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Confirmed: DeAndre Yedlin is an FC Cincinnati player after Inter Miami trade

pat brennan, cincinnati enquirer
·3 min read

CHICAGO − FC Cincinnati on Monday confirmed it acquired Inter Miami CF and U.S. men's national team defender DeAndre Yedlin. The news was first reported on Sunday by The Enquirer.

Miami will receive $172,799 in 2024 General Allocation Money (GAM), which is the preferred currency for MLS personnel and roster transactions. Both FC Cincinnati and Inter Miami confirmed the trade on Monday, as well as the exact amount of GAM changing hands in the deal. Yedlin is scheduled to be formally introduced as an FC Cincinnati player Tuesday at the club's Mercy Health Training Center.

No FC Cincinnati player will move to Miami as part of the deal. Under the terms of a contract Yedlin signed in 2022, he has the 2024 and 2025 MLS seasons remaining on it, along with a team option for 2026, according to multiple reports.

DeAndre Yedlin #2 of the United States goes for a head ball challenge against Raul Jimenez #9 of Mexico during the first half of a 2022 World Cup CONCACAF qualifying match, Friday, Nov. 12, 2021, at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati. United States won against Mexico, 2-0.
DeAndre Yedlin #2 of the United States goes for a head ball challenge against Raul Jimenez #9 of Mexico during the first half of a 2022 World Cup CONCACAF qualifying match, Friday, Nov. 12, 2021, at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati. United States won against Mexico, 2-0.

Yedlin was present at the suburban Cincinnati Mercy Health Training Center on Monday morning, although he didn't train on the field with teammates.

In theory, Yedlin could make his FCC debut Thursday in CONCACAF Champions Cup play as he is eligible to play for Cincinnati in the competition even though he was previously named to Inter Miami's Champions Cup roster. But since Miami received a first-round bye and the Round of 16 is yet to begin, Yedlin hadn't played in the competition yet, which would have made him ineligible for any other team in the Cup.

The acquisition of Yedlin allowed FC Cincinnati to address an area of need at the right-back position. The move is said to be viewed internally as in line with FCC's "win now" mindset − the club is coming off winning the 2023 Supporters' Shield is still very much in the conversation for trophies and cups in 2024.

DeAndre Yedlin, of the U.S. men's national team, will join FC Cincinnati via trade, according to Enquirer reporting. Yedlin is pictured here training with the U.S. men's national team at Cincinnati's Mercy Health Training Center in Milford ahead of a FIFA World Cup qualifier against Mexico Nov. 12, 2021 at TQL Stadium.
DeAndre Yedlin, of the U.S. men's national team, will join FC Cincinnati via trade, according to Enquirer reporting. Yedlin is pictured here training with the U.S. men's national team at Cincinnati's Mercy Health Training Center in Milford ahead of a FIFA World Cup qualifier against Mexico Nov. 12, 2021 at TQL Stadium.

The right back position, which typically sees FC Cincinnati deploy a right-wing back who can join the attacking play, became an area of need for FCC after the offseason departure of Santiago Arias, who was very effective offensively and defensively.

So far in 2024, Cincinnati had used Yuya Kubo as a temporary option at right back. Alvas Powell played on the right flank Saturday against the Chicago Fire as Kubo moved to the left in the absence of Luca Orellano, who temporarily left the team to be with his family in Argentina after his father passed away.

Yedlin's arrival would eliminate the need for continued temporary solutions like Kubo. Yedlin also offers FC Cincinnati a skillful and veteran upgrade at the position.

Yedlin, a 30-year-old Seattle native, is well-traveled, having played more than 100 times for England's Newcastle United FC and making 81 appearances for the USMNT. Yedlin also had stints at Tottenham Hotspur FC (English Premier League), Sunderland (England), and Galatasaray, a Turkish club with a rabid following that is considered a major presence in the European game.

Yedlin was named to the USMNT's 2014 and 2022 World Cup rosters. Yedlin is also listed on a preliminary USMNT roster (as is Miles Robinson) from which team manager, Gregg Berhalter, will select 23 players for the CONCACAF Nations League finals.

The USMNT is facing an intensely busy summer with Nations League play, as well as Copa America being staged on U.S. soil.

Yedlin's MLS roots run deep, too. He was Seattle Sounders' first-ever homegrown signing. