“After much thought, I have decided to represent my country, the United States.” These words from Lily Yohannes were music to the ears of ardent American fans. The 17-year-old starlet, who had previously been sitting on the fence about choosing her international profile between the USWNT and the Netherlands, finally pledged her allegiance to Emma Hayes and Co. Although the decision wasn’t easy, feeling ‘welcomed by everybody’ ultimately helped her choose.

Having represented the USA at the U15 and U16 levels in 2022, Lily later trained with the Netherlands’ youth setup in December 2023. Her journey took a significant turn in March 2024 when she earned her first senior USWNT call-up under Hayes. So one can say the US had kind of made Yohannes feel pre-welcome, something with which she agrees. “Yeah, definitely,” began the youngster as compiled by The Equalizer.

“I think I had a really amazing experience in both camps. That moment [of] coming on for my first cap, and just how welcoming everybody was, the coaching staff to the players—this is an environment of amazing players, but also really amazing people. So, to come into camp and be welcomed by everybody was very nice,” admitted Yohannes.

While the teenager didn’t feature in her initial appearances for the Stars and Stripes, the talented starlet eventually marked her debut by scoring in a friendly against South Korea in June 2024. However, it wasn’t until now that she made her definitive choice regarding her international allegiance. That also includes the influence of her fellow U.S. teammates, whose welcoming nature must have made Yohannes feel one of their own.

Notably, both the USWNT and the Netherlands were keen to add the Ajax superstar to their national team rosters. Emma Hayes earlier revealed that the US Soccer Federation had communicated with Yohannes after the Olympics to don the red, white, and blue. “I’m always optimistic, but I don’t like to pressure anybody in this situation… I still very much harbor the hopes that Lily will represent the U.S. in the future,” Hayes said earlier.

While Yohannes did the best in her ability to offer a smile on Hayes and Co.’s face, she did leave her upcoming rival side bitter mouth.

Things could backfire on Lily Yohannes after she gave the cold shoulder to upcoming rivals Netherlands

After announcing her decision on the international front, Lily faced backlash on social media for leaving the Dutch side in limbo. That also frustrated Andries Jonker, who expressed his discontent earlier, saying,  “She could have said that right away. It would have saved Nigel a lot of work… I don’t want a player who would rather play in another shirt.” said the Netherlands boss.

Then again, Yohannes seems unaffected by all the noise from her critics. “To be honest, I think I sort of just try to block out all the outside noise and just to have a great support system around me, with my family and my club,” she said. This, however, isn’t a real test for the teenage sensation. Lily is in contention to start for tomorrow’s friendly against Jonker and Co. Talk about awkwardness!