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On the Record

Here's What They're Saying About DeAndre Yedlin

From Seattle's first-ever Homegrown Player to Major League Soccer All-Star to World Cup starlet to—perhaps—a high-profile club in Europe, DeAndre Yedlin has had quite the run. Here is Laura Greene's take.
BY Laura Greene Posted
August 04, 2014
12:30 PM
IN JANUARY 2013 DeAndre Yedlin, just 19 at the time, put pen to paper on a deal that made him Seattle Sounders’ first-ever Homegrown Player. Eighteen months and one World Cup later, the defender’s stock has risen so sharply that it’s almost hard to keep up.

Viewed in some quarters as a controversial choice to go to Brazil, Yedlin arrived in South America as a relative unknown—at least outside of Major League Soccer. He emerged as one of its breakout stars and there now seems to be a lengthy line of European clubs who’d like to sign him.

If the speculation is true, Yedlin is on the brink of moving to AS Roma—Michael Bradley’s former club—which finished second in Serie A last season with one of the best defensive records in Europe.

The Sounders’ No. 17 has also been linked with Napoli, Liverpool, and Belgian champions Anderlecht, with Skysports.com claiming in July “There is interest from every top league in Europe.”

Yedlin was announced to a worldwide audience on June 22, 2014, when he came on as a substitute for Alejandro Bedoya in the latter stages of the USA’s 2-2 draw with Portugal. But it didn’t all start in Manaus—people have been talking about Yedlin’s potential for some time.

Here, we look back at what people have been saying before, during, and after the World Cup.

As a youngster, Yedlin played for Emerald City FC, Northwest Nationals, and Crossfire FC before joining the Seattle Sounders Academy. Yedlin also played for Washington Youth Soccer’s State Olympic Development Program and was involved in Youth National Team training camps at Under-12 and Under-18 level. After graduating from the Sounders Academy in 2010-11, Yedlin played for the University of Akron for two seasons.

On January 11, 2013, the Sounders announced that it had signed the attacking right back—the first to have come through the ranks at the club’s own academy.

Due to a knee injury to first-choice right back Adam Johansson, Yedlin made his debut earlier than expected—on March 3, against the Montreal Impact. Despite losing 1-0, Yedlin turned in an impressive performance and was named to the MLS team of the week.

As goalkeeper Michael Gspurning told MLSsoccer.com after the game, “He was absolutely fantastic. He played very calm, won fights, played good passes, had a couple of situations where he went to the offense, and made the crosses. For a 19-year-old, a great game from him. If he stays focused and if he continues to do the work he is putting in every day, he will have a great career.”

Sounders coach Sigi Schmid added, “I thought he played well. For a young man making his debut at home there could have been a lot of pressure, he could have not handled that well, but I thought he handled it well. He played well and he had a good game.”

Gary Bolen, a fan commenting on MLSsoccer.com, wrote, “Yedlin looked good during his preseason matches too, so I wasn't surprised by how well he did last night. Good for him.”

Others, including Juan Montero, reserved judgment: “He had a decent game. Yes, he stood out way more then the rest of the defenders. (which had a terrible game) defense looked bad. I still wouldn't hype him up.”

Kenny Harrouche added this: “As a Montreal fan, very, very impressed with this guy.”

Ten days later, this happened.

After making it to the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals, the Sounders needed three goals to advance after losing the first leg 1-0 to Mexican side Tigres. What better way to start this fight back than by scoring a 30-yard strike? The Sounders won 3-2 on aggregate and were through to a semi-final showdown against Santos. Yedlin nailed down his place in the Sounders starting XI and earned a callup to the United States Under-20 national team camp in March 2013.

“Huge potential,” wrote fan Joey Mack on MLSsoccer.com, in response to the call-up. “Wouldn't be surprised to see him at the World Cup in 2014.”

Yedlin played every minute of every MLS game for Seattle until he received a red card for a scything tackle on Philadelphia Union’s Michael Farfan on May 4, which saw him miss out on his side’s next fixture, against Sporting Kansas City. Back in the side on May 11, in a 4-0 win against San Jose Earthquakes, he was again a mainstay at the back, as Seattle recorded four wins in its next five games.

In June Yedlin made his international debut for the U.S. Under-20s against Portugal, ahead of the Under-20 World Cup.

“There are a number of things he brings to the table, with the No. 1 thing being his experience at this point," Under-20 coach Tab Ramos told MLSsoccer.com on June 19. “Having played a bunch of professional games over the past few months, and having trained in a professional environment where he has to earn his position every day, is certainly great for us."

Despite going winless in Group A at the Under-20 competition, Yedlin featured in all three games—against Spain, France, and Ghana.

“It was an amazing experience,” Yedlin told Soccerwire.com. “It was a good comparison where I’m at compared to other players around the world and kind of where the U.S. is at, even though we didn’t make it out of the group.”

After recovering from a shoulder injury picked up while on international duty, Yedlin was back in Schmid’s Seattle lineup on July 7. Less than two weeks later, against Colorado Rapids, he bagged his first league goal in a 1-1 draw—becoming the youngest Sounders player to score in MLS.

“I've been in a slump a little bit recently. This game definitely gives me confidence— the goal and the performance. But I wish we could have gotten the win,” Yedlin told MLSsoccer.com.

