Inter Miami defender DeAndre Yedlin is ‘the glue guy’ on the 2022 U.S. World Cup team
Sean Henderson vividly remembers the first time he saw DeAndre Yedlin play soccer. It was at a Seattle youth tournament, and Yedlin was an undersized but lightning quick 11-year-old.
Henderson, brother of Inter Miami sporting director Chris Henderson, was coaching against Yedlin that afternoon.
“He was everywhere,” Henderson said of the young Yedlin. “He played sweeper, and he was incredibly fast, covered a lot of ground and made it impossible for us to get by him.”
Later in that game, Yedlin’s team needed a goal, so the coach moved him to attacking center midfielder. No matter where on the field the kid played, he dominated. Within a year, Yedlin switched to Henderson’s team, Crossfire, where he stayed until his senior year of high school, when he joined the Seattle Sounders youth academy.
Yedlin is 29 now, the starting right back for Inter Miami and in Qatar as a member of the U.S. World Cup team, which plays its tournament opener Monday at 2 p.m. against Wales.
He is the only American with World Cup experience.
Yedlin caught the eye of fans and scouts around the world eight years ago as a sub at the 2014 Brazil World Cup. That exposure led to a multi-million-dollar transfer from the Sounders to Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premier League. He’d spend the next seven years in England and Turkey before returning to MLS to play for Inter Miami this season.
Yedlin has become a Team USA locker room leader, just as he is with Inter Miami, where coach Phil Neville has dubbed him “The Pied Piper” for inspiring teammates to meditate, take barefoot walks and strut their fashion styles.
Yedlin, reached at the team hotel on Wednesday, shared that he and 20 U.S. teammates did barefoot laps around the practice field, part of his “grounding” ritual.
“Sean Johnson had grounded and Aaron Long also grounded previously, and he was asking me, ‘When are we going to ground?’ Couple days ago, we snagged up everyone and said, ‘Yo, come walk with us.’ People were open to it, so today we got 20 people. It’s a time to calm down, connect with the Earth and, more often than not, the talks are not about soccer.”
U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter called Yedlin “a glue guy” and added: “He creates atmosphere for the team. Sometimes he’s a shoulder to cry on or talk to, other times he’s a motivator.”
Chris Henderson, who brought Yedlin to Miami for his leadership and personality as much as his tenacity and speed, is not surprised the kid he first saw nearly 20 years ago is about to play his second World Cup.
The defender was a stalwart for Inter Miami in 2022, starting 33 of 34 games. He was second on the team in minutes played (2,986). Yedlin was named an MLS All-Star in 2022, the third time he earned the honor.
“I remember my brother Sean said to me, ‘You’ve got to come look at this kid that I have,’ ’’ Henderson said. “I just remember how quick he was and aggressive and brave. He had this energy. When you’re watching him play, your eyes are drawn to him. There are certain players you notice right away. He’s got personality and flash.
“When Gregg [Berhalter] was here to watch him, the one thing I said was, ‘Beyond his speed and bravery, DeAndre’s a winner and cultivates a culture you want on your team.’ ”
Yedlin is a budding fashion designer known for his wide array of tattoos and ever-changing hairstyles. His proudest role is father to 14-month-old daughter, Seneca, which has given him a new perspective on life and soccer.
“The biggest difference coming to a World Cup as a 20-year-old kid and now is back then I didn’t know what to expect,” Yedlin said. “It was extremely exciting, and you didn’t really feel like you were leaving anything behind. This time it’s also exciting, the pinnacle of the sport, what every soccer player dreams of, but I know that I’m leaving my daughter behind for potentially six weeks. That part is incredibly hard but obviously it’s part of my profession and I accept that.”
Yedlin’s fiancée, Crystal Rodriguez, is taking Seneca to “abuela’s house” in New York, where she will stay for a week while Rodriguez travels to Qatar to watch the first few U.S. games. DeAndre has been Facetiming with the baby whenever he can.
His grandfather, Ira Yedlin, and uncle, Dylan Yedlin, are also traveling to Qatar. Yedlin’s maternal grandparents were hugely influential in his upbringing, as his father was in prison and his mother was young when she had him. Now, it is Yedlin helping the younger generation.
“My role is to lead and support all the guys anyway possible, on and off the pitch, be that rock,” he said. “There are some young guys here and there is adversity they or the team will face and it’s important there’s veteran guys that can help lead.”
He said the main questions teammates have asked is how this World Cup compares to Brazil. The biggest difference, he said, is that unlike Brazil, a huge country that required flying long distances to games, all eight venues in Qatar are within a one-hour radius.
“You can put your clothes in a drawer in the hotel room,” Yedlin said. “You know that that stuff will be there hopefully a long time. In Brazil I felt like I was living out of a suitcase, so that’s been a huge difference. It’s more relaxing here.”
The U.S. accommodations in Doha are “top of the top,” he said. The lounge at the hotel has a giant TV, a barber station, billiards, ping pong, a barista, photos of the players’ families on the walls (“to remember who we are playing for,” he said). There is a recovery room with infrared beds, a hyperbaric chamber and float beds.
Yedlin said experiencing Inter Miami’s ups and downs this season prepared him for leading Team USA.
“I learned how to lead through adversity, which we will face at a World Cup, too,” he said.
Neville believes Yedlin, who has 75 appearances with the national team, will be a major asset to the young U.S. squad.
“He’s a winner. He never stands still,” Neville said. “This World Cup will be a great experience for DeAndre. I wished him all the best, apart from against England. He’s someone I’m sure Gregg will be looking to use in the same role we do. He’s durable. He plays every single game, trains every single minute. He’s got great quality. And he’s a fantastic teammate in the locker room.”
This story was originally published November 16, 2022, 5:20 PM.
