USA national coach Emma Hayes has praised Ajax player Lily Johannes. The young midfielder made his debut for the team earlier this week and was immediately accurate. “It’s great to see how much his first international means to him, his family and his teammates. He’s a natural footballer. He’s got a lot of confidence in his qualities,” Hayes said.
“She knows what I think about her and I want her in the team,” confirmed the national coach. The 16-year-old played the last twenty minutes of Ajax’s 3-0 friendly win over South Korea.
16-year-old Lily Yohannes scores on her USWNT debut
3rd youngest player to score for USWNT 🤯 pic.twitter.com/sKRi1OylOm
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 5, 2024
The KNVB previously indicated it was working on arranging a passport for Yohannes. Although Johannes was born in the US and holds a US passport, the Netherlands team is still in the running to recruit her for an international career. Just because the 16-year-old Ajax women’s top talent appeared for the United States yesterday doesn’t mean she’s no longer eligible for the Netherlands. Before she turns 21, conversion is still possible under certain conditions. The midfielder has not been able to play for the Orange Women’s team in recent months as Jonger’s side have not played any training games.
Yohannes, still eligible for the Orange women, was called up to the U.S. women’s team for the first time in March, but has yet to play any minutes. That changed with last night’s raid. With a subtle slide he made it 3-0 with ten minutes to go.
