Sure - but is anyone expecting he'll be best in the world? What would you say his ceiling is? I actually think that he has a chance to be a starter for a club like Spurs (just below the top level). I'm skeptical he can get to the next level past that, and I doubt it will happen, but I also don't think it's out of the question. It's rare to see an American both with that kind of blazing speed AND an ability to make crosses AND not be one dimensional.
I am not expecting he will be "best in world" at his position but I think he has a chance. Always unlikely but better chance than most. Spurs and Roma jumped all over him and they are not stupid and know he is young and inexperienced. He has freakish speed and a decent touch, plus a good attitude. He is also built like a small bull.
Yeah, and it is fun to be stupidly optimistic and we know you love to get all US/MLS player rah-rah, which is fun and I got nothing against, but it's also not insane to note that Yedlin has a long way to go to even be the best USMNT LB at the 2014 WC. Fabio J, if he stays healthy, will likely supplant Dolo and Sanneh as the gold standard for outside backs for the US. If Yedlin can simply reach FJ levels, I'd be thrilled. My kid thinks every new song on the radio is the "best song ever" but she's 11...
Well, Bruce did post he could be that - which of course is obvious hyperbole, but does suggest perhaps getting out there a bit. Yedlin's speed is very impressive and he has the physicality to be a strong, fast winger. But really high impact wide players, whether FBs or wide mids have tons of guile, and usually have exceptional moves and touch (Robben, CR07, Ribbery) or speed and a very good shot (Bale, etc.). Or, if they are FB's who are not just attacking overlapping jauggernauts, they need defensive whiles and ability to both be strong in the tackle, and launch a counterattack with dribble skills, speed, or a quality long ball. I don't doubt that Yedlin can play somewhere in the sandbox of the van Aanholts, Lamelas, Trabelsis, Fabian Johnsons, maybe even Maxwells and Wolcotts - and it will matter what kind of team he ends up on, and how they use him (and how good his CD support is - if he plays on a side that needs him to be more of a "holding" style back than an attacking back - he will not fare as well. But I think at the moment he lacks some defensive savvy (not a surprise since he's young) and does not have the skills on the dribble that will let him be a cut above. He will have to rely more on speed and passing/crossing ability or improve his defense, which, of course, is doable. But I would worry that his footskills/moves which, while good, will keep him a bit below the really high level some are predicting.
I do think he has already crossed some hurdles that some will never cross - elite speed and acceleration, professional athlete's body and athleticism, combined with the ability to hit an accurate cross (most elite speed guys seem fairly limited). Will he work as hard as he needs to and be obsessed with improving? Can he improve his defending and reading of the game? As others have said, many Yanks are late bloomers - I think Clint Mathis got better than most would have predicted - so anything is possible, but I also think to be the best in the world you probably need some elite skills on the ball which I'm not sure he has.
"For youngster Deande Yedlin there is a substantial reward for making the trip to Brazil. Yedlin’s base salary in MLS is $80,000 with a guaranteed compensation amount of $92,000." http://soundersnation.com/2014/05/25/deandre-yedlin-doubles-salary-making-usmnt/
Not sure if this has been discussed yet, but, from the Daily Star: Barcelona lining up SHOCK £13.5m bid for Tottenham ace Kyle Walker
Beat me to it. If that happens, it will be interesting. Though Tottenham might buy 2 cheaper RB's to compete for spots as they seem to be doing at every position.
Daily star trolling hard. Funny that him and FJ are being linked in tabs. Not too long ago everyone was really concerned about our (USMNT) fullback situation.
Whats up with people calling yedlin all potential and raw? Its entirely untrue, yedlin going forward is best out of rb's in MLS. A think i said b4 i rather have him at rw than zusi or bedoya offensively he is better than them two. When he goes to the PL he will be one of the best rb offensively. He just needs to work on positioning/marking and he could close down a little better.
How's his touch? It seems to let him down sometimes. A defender can get away with a less than great touch but if he's going forward a lot and constantly takes a heavy touch, well, he's not going to be too successful.
His touch is actually pretty good. When watching seattle games and he gets a long ball he can bring it down and keep the defender on his hills, and of course nobody will have a perfect touch everytime
If he can be a starter when he finally plays for them, I am OK with this move. Otherwise, I am sad he didn't end up in Italy. Looking at how it improved Bradley tactically, to bring a fresh early 20s kid over there, would have been amazing. Buuuut it is what it is; the kid followed the money....which led him like always--back to england.
FWIW (athletes regularly give lip service but still), Yedlin says Tottenham was the "best fit." http://soccerly.com/article/zielojo/deandre-yedlin-tottenham-was-best-fit-for-me There's no doubt money had something to do with it, but I wouldn't rule out Yedlin and his confidants feeling that: 1. He has the style and physical tools to be able to play in England and eventually start for a good club 2. It's easier for a young American player to culturally adapt to London than it is to Rome That second factor may have more to do with it than some people think. By most accounts of people who are close to him (especially Brad Evans, who has mentioned it more than once), Yedlin seems like a pretty introverted and shy character, despite his hairstyles and playing style indicating otherwise. People like that generally prefer to ease into a new situation with a sense of familiarity, and living in London with a familiar language could be easier for that transition. Total speculation of course, maybe I'm off base.
You aren't. I'm obviously biased, but I think people are wildly underestimating what he could do in a system like Pochettino's. The Sounders system is in no way, shape or form set up to utilize him to his fullest abilities. Look what he did with USMNT and in the MLS All-Star game against Bayern. Admittedly it was a "friendly" and Bayern players were still in preseason, but did you notice how in each game "our" teams best chances came as a result of his runs up the wing? He gets slagged for being "raw" and having nothing more than pace, but no one can seem to explain why doing 9 stepovers to beat a guy is of more value than simply running by someone. Ask Alex from the Chicago Fire how many stepovers it took for him to end up on his ass like the white guy in an And 1 mixtape.
JK recommended Spurs. Yedlin's speed and attack attributes may be a better fit for the EPL. "I talked to him [Klinsmann] a lot about this move and he really supports it," Yedlin said. "I know he has a lot of trust in me and I have a lot of trust in him. He has done a great job with the U.S. team and me personally." Yedlin went on to praise Klinsmann for taking his game to a new level at this summer's World Cup, while stating that his experience in Brazil has provided him with the perfect preparation for his Premier League adventure. http://www.espnfc.com/tottenham-hot...mann-told-me-to-join-tottenham-deandre-yedlin
These article titles are close to malpractice. There's nothing in there that indicates Jurgen "recommended" Tottenham or urged Yedlin to go there. He just "supported" the move and talked to DeAndre. I'm sure the exact same would have been true about a move to Roma. Crappy editing there.