In the U.S. women’s national team’s final match before the Olympic roster is decided, newly minted head coach Emma Hayes took her final look at the player pool with nine changes to her starting XI as the Americans earned a second-straight win over South Korea.
Following a 4-0 win on Saturday, 16-year-old debutant Lily Yohannes stole the headlines of Tuesday’s 3-0 victory by scoring in her first substitute appearance as a full international. In doing so, the eighth player to make her USWNT debut before turning 17 (first since 2001) became the third-youngest USWNT goalscorer ever (16y 358d) behind Kristine Lilly and Tiffany Roberts.
The goal coming in the 82nd minute put the cherry on top of an already secured victory, allowing the entire USWNT bench to meet Yohannes at the corner flag for a memorable celebration.
“It’s a dream come true really,” Yohannes shared her excitement postmatch. “I played this scenario out in my head how many times before this game, just having the idea of coming on and scoring and that was really amazing. [The] support from my teammates all running up to me made it just so much more special”
Beyond the goal, Yohannes showed a calmness on the ball not typically associated with 16-year-old footballers in the middle of the park. Combined with her ability to pick a pass with vision beyond her years, the Ajax youngster made a serious case for being on that flight to Paris next month.
“She’s a press-resistant player, gets out of the pressure, the weight of the pass, the quality of the pass – she plays with the football whether it’s the sole of her foot or the outside of her foot. She’s a natural footballer [who] is confident in her abilities,” Hayes praised her debutant. “I think playing in Europe has accelerated her learning…She’s had exposures that many American 16-year-olds have not had and it shows. There is a maturity to it even at a tender age. This is her second camp and there’s…
Source link : https://sbisoccer.com/2024/06/yohannes-dunn-shine-as-uswnt-blank-south-korea
Author : Justin Ruderman
Publish date : 2024-06-05 12:07:00
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