Griffin McDorman Yow (born September 25, 2002) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a winger in the Belgian Pro League with Westerlo.[2]

Griffin Yow
Personal information
Full name Griffin McDorman Yow[1]
Date of birth (2002-09-25) September 25, 2002 (age 22)[1]
Place of birth Clifton, Virginia, United States
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1]
Position(s) Winger
Team information
Current team
Westerlo
Number 18
Youth career
2016–2017 Virginia Development Academy
2017–2019 D.C. United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2022 Loudoun United 18 (3)
2019–2022 D.C. United 32 (3)
2022– Westerlo 38 (7)
International career
2018–2019 United States U17 12 (7)
2024 United States U23 7 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of September 28, 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of August 2, 2024

Club career

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D.C. United

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Yow joined the D.C. United academy in 2017, and found himself engaging in training sessions with the first team at the age of 15. By 2019, Yow had withdrawn from high school and enrolled in online programs, electing to forego a collegiate soccer career in favor of professional opportunities in the sport.[3] Shortly thereafter, Yow made his professional debut with the club's USL Championship affiliate Loudoun United, and the following week scored the first goal in club history against Memphis 901 FC.[4]

On March 19, 2019, he became the 12th homegrown player to be signed with D.C. United.[5] Yow made his professional debut with D.C. United in the 90th minute replacing Paul Arriola against New York City FC on April 21, 2019.[6] This cameo made him the youngest player to appear in Major League Soccer during the 2019 season.[7] Yow scored his first non-competitive goal for D.C. United in a friendly against Real Betis on May 22, 2019. Yow made his first start with D.C. United on July 4, 2019, against FC Dallas, playing 58 minutes in a 0–2 loss.[8] On September 19, 2020, Yow scored his first Major League Soccer goal against Toronto FC, equalizing the game 2–2.[9]

Following his departure from the club, Yow stated that he "didn't feel valued" at times during his stint with the team, owing to a lack of minutes and perceived on-field progress.[10] Yow made no more than a dozen league appearances in any of his four seasons with the club between 2019 and 2022.[2]

Westerlo

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On July 4, 2022, Yow was sold by D.C. United to recently promoted Westerlo.[11] After a quiet season in which he made just five league appearances, Yow broke into the starting eleven in October 2023 after a knee injury forced him to miss the start of the 2023–24 campaign. He enjoyed a hot start to the season, scoring three goals and tallying two assists in his first 10 games.[12] At the end of the year, Yow had registered 29 appearances across all competitions, scoring seven times.

International career

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Yow has appeared for the United States under-17 team, scoring his first goal against Brazil's under-17 team in a friendly tournament.[13] In October 2019, he was named to the squad for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil.[14]

In March 2024, Yow was called up to the United States under-23 team ahead of friendlies against Guinea and France. That summer, Yow was selected to play in the 2024 Summer Olympics,[15][16] appearing in all of the team's group stage matches[17] as well as their 4–0 loss to Morocco in the quarterfinals.

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played September 28, 2024[2]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Loudoun United 2019 USL 15 3 15 3
2021 USL 1 0 1 0
2022 USL 2 0 2 0
Total 18 3 18 3
D.C. United 2019 MLS 2 0 2 0 4 0
2020 MLS 12 2 12 2
2021 MLS 11 1 11 1
2022 MLS 7 0 2 0 9 0
Total 32 3 4 0 36 3
Westerlo 2022–23 Belgian Pro League 5 0 5 0
2023–24 Belgian Pro League 28 7 1 0 29 7
2024–25 Belgian Pro League 5 0 0 0 5 0
Total 38 7 1 0 0 0 39 7
Career total 88 13 5 0 0 0 0 0 93 13
  1. ^ Includes U.S. Open Cup and Belgian Cup

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Men's Olympic Football Tournament Paris 2024: Squad list" (PDF). FIFA. July 24, 2024. p. 15. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "USA – G. Yow – Profile with news, career statistics and history – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  3. ^ Goff, Steven (March 29, 2019). "Griffin Yow doesn't have a driver's license, but he has a D.C. United contract". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  4. ^ "Griffin Yow has moved up the Pathway to Pro system and continues to show promise at just 18-years-old". Loudoun United. October 1, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  5. ^ "sign Academy Product Griffin Yow as 12th Homegrown in Club History". D.C. United. March 19, 2019. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  6. ^ "Homegrown Griffin Yow makes MLS debut against NYCFC | DC United".
  7. ^ Vertelney, Seth (April 22, 2019). "16-Year-Old Griffin Yow Is on the Fast Track With D.C. United". Washington City Paper. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  8. ^ "FC Dallas vs. D.C. United". MLS MatchCenter. Major League Soccer. July 4, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  9. ^ "DC United teen academy product Griffin Yow scores late equalizer for 1st MLS goal". mlssoccer.com. September 20, 2020. Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  10. ^ Vertelney, Seth (January 17, 2024). "Now thriving in Belgium, Yow admits he didn't feel valued at D.C. United". Pro Soccer Wire. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  11. ^ "D.C. United Agree Terms with KVC Westerlo for the permanent transfer of Griffin Yow". D.C. United. July 4, 2022. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
  12. ^ Sciaretta, Brian (January 17, 2024). "Now confident and in form, Yow excited to see his career take off in Belgium". American Soccer Now. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  13. ^ "U-17 MNT Forward Griffin Yow Takes Next Steps for Club and Country". US Soccer. May 6, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  14. ^ "Head Coach Raphael Wicky Names USA Roster for 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil". www.ussoccer.com. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  15. ^ Shubert, Noah (July 18, 2024). "'A dream come true': Griffin Yow looks to make his country, and the DMV proud in Paris". WJLA. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  16. ^ Goff, Steven (July 8, 2024). "Kevin Paredes and Griffin Yow named to U.S. Olympic men's soccer team". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  17. ^ Sciaretta, Brian (August 1, 2024). "Yow on Olympic run: "The job is not done. We want to medal."". American Soccer Now. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
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