It took longer than many expected, but former Seattle Sounders right back DeAndre Yedlin finally made his debut for EPL side Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
The US World Cup hero subbed on for Romanian international Vlad Chiriches in the 79th minute of a 1-0 loss at home against Aston Villa. He looked comfortable in his 11 minutes of action (plus stoppage time), completing all three of his pass attempts and making one tackle, but Yedlin was unable to help his side get an equalizer against his USMNT teammate Brad Guzan.
"Obviously, it's unbelievable to make my debut here," Yedlin told SpursTV after the contest. "It's something I've looked forward to for a while now. But it's disappointing not getting the three points. The only thing going through my head today is the loss. It's kind of overshadowing everything else."
Yedlin did manage a grin when asked about the heartfelt welcome he received from the White Hart Lane faithful upon taking the field.
"I never thought I'd get that kind of support coming over here, so it was really great to see," he said.
Yedlin, 20, joined Spurs in January after agreeing to the move in the wake of his celebrated performance for the US national team at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Since arriving in North London, he has been limited to reserve team matches.
Before transferring to Spurs, Yedlin spent two seasons with the Sounders, making 62 MLS appearances, in both the regular season and the playoffs. He was originally signed as a Homegrown player ahead of the 2013 season, and was a finalist for the Rookie of the Year in his first season.
Yedlin's next chance to crack the Tottenham side will come with next Sunday's trip to Newcastle.
