Hayes: Starlet Yohannes has big USWNT future

United States women's nationalist squad caput manager Emma Hayes sung the praises of 17-year-old midfielder Lily Yohannes again connected Friday, saying Yohannes has a agleam aboriginal with the program.

Hayes besides reiterated the request for patience from the public, however, citing Yohannes' younker and comparative inexperience.

"She's got unbelievable maturity and coachability, and idiosyncratic who I cognize is going to go an important portion of our program," Hayes told reporters. "But I'm invested successful that development, and we person to beryllium diligent with that considering her tender property and her deficiency of planetary and high-level experience."

Yohannes rejoined the USWNT this week for upcoming games against China and Jamaica. Saturday's crippled against China volition beryllium played astatine Allianz Field successful St. Paul, Minnesota -- the tract of Yohannes' archetypal headdress and archetypal extremity astir a twelvemonth agone to the day.

"It's brainsick to beryllium backmost here," Yohannes said successful a video released by U.S. Soccer. "That was specified a peculiar infinitesimal for me, truthful to beryllium backmost present is benignant of afloat circle."

Yohannes has six caps aft formally deciding to correspond the USWNT past fall.

The Netherlands, wherever the Virginia-born midfielder and her household person been based since she was 10 years old, recruited Yohannes to play for the programme but Yohannes yet chose her autochthonal country.

Yohannes presently plays for the storied Dutch nine Ajax Amsterdam. She signed a nonrecreational declaration with the nine astatine 15 years old. In 2023, arsenic a 16-year-old, she became the youngest subordinate to ever commencement a UEFA Women's Champions League lucifer successful Ajax's historical group-stage triumph implicit Paris Saint-Germain.

Sources told ESPN's Emily Keogh earlier this period that English champions Chelsea -- Hayes' erstwhile nine -- are interested successful signing Yohannes via transportation this summer.

"As I support saying to everyone, she's 17," Hayes said. "She's got a mates of years of acquisition arsenic a professional. I deliberation the adjacent 2 years of improvement volition beryllium important for her.

"I deliberation it's been an unbelievable improvement pathway for her to beryllium astatine Ajax. That, for me, I think, has precocious her positional play successful a mode that I deliberation makes her basal retired beyond her years.

"She's physically developed successful the past 12 months. Tactically successful possession, erstwhile she plays for her nine team, they mostly person the shot against benignant of mid-to-low blocks. So, I deliberation she's developed that broadside of her play."

Yohannes narrowly missed retired connected making the USWNT's Olympic roster past year. At the time, she had not yet decided whether to correspond the U.S. oregon the Netherlands.

The U.S. went connected to gain a 5th Olympic golden medal, a satellite record. The Netherlands did not suffice for the tournament.

Yohannes precocious starred for the USWNT successful a 2-0 triumph implicit Brazil successful April successful a 2024 Olympic gold-medal crippled rematch, coming disconnected the seat successful the 2nd fractional and earning a punishment footwear a fewer minutes later. She started the pursuing lucifer against Brazil, a 2-1 nonaccomplishment a fewer days later.

Yohannes besides started arsenic a box-to-box midfielder for the USWNT successful a 2-1 February nonaccomplishment to chap satellite powerfulness Japan. She helped acceptable up the lone U.S. extremity that day.

And she provided a secondary assistance earlier successful the SheBelieves Cup successful a 2-0 triumph implicit Colombia by providing a line-cutting done shot to teammate Yazmeen Ryan.

Hayes tried to temper contiguous expectations aft those results. She did truthful again connected Friday.

"I deliberation for us, playing against opponents similar Brazil and Japan, were highly high-level games that volition service her good successful the future," Hayes said.

"But arsenic I ever support saying, she's got a batch of improvement to do, and I deliberation it volition beryllium up and down. And I deliberation that we'll spot truly bully moments from I deliberation we'll spot indifferent moments. I deliberation it's what you tin expect from a 17-year-old."