Since his long, mouth-watering cameo against Belgium in the World Cup Round of 16, the star-spangled feature of DeAndre Yedlin has been the most-talked about American transfer story of the summer.
Yedlin has been linked with top clubs in Italy, France, and now England, as ESPN analyst Taylor Twellman has reported on Twitter that Tottenham Hotspur are leading the race for Yedlin’s signature.
At 21, just a year and a half removed from playing for the Akron Zips in college soccer, Yedlin’s star has ascended at incredible speed.
Jurgen Klinsmann’s decision to gamble on the Seattle Sounders’ fullback was one of the lightning rod decisions that Klinsmann was questioned over leading up to and throughout the campaign in Brazil.
Yedlin’s sheer pace is obviously arresting, but the youngster acquitted himself well to the world stage – even as clubs in MLS know that Yedlin’s defending is suspect and often target him during matchups.
Portland Timbers coach Caleb Porter, who converted Yedlin into a fullback, has been particularly successful in isolating his former player in the Cascadia Derby.
Tonight, Porter and Yedlin are reunited as the MLS All-Stars take on Bayern Munich.
Any deal for Yedlin, to Tottenham or another club, would almost surely see the Washington native loaned back to the Sounders for the remainder of the 2014 MLS season, with Yedlin joining his new team next January.
With the MLS summer transfer window closing today, there was a question over whether a deal for Yedlin and subsequent loan back to Seattle would have to be completed today, as Twellman mentioned in his tweet.
But with the comical murkiness and flexibility of MLS’ player acquisition rules, anything could happen on that front.
If Spurs do complete the Yedlin deal, they’ll have bought a player with undeniable potential, and a long way to go to fill that promise.
