The transfer rumors for Seattle Sounders FC right back DeAndre Yedlin have been aplenty after his performance during the 2014 FIFA World Cup for the United States. He made three appearances, all off of the bench, but showed very well using his pace to stretch the opposing defense creating space in the midfield for players like Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley or Jermaine Jones to get good looks at goal. In the first two matches, Yedlin came on in more of a midfield role being subbed on for Alejandro Bedoya against Portugal and Graham Zusi against Germany.
It was his third performance which caught the eyes of the world. He was brought on in a straight positional switch in the 32nd when starting right back Fabian Johnson went down with a hamstring injury. Yedlin would then spend the next 88 minutes impressing with his world-class speed, not only from bombing down the right flank in attack but more importantly his recovery speed. There were multiple instances in the match where Belgium would be on the counter-attack when they would distribute the ball over to Eden Hazard on the wing but before Hazard could get into a dangerous position for a cross, up came the flash that was Yedlin catching up to him with a recovery run.
That is something that we have gotten used to in Seattle over the last season-and-a-half but it look like now we know when his time in Emerald City will come to an end.
The reports coming from American sources were claiming that Liverpool from the English Premier League were interested in giving Yedlin a trial but that rumor did not pick up much steam. This morning's report from La Gazzetta dello Sport seems to be more legit given their history of accurate transfer reporting, their report says that Italian giants AS Roma have all but secured the services of the Seattle native. It is unclear when he would join up with Roma, reports are conflicting with some stating that he will spend the rest of the 2014 season with Seattle before moving to Italy with some are stating that Yedlin will stay with Seattle until the summer of 2015.
Nonetheless, it is a very good move for the right back who will inject some youth and pace into an aging Roma defense. Roma's first-choice at right back for this past season was 32-year-old Brazilian international Maicon who moved back to Italy after a brief and underwhelming stint with Manchester City during the 2012-13 season. The "back-up" right back was 29-year-old Greek international Vasilis Torosidis, who played in every minute of action during the World Cup for Greece. Torosidis is not just a right-back exclusively as he has also played at left-back as well as in the midfield.
Along with bringing in Yedlin, Roma has been tied to a lucrative three-year deal with former England and Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole according to the Telegraph. Cole is on the wrong side of 30, at 33, but he is still a very solid player who will fill a big void for manager Rudi Garcia. The left-back spot for Roma was never concrete with injury problems affecting almost all of the players vying for the spot.
Yedlin is a very good fit for Roma both tactically and in the marketing department. Manager Rudi Garcia employs the 4-3-3 formation which basically is a tactic that floods the center of the field leaving the wings exposed. This would give ample room for Yedlin for push forward into the offense to give Roma another point of attack. His crossing ability has improved drastically from his first season with Seattle, part of the reason why Sigi Schmid has given him more license to push into the attack.
It is also a great move from a marketing standpoint as well; the Italian club is owned by American investor James Pallotta. Along with being the majority owner of the club, he is also a minority owner of the NBA's Boston Celtics. Pallotta has come into the role with big ambitions including building a state-of-the-art stadium for Roma and bringing the club back into the conversation as one of the best in Italy and Europe. The club has won just two Serie A Championships in the last thirty years with minimal success on the international level as well. They will make a return to the UEFA Champions League after a three-year absence. The club is looking to build a brand in America and what could be a better combination than an American owner and a future American star on the roster?
The transfer will also be very positive for the Sounders as well according to Dave Clark with Sounder At Heart. Yedlin's transfer fee will generate a higher rate of return since he is a homegrown player meaning that Seattle will likely see the maximum amount of Allocation Money credited to them as well as additional monies to put towards other soccer-related activities. If they do see the maximum Allocation Money available, it could give general manager Adrian Hanauer to wiggle room to buy down the DP contract of Osvaldo Alonso against the salary cap to costless up space for the signing of another impact player.
As of now, there is nothing official out there nor have we heard a possible amount for the transfer fee. What we do know is that the Sounders are getting ready for a huge week with a double-dose of Cascadia across two competitions. Wednesday night it will be the US Open Cup match at Starfire Sports Complex; Sunday night it will be MLS Regular Season and a de facto Cascadia Cup elimination match at CenturyLink Field.