| Griffin Yow | |
| Fullname: | Griffin McDorman Yow[1] |
| Birth Date: | September 25, 2002 |
| Birth Place: | Clifton, Virginia, United States |
| Position: | Winger |
| Currentclub: | Westerlo |
| Clubnumber: | 18 |
| Youthyears1: | 2016–2017 |
| Youthclubs1: | Virginia Development Academy |
| Youthyears2: | 2017–2019 |
| Youthclubs2: | D.C. United |
| Years1: | 2019–2022 |
| Clubs1: | Loudoun United |
| Caps1: | 18 |
| Goals1: | 3 |
| Years2: | 2019–2022 |
| Clubs2: | D.C. United |
| Caps2: | 32 |
| Goals2: | 3 |
| Years3: | 2022– |
| Clubs3: | Westerlo |
| Caps3: | 33 |
| Goals3: | 7 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2018–2019 |
| Nationalteam1: | United States U17 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 12 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 7 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2024 |
| Nationalteam2: | United States U23 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 7 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 1 |
| Club-Update: | May 26, 2024 |
| Nationalteam-Update: | August 2, 2024 |
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]
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 By 2019, Yow had withdrawn from high school and enrolled in online programs, electing to forego a collegiate soccer career in favor of professional opportunities in the sport.[3] Shortly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]
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.
Yow has appeared for the United States under-17 team, scoring his first goal against Brazil's under-17 football 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.
| Club | Season | League | National cup | 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 | ||||
| Total | 33 | 7 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 34 | 7 | ||||
| Career total | 83 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 88 | 13 | |||