ASN: Yow on Olympic run:

ASN’s Brian Sciaretta is in Paris overlaying the U.S. Olympic crew and he spoke at size with winger and breakout performer Griffin Yow forward of Friday’s quarterfinal conflict with Morocco. 

BY

Brian Sciaretta

Posted
August 01, 2024
2:00 PM

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A bit of greater than 12 months in the past, Griffin Yow was getting into into preseason with Westerlo in Belgium. He had spent many of the earlier season with the reserve crew and previous to that, he was a seldom-used younger participant for DC United. Whereas Yow had expertise with U.S. youth nationwide groups and was a member of the 2019 U-17 World Cup squad, he appeared like probably the most distant of candidates for these Olympics previous to the beginning of the season.

Even at first of the season, Yow wasn’t shut. He had a powerful preseason with Westerlo however suffered a knee harm that stored him out of Westerlo’s first crew till the top of October.

As soon as he returned to the sector, nonetheless, Yow started a outstanding climb. He instantly broke into Westerlo’s beginning lineup enjoying principally as a winger and commenced placing up persistently robust performances. He ended the season with seven objectives and 7 assists in 2097 minutes.

Finally, U.S. Olympic head coach Marko Mitrovic needed to take discover and he known as Yow up for the crew’s March camp towards Guinea and France. The U.S. crew ended up scoring 5 objectives between these two video games and Yow both scored, assisted, or helped to create every of the crew’s 5 objectives.

After a powerful end to the season with Weserlo, Yow did sufficient to safe a spot on the Olympic crew. His stellar yr has made individuals query how far Yow can proceed to go? Is that this a blip, or is Yow actually maturing right into a particular participant few noticed coming?

Yow readily admits that the Olympics had been all the time one in every of his objectives, however he additionally doesn’t need to set limits on himself both.

“My goals have always been to play in the Champions League and to play in the Olympics, and play in the World Cup,” Yow mentioned. “I definitely feel very, very good that I’ve reached one of those goals to be here at the Olympics. I would reevaluate my goals when the other two come. Until then I just need to keep myself humbled. Understand that I am very grateful. I am very blessed. I’m happy that things are going the way that they are. But I can’t always say I want to have no roof on my career or now I can kind of take my foot off the gas and be happy about where I am. It’s definitely important to acknowledge that I’ve come a long way, but also that there’s more work to do.”

On the Olympics, Yow has continued to be among the many most harmful gamers on the U.S. crew. In opposition to France, he got here off the bench, performed properly, and however had a purpose known as again in a loss. Then towards New Zealand, he additionally got here off the bench and assisted within the crew’s remaining purpose of a 4-1 win. His finest sport, nonetheless, was towards Guinea in a 3-0 win the place he made his first begin of the event. Whereas he didn’t rating or help, he was harmful from the opening kickoff in forcing turnovers, getting the ball forwards, creating scoring possibilities, and drawing fouls.

When trying again on the previous yr, Yow is each philosophical and spiritual as he thinks about his journey so far the place he took his sport to a degree few anticipated or felt was attainable.

“I’m a very religious person, so I just think that’s what God had planned for me,” Yow defined. “I’m really blessed and thankful that it’s gone the way that it has. Around the time I got to Westerlo, I had a big shift in my mentality and just letting God guide me and controlling the things that I can control and letting him do the rest – being the best, me that I could possibly be. Whether it was with the U-21 team, the reserve team, coming off the bench, or if I wasn’t even on the roster – anytime that I could control something, I was just trying to do it to the absolute best of my ability.”

However trying forward, his hardest problem will happen on Friday when the U.S. crew takes on a Moroccan crew that has been among the best groups on the Olympics after profitable Group B forward of Argentina.

“The team is going into it with a lot of confidence,” Yow mentioned. “Especially based on our past three games. You could even include France in there because we had a very positive reaction to that. There were just little moments in the game where we just we didn’t put away our opportunities. The next two games against New Zealand and Guinea were obviously really good showings from us. Going into this next game, we have a lot of confidence. It could be any opponent.”

That was be an enormous check for Yow and the U.S. crew but additionally one with big alternative. A win would put the U.S. crew into the medal rounds and the possibility to deliver hope this system’s first high three end on the lads’s aspect.

“I would say I’m very happy and excited about the way that the tournament has gone, so far, and the way I’ve been playing, the opportunities that I’ve had. At the same time, understanding we can’t be satisfied. The job is not done. We want to medal. We want to be standing up there at the podium.”

Whereas that’s essential, Yow can be hopeful that continued success will deliver enthusiasm for a program that has had a troublesome yr on the lads’s aspect after a troublesome Copa America marketing campaign on residence soil, and the dismissal of head coach Gregg Berhalter.

However the Olympics has a method of uniting American followers of all sports activities and Yow would love for his crew to make the most of this distinctive highlight to present the followers tangible causes for optimism for the longer term.

“We’re here representing the United States of America –  not only the fans, but everyone that’s in America,” Yow mentioned with a smile. “We just want to make them proud. We want to make them feel optimistic. We want to make them feel happy. We want them to have hope in us and our team and the whole program.”