Wednesday Convo: DeAndre Yedlin on life in Cincinnati, the hardest part of being traded from Inter Miami, USMNT eras
USA Today SportsThe defender opened up on the off-field difficulties of being traded and the experienced he's had so far
DeAndre Yedlin has experienced plenty in his career. At 31, he's now the veteran, which is wild for those who remember him going toe-to-toe with Belgium's Eden Hazard at the 2014 World Cup behind his pace and the irrational confidence of a 21-year-old.
This past winter, though, Yedlin experienced something new, something that no athlete is ever really prepared for: getting traded.
It's a phenomenon unique to sports. Teachers, construction workers and paralegals aren't suddenly shipped out of town for allocation money. Things change rapidly in sports and, for those part of those sudden changes, the only hope is that things work out okay.
They have for Yedlin, who says he's unexpectedly found a new home in Cincinnati. After leaving behind Lionel Messi and Inter Miami, Yedlin has adjusted well to life in his new city, one that he plans to call home for a long time. Even so, there's still some heartbreak there. There are still times he thinks about what was left behind.
For the Wednesday Convo, a weekly Q&A with central figures in the U.S. soccer scene, GOAL US caught up with Yedlin to talk about this winter's big trade, the lessons he's learned along the way and how he feels about those that compare eras of the U.S. men's national team.
