Why DeAndre Yedlin, USMNT star, is happy about MLS return after seven years in Europe

It was six o'clock in the evening in Istanbul. Inside his apartment in one of the wealthiest areas of Istanbul, DeAndre Yedlin gestured toward the view out his floor-to-ceiling windows. One of the world's most fascinating cities twinkled in the twilight with twenty-four stories below.

Yedlin did not leave his apartment on this night to take his daughter for a stroll. His team, Galatasaray, was coming off a loss. It wouldn't be wise for Yedlin to be seen in public until the club won again.

Playing for Galatasaray was different from playing in the Premier League at both of his previous stops. Yedlin grew up in Seattle and his professional career began there. Yedlin said that wherever he went around Istanbul, someone recognized him.

After a win, the city's emotional connection with the club created a difficult situation. Yedlin understood that it was better to lay low.

The buzzer sounded. Dinner arrived. Turkish meals are usually made around meat. Two years ago, Yedlin adopted a vegan diet. He and his partner, Crystal Rodriguez, ordered in from the Eataly outpost in Istanbul. The pastas and salads they arranged on their kitchen island were the same as the ones the Italian chain in Las Vegas, Seoul or Stockholm would serve.

Almost a year ago, Yedlin arrived in Istanbul during the January transfer window. He was surprised by the step in his career. He was one of the first MLS academy products to sign for a foreign team after his performance in the World Cup. He spent most of his time in England in the northeast. Turkey, where only a few top Americans had previously played, was not on his radar.

Brad Friedel, who spent the 1995-96 season at Galatasaray, described it as the most magnificent eighteen months of his life. During the rule of the increasingly autocratic president, Yedlin had an experience. It was the worst domestic season in the 116-year history of Galatasaray. The 22-time Super Lig champion stood only six points clear of the danger zone when Yedlin's contract was terminated on Sunday so he could sign a four-year deal with MLS's Inter Miami.

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After nearly a year in Istanbul, Yedlin woke up every morning astonished at the vast city thrumming below him, at the unfamiliar rhythms of its language, and at the calls to prayer that echoed through the streets. It is amazing. I loved it.

Each day, Yedlin lived in a different reality. His high-rise apartment could have been in any city. He spent most of his time in a professional bubble, which was a limo with curtains on the windows, a video screen, and a dedicated driver, because he wanted to immerse himself in the local culture. He ate most of his dinners at home.

He spent a lot of time in his head. Yedlin is an uncommonly introspective man.

Yedlin was the product of a brief relationship between his mother, Rebecca, and a man named Larry Rivers, Jr. He is currently serving a life sentence for robbery, cocaine distribution and kidnapping. Yedlin has never met him. Rebecca was a teenager when she gave birth. Yedlin was given custody of his maternal grandparents when he was two years old. It was supposed to happen to me.

He ate his pasta and the music played on an endless loop. Janis Joplin gave way to a song called "Lollipop" by Millie Small. His grandparents played some of the songs at home. Yedlin traveled down the Pacific coast with his grandparents to visit Southern California theme parks. His eyes went away when the first piano chords of Teresa Brewer's 1950 hit "put another nickel in" came on.

Yedlin has been looking for ways to cultivate happiness. He has read self-help books and studied religions. He has become a father since the birth of his daughter. He never seems quite as happy when he relives his past. It makes me happy when I hear music that reminds me of that time.

Yedlin was thousands of miles away.

Yedlin spent much of Monday and Tuesday at Istanbul's airport, trying to get a flight out during an epic snowstorm that collapsed part of the roof of a cargo building. He was going to Columbus, Ohio, where the USMNT is playing. He was in the lounge as the flights were delayed. The ride home took five hours. The weather cleared on Wednesday and he got out.

His attempts to leave were symbolic. Yedlin has been negotiating with several MLS clubs in an effort to get back to America. Yedlin said there had been talks. I have learned over the years that nothing is official until it is official.

He played for Galatasaray as late as Sunday. The deal to make him a free agent was completed after Galatasaray conceded the losing goal in the 90th minute. He was eligible to play in any country, but only one.

