Bound for Inter Miami, DeAndre Yedlin vows eventual to return to Seattle

DeAndre Yedlin is apparently close to returning to MLS with Inter Miami. But in a wonderful profile on ESPNFC.com, Yedlin is quick to note that he’ll be 32 when the four-year contract runs out and makes it very clear that he fully intends to return to Seattle at some point.

“I’ve spoken with Crystal [Yedlin’s partner] about it,” he said. “We’ll definitely move back to Seattle, whether at the end of my career or after my career. Yes, it’s about my childhood, but I was also the first homegrown of the club, the little baby who grew up and moved on. From the beginning, I’ve always said that I would go back.”

Yedlin also made it clear that his preference was to come back to the Sounders sooner than that, and even though the Sounders have expressed a willingness to make the reunion happen, the cost of doing so was prohibitive. It was only recently that the Sounders had anything like the salary-cap space to fit Yedlin, they already have a Best XI-contending right back in Alex Roldan and Miami gave up promising young centerback Christian Makoun to claim the top spot in the Allocation Order.

Yedlin also seems perfectly happy to go to Miami, where his partner has family, he has a personal connection through Chris Henderson, and the city and team ownership fit nicely into his plans to get into the fashion industry.

“I’m fortunate to already know that that’s what I want to do after my career,” Yedlin said. “So to be able to absorb a bit of [David Beckham’s] knowledge would be incredible.”

The story makes it clear that Yedlin has done a lot of growing in the seven years since he left Seattle. Yedlin was also a bit more introspective and thoughtful than his public image may have suggested, but he’s someone who has clearly done a lot of thinking during his time abroad. It will be great to have him back in MLS, even if it’s as an opponent for now.