DENVER – Life had always moved fast for DeAndre Yedlin, the U.S. national soccer team’s swift right back.
Two years of college had given way to a contract with the hometown Seattle Sounders. Four months after his national team debut, he was, at age 20, chasing Cristiano Ronaldo at the World Cup.
Two seasons in MLS precipitated a $4 million transfer to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.
By late last summer, though, Yedlin confronted a stark reality: To go forward in his career, he would need to go back.
Returning from a season-long loan with Sunderland, he realized he didn’t have a future at Tottenham.