Yedlin wanted to return to Seattle, where he began as an academy player, but Miami emerged as a better fit. When it appeared that Yedlin was possible, they traded for the top spot in the MLS Allocation Order, which gives them priority when it comes to USMNT players returning to the league. The team needs a starting right-back. Yedlin said that Miami was the best decision for all of them. Yedlin is interested in the fashion industry and David Beckham is his mentor.

Yedlin was raised in a Jewish home. He has embraced Buddhism and the idea of reincarnation. Yedlin says he is not like he thought he would be. I have tattoos. The way I dress. They don't understand who I am.

In Istanbul, he kept a lot of books in the front door of his apartment, which he used to study the workings of the subconscious mind. TheGENTRY is on his neck. Yedlin says it makes people think he wants to be a gangsta.

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Ira Yedlin worked as a nurse in New Mexico before moving to Seattle with his daughter. Yedlin says he doesn't know the definition of Communism, but his step-grandmother was an avowed Communist. Money has never been used to measure success in our family.

Dylan was nine years old when Yedlin arrived. Yedlin became an athlete because Dylan was an athlete who became a NCAA Division III All-America as a defensive lineman. Yedlin was the ballboy when Dylan played soccer. Yedlin lifted weights with Dylan. He asked for a pass to the local 24 Hour Fitness club for Yedlin's 12th birthday.

Yedlin was small. He was barely over 100 pounds as a freshman. He played football, soccer and basketball. He was able to run and wrestle. Sean Henderson, who coached Yedlin at Crossfire, his club team, says that soccer didn't emerge as his primary sport until his junior year.

The MLS added the Seattle team in 2009. Yedlin was 17 when the academy was established. The club hired Henderson to run it. He brought Yedlin with him. After two years of college soccer at the University of Akron, Yedlin signed with the Seattle Sounders.

Yedlin was an MLS All-Star during his first season. He made his USMNT debut against South Korea. The 20-year-old Yedlin was on the list when Klinsmann made his selection for the World Cup. His speed was a weapon. He dealt with situations in an instinctive way. He was anticipating the game. He was a good person to talk to. I loved his enthusiasm.

Yedlin played in three games in Brazil. The last time the USMNT played in a World Cup was against Belgium in the Round of 16. The responsibility of marking was given to him.

It was not a match. Hazard was England's reigning Young Player of the Year after a breakthrough season at Chelsea. It was a defensive liability if Yedlin had an international reputation. Yedlin remembered thinking that if he missed a pass, everyone would expect him to pass them. I was not expected to do well. I did very well.

Hazard was not effective. The game introduced Yedlin to a global audience, and Klinsmann said certain moments can serve as a catapult. He sat down with Yedlin to explain the ramifications.

11/12/21 10:33 p.m. @EklavyaChawla16: Yedlin is one of the worst footballers I've ever had the pleasure of watching

11/12/21 10:33 p.m. @WillParchman: If you told me yesterday DeAndre Yedlin would be the US's best player against Mexico, I'd immediately assume the US lost by 12 goals.

Even though he is good enough to have played more games for his country than anyone else on the USMNT, he is not good enough to stop the criticism of his game that follows him wherever he goes.

Paul Arriola, his U.S. teammate, said that Yedlin's strengths and weaknesses appeared evident. The effect of Yedlin on a game can be subtle. He can make a run without the ball and never get near it, but his speed pushes the opposing full-back deeper.

It happened in Cincinnati. Sergino Dest, the starting right back for the U.S., was out with a lower-spine strain. Projected XIs across the internet had Reggie Cannon, Joe Scally, and Shaq Moore in place of Dest. The national team manager had his back turned when the team sheet was announced an hour before the game. Yedlin.

Reaction was predictable. There is a whole thing going on around the U.S., and the last member of the US team still playing is Yedlin. I get that.

In Cincinnati, Yedlin tackled Chucky Lozano. He worked with Tim Weah on the right side and sometimes gave the ball away.