Griffin Yow joins growing American contingent in Belgium
- by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, Jul 5, 2022
D.C. United Homegrown forward Griffin Yow has been transferred to promoted Westerlo in the Belgian Jupiler Pro League.
• Career: Yow, 19, joined the D.C. United academy in 2016 and signed with D.C. United's first team in 2019 at the age of 16 after playing for Loudoun United, its second team that was launched the same year in the USL Championship. The winger made his MLS debut on April 21, 2019, and scored his first goal on Sept. 20, 2020, against Toronto FC. Yow played in 36 games across all competitions, scoring three goals and recording an assist. He played for the USA at the 2019 Under-17 World Cup after breaking in with the U-17s in 2018, scoring seven goals in 12 appearances.
• New club: KVC Westerlo won the second-tier 1B Pro League to return to Belgium's top flight for the first time since 2017
Americans in Belgian Jupiler Pro League (2022-23)
Kyle Duncan (Oostende, second season)
Jorge Hernandez (Mechelen, free transfer from Chornomorets Odessa)
Mark McKenzie (Genk, third season)
Owen Otasowie (Club Brugge, second season)
Bryan Reynolds (Westerlo, on loan from Roma)
Sam Vines (Royal Antwerp, second season)
Griffin Yow (Westerlo, transfer from D.C. United)
Interesting. Low price albeit with 35% sell on. Youth caps unlock work visa. Probably player had few remaiming years on contract and wanted move if nothing else than to escape the artificially low pay enforced by MLS COB on young players. Rough guess making triple what he was in MLS in Belgium.
Sounds like a good move for him. It seems that the Belgian league is a really good place for Americans (young especially) to get their European careers started...along with the Dutch league.