Nicknamed a ‘soccer-crazed family,’ football was not new to Lily Yohannes, as it always surrounded her early childhood while growing up in a community of Ethiopian and Eritrean expats. The 17-year-old soccer player said that she wouldn’t be where she is today without her family and parents’ support.
In an interview with Sam Mewis for the Women’s Game podcast, Lily mentioned that her father, Daniel, was a great football fan and that soccer was always on the TV.
Daniel even converted his basement into an indoor soccer pitch for his children to play.
“I JUST LOVE THE GAME” ⚽️🫶
— The Women's Game (@WomensGameMIB) May 10, 2024
Lily Yohannes tells @sammymewy all about playing soccer against her brothers and running drills in their basement in full kits and shin guards 😂🤩
🎧: Find the all new episode out now, wherever you get your pods! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/PALslMjAHw
This led to competitive matches between Lily, who was around four or five, and her elder brothers, Aethan and Jayden, eventually becoming a stepping stone for Yohannes’ siblings.
Now, all three of the Yohannes are making their names in soccer. Lily became the third youngest goal scorer in the US Women’s National Team history, and Aethan has played in the U-15 and U-17 men’s national teams and is currently a player at Wake Forest.
Lily Yohannes’ parents moved from the US to the Netherlands for their children
17 years old Lily Yohannes was born on June 12, 2007, in Springfield, Virginia, to Semhar Bokretsion, an Eritrean-American mother, and Daniel Yohannes, an Ethiopian-born father.
She is the youngest of Yohannes’ children, as she has two elder brothers, Aethan, 20, and Jayden, 18.
When Aethan was 13 and Lily was 9, her parents saw their children had a future in soccer.
AMAZING WEEK FOR YOHANNES FAMILY OF VIRGINIA. After 16yo Ajax star Lily Yohannes gets 1st USWNT call-up for SheBelieves Cup, Lily’s dad tells MiB son Jayden (18) has agreed to join Telstar U21s next season, while Aethan (20, R) is at FC Den Bosch recovering from ACL injury. 🇺🇸🇳🇱 pic.twitter.com/kH4BkzZyAZ
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) March 26, 2024
So, they decided to let them experience diverse cultures and overseas lifestyles when Daniel found out about the Dutch-American Friendship Treaty.
In 2017, the entire Yohannes family moved to the Netherlands following Daniel’s recruitment in Amsterdam. This was a turning point for Lily’s and Aethan’s professional careers.
She initially played in an amateur boys’ team when the Dutch Football Federation (KNVB) noticed her playing style, and eventually, at 13, AFC Ajax, the country’s most successful club, signed her.
In 2022, Lily started training camp as a midfielder for the United States youth national team.
On November 15, 2023, Lily, then 16, became the youngest American ever to play in a Champions League.
Now, she made her international USWNT debut on June 4, 2024, against South Korea, playing for the Ajax Women’s Team, representing the American women’s soccer team.
News has it that Lily is also applying for Dutch citizenship, as The Dutch Federation invited her to an upcoming U-19 training camp, where she will play for the Dutch National Team.
Lily Yohannes’ father Daniel’s Twitter is filled with Tweets dedicated to the achievements of his children.
Additional Information
- Lily Yohannes’ parents seem to have another child, Mike, the eldest of all three living Yohannes siblings, whom they lost to cancer in around March 2019, as per their father Daniel’s tweet.
- Her maternal grandfather, Bekuretsion Gebrehiwot, of Eritrean descent, played national soccer in the 1968 African Cup of Nations.
- Lily’s brother, Aethan Yohannes, is recovering from an ACL injury and will train with the U-21 reserve team at FC Den Bosh, while Jayden plans to join the SC Telstar U-21 academy.
