COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – DeAndre Yedlin’s club future may be up in the air, but he was finally able to get some minutes for Tottenham Hotspur under his belt when he took the field on Wednesday evening in the AT&T MLS All-Star Game.
The 22-year-old, fresh off a tough Gold Cup campaign with the United States, entered the game as a 64th-minute substitute, playing right wing and helping link a few Tottenham attacks down that side of the field. Yedlin was on the winning side in last season's midsummer showcase, but it wasn’t to be for Spurs on this night, first-half goals from Kaka and David Villa making the difference.
“It was good to get back into the team and get some minutes under my belt,” Yedlin told reporters. “Obviously not the result we wanted, but we knew it was going to be a challenge and I think we learned a lot.”
The match also saw Yedlin face one of his old teams, so to speak – he suited up for the All-Stars as a Seattle Sounder in both 2013 and 2014. He said the experience of going up against some of his old friends and colleagues was “more fun than weird or anything,” and noted that he had a chance to catch up with the whole team after the match – especially United States national team teammates Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey.
Yedlin has been the subject of speculation regarding a loan move to a club where he could potentially get more playing time this season. He has played 11 Premier League minutes since joining Tottenham in January 2015, though he did start both of the team’s games in their May postseason tour of Asia and claimed the supporters’ Man of the Match award in a 1-0 win over Sydney FC.
“We need to see him and speak with him and maybe he stays with us the next season, maybe no,” Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino said in his postgame press conference. “He was in the Gold Cup and he met us here in Denver. He needs time to show his quality and we’ll decide in the next few weeks.”
For his part, Yedlin is taking the uncertainty over his immediate future in stride.
“I’m feeling comfortable wherever I go. Whether it be with Tottenham, whether that be a loan, it doesn’t matter,” he said. “That’s one of the things you have to deal with as a pro. Wherever I’ll go, I’ll give it my best effort.”
