Former Seattle Sounders defender DeAndre Yedlin transferred from a loan at Sunderland to Newcastle on a permanent move in late August, and he’s finally feeling at home.
Yedlin was under contract at London club Tottenham Hotspur, but had difficulty cracking the starting lineup and did not feel comfortable living in a big city. When he went to Sunderland in the northeast part of England, that’s when he finally began to feel settled.
“I felt at home in the [northeast] last season and that was a big factor in my decision,” the 23-year-old Seattle native toldThe Northern Echo. “When I first came to London, it was a bit different to what I'd expected.
“I thought moving to a big city would be a very cool thing for me,” Yedlin continued. “But Seattle's not the biggest city. It's more like Newcastle. I think I'm more comfortable here. That was a big factor in my decision.”
Yedlin scored his first goal with Newcastle on Sept. 10, just two weeks after signing with the English League Championship club.
United States national team manager Jurgen Klinsmann called in Yedlin as part of their 23-man roster for upcoming friendlies against Cuba on Oct. 7 in Havana and versus New Zealand on Oct. 11 in Washington, D.C. Yedlin was a Seattle Sounders Homegrown Player and came up through the youth academy before appearing in 56 regular-season matches for the first team in 2013-14.
