tied match after extra-time, are not included.) |
| Score | The match score after the goal was scored. Sorted by goal difference, then by goal scored by the player's team |
| Result | The final score. Sorted by goal difference in the match, then by goal difference in penalty-shoot-out if it is taken, followed by goal scored by the player's team in the match, then by goal scored in the penalty-shoot-out. For matches with identical final scores, match ending in extra-time without penalty-shoot-out is a tougher match, therefore precede matches that ended in regulation |
| aet | The score at the end of extra-time; the match was tied at the end of 90' regulation |
| pso | Penalty-shoot-out score shown in parentheses; the match was tied at the end of extra-time |
| Light-purple background color – exhibition or closed door international friendly match | |
| Light-yellow background color – match at an invitational tournament | |
| Light-orange background color – Olympic women's football qualification match | |
| Light-blue background color – FIFA women's world cup qualification match | |
| Pink background color – Continental Games or regional tournament | |
| Orange background color – Olympic women's football tournament | |
| Blue background color – FIFA women's world cup final tournament | |
| NOTE on background colors: Continental Games or regional tournament are sometimes also qualifier for World Cup or Olympics; information depends on the source such as the player's federation. NOTE: some keys may not apply for a particular football player | |
Goals | Cap | Date | Location | Opponent | Lineup | Min | Assist/pass | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 2023-06-04 | St. Paul, Minnesota |  South Korea | 82' | Trinity Rodman | 3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
Personal life
Yohannes is of Eritrean descent.[15] Her maternal grandfather, Bokretsion Gebrehiwot, was a member of Eritrea's national soccer team. Her older brother, Aethan, has appeared with the United States' under-15 and under-17 national teams and currently plays college soccer at Wake Forest.
Honors
United States
References
External links
- Lily Yohannes at Soccerway.com
- Lily Yohannes at WorldFootball.net
- Lily Yohannes at Soccerdonna (in German)
- Lily Yohannes at kicker (in German)
- Lily Yohannes at FBref.com
