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What’s Parenting Lily Yohannes Like? An Interview With Her Dad
April 24, 2026
Posted 2 hours ago by
Lily Yohannes plays soccer with an efficiency that would come off as mechanical if she didn't have the vision of an artist, resulting in some of the most beautiful dribbling sequences and long through balls that have ever graced a pitch. Indeed, the 18-year-old OL Lyonnes star is the USWNT's best midfield prospect in a decade. Considering she shot into the elite echelons of soccer at such a young age—while she was 16 and playing for Ajax, she became the youngest player to ever start a Champions League group stage match—it's no surprise that her family has been a large part of her story.
And what a family she has. Both of her brothers play professionally: 20-year-old Jayden plays for SC Telstar’s U21 side, and 22-year-old Aethan plays for Almere City FC's youth team as well as the Eritrean national team. Her father, Daniel, has been her most outspoken supporter. Daniel's Twitter account reads like a standard—if more thoughtful than most—soccer stan account, so long as you ignore the posts when he mentions being Lily's father. He reposts compilation videos other people have made of Lily's highlights, writes tactical analyses of Lily's and other games (he's a Chelsea supporter), talks about pay equity in the women's game, and makes the occasional impassioned political post.
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