"I thought he struggled a little bit the last time out, but I thought today was better," Schmid said. "It looked more like the DeAndre that was playing for us at the beginning of the year—using his quickness and speed getting in there, making things happen.”

By the time the 2013 season had drawn to a close, Yedlin had racked up 31 domestic appearances with Seattle, plus four in the CONCACAF Champions League. Not bad for his maiden season.

In January 2014, Yedlin followed up his All-Star rookie campaign with a first callup to the U.S. men’s senior national team, for a pre-World Cup training camp.

After making his senior bow—along with fellow debutant Luis Gil—in a friendly against South Korea, U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann told MLSsoccer.com, “I think both youngsters did well in this first introduction to the senior national team. That’s why we gave them also their first cap, their first couple of minutes on the field with the so-called older guys. They have a lot of talent, there’s no doubt about it.

“We need them now to push the envelope with their MLS teams. We need them to understand that there’s more responsibility on their shoulders as a senior national team player.

“We want them to stand out and be leaders. And this is what we’re going to watch now. We’re going to watch their games week in and week out.”

The fans were keeping watch too.

“Yedlin is years light to be a class RB,” typed commenter Hector Perez. “He lacks the defensive part of... and sometime doesn't read the game well. Do not rush this guy, needs room to develop properly.”

Mitch K added: “They will be fixtures in the team next cycle. At least Gil will, I don't know about Yedlin, Cameron is much better than him at this point and going nowhere. The future of the USMNT looks great!”

After consistent games with Seattle and further international minutes against Mexico, Klinsmann named Yedlin to his preliminary 30-man roster for the World Cup on May 12, 2014.

On the Bigsoccer.com forums, the reaction was mixed.

As Cthomer5000 wrote, “He's definitely a huge prospect, but I also think he is not at all ready for the World Cup. He might be the only player I have ever predicted would be/wanted to see in the national team after his first game. He has a very bright future, I just think this WC is too much too soon.”

Mario Kempes added, “He has a lot of potential, and could be the starting right back at the next World Cup. However, at 20, he's just not ready for the big time. He doesn't have enough experience, and hasn't seen much quality wing play in MLS. He will get used and abused by all 3 of our opponents.”

When Klinsmann’s final 23-man squad was announced on May 22, eyebrows were most certainly raised. Landon Donovan, Brad Evans and Michael Parkhurst were out; Julian Green, John Brooks, and DeAndre Yedlin were in.

“If you really go through it, it’s a very experienced roster,” insisted Klinsmann on May 23. “It’s not a young roster. We have a great mixture of guys and some of them have a learning curve ahead of them, there’s no doubt about it—Green, Yedlin and Brooks—but they are ready for that learning curve, and they might surprise some people out there.”

Klinsmann was right.

When Yedlin made his World Cup debut on June 23 against Portugal, he was a game-changer. With the score level at 1-1, Yedlin came on in the 72nd minute at the Arena Amazonia and played a part in setting up Clint Dempsey’s 81st-minute goal.

As The Guardian’s Graham Parker wrote after the game, “Yedlin was one of the squad selections some commentators thought might be more about 2018 (and yes, the as-yet-unused Julian Green belongs in this category), but what was key about his introduction was that it was not as a young player brought in for fresh legs and a competent body to gain experience in an already determined game. He was thrown in at 1-1, in the belief he could influence the attack.

“The verve with which he did so was Yedlin's own of course, but even those who sneer at Klinsmann’s tactical nous acknowledge that the man knows how to motivate. The young players he has brought through, and even some of the older fringe players in whom he has demonstrated trust, are arriving on the field primed with self-belief.”

Seattle Times reader Random Football Fan had this to say: “He showed damn well. He's as raw as an uncooked steak, but has the kind of speed that makes managers world wide drool. I love the the kid, (best home-grown Sounder EVER! by five miles) but I'm thinking he showed well enough to earn a business-class ticket to greener pastures.”

“I probably could have done a little bit more,” Yedlin told the same newspaper. “But I got a good cross in that led to the second goal. I’m just looking to help out wherever I can with this team. I thought I did OK.”

On June 26, Yedlin got his second taste of World Cup soccer after being brought on as a substitute for Graham Zusi in the 84th minute against Germany.

However, it was in the Round of 16 knockout tie against Belgium, that the World sat up and took notice of the then-20 year old. Even if some fans had initially feared the worst.

On as a sub, in place of the injured Fabian Johnson, Yedlin had an 88-minute (including extra time) chance to show what he could do.

Following the U.S.’s gutsy performance, goalkeeper Tim Howard told the Daily Mail, “He’s fearless. He gets forward. He’s strong, he’s fast. (Eden) Hazard is no cakewalk and I thought he handled him really, really well. Obviously, as the team got tired, we opened up, but when you talk about one-on-one, he won those battles.”

As he demonstrated with his performances on Brazilian soil, Yedlin is one for the present and for the future of the U.S. national team.

If rumors prove true, he could be plying his trade in Serie A before long. But wherever Yedlin ends up, keep watching. There is a lot more to come from this player.

What did you think of Yedlin's showing in Brazil? Would you like to see him stay in Seattle or move abroad? Share your thoughts below.

Laura Greene is a frequent ASN contributor. Follow her on Twitter

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