The youngest player on the U.S. women’s national team, 17-year-old midfielder Lily Yohannes, returns with the squad to the place where she made her national debut and scored her first USWNT goal nearly one year ago.
The Stars and Stripes will face China for a friendly at Allianz Field in Minnesota, as head coach Emma Hayes also marks one year on the job. Yohannes’ trajectory alongside Hayes might be considered perfect timing or happenstance, but either way, the teenage talent is just getting started.
She has emerged as one of the most exciting, upcoming talents in women’s soccer. She showcased elite playmaking ability and maturity beyond her years for both the USWNT and Dutch club Ajax. A technically gifted midfielder, Yohannes has quickly become a mainstay on rosters in 2025 as part of the USWNT’s build-up to the 2027-28 international cycle.
“I keep saying to everyone, she’s 17. She’s still got a couple of years of years of experience as a professional. I think the next two years of development will be important for her. I think it’s been an unbelievable development pathway for her to be at Ajax. That, for me, has, I think, advanced her positional play in a way that makes her stand out beyond her…
