Seattle’s own DeAndre Yedlin dropped by The NINETY on Wednesday to catch up after an eventful season abroad with Sunderland.
Yedlin, who spent two seasons with the Sounders after emerging from the Academy system, signed a four-year contract with Tottenham Hotspur after a breakout performance at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
Last September, Yedlin was on the move again. The 23-year-old was inked to a one-year loan to Sunderland, where he found himself battling relegation. Since then, he’s made 23 appearances for the club, which survived the relegation scrap and wrapped up the season in 17th place.
Yedlin said that despite the distance from Sunderland to Seattle, he’s still been tuned into what his former team has been up to this season, and he tries to watch most matches on television.
“Obviously [the Sounders] are going through a tough patch right now. All teams have gone through that patch before, and I’m confident they can get it back and get the ball rolling again,” he said in a live Facebook Q&A with fans on Wednesday afternoon. “They certainly have the players to be able to do that.”
Yedlin also said that while he’s enjoying his time abroad and is looking forward to what the new season will bring, his heart still belongs to the Emerald City.
“Yes, I definitely miss playing here,” he said. “I’ve always said that whenever I feel like I want to finish my career… try to have it come to an end, I want to come back to Seattle and end it here.
“Hopefully that will be my future team, as well.”
Watch the full Q&A below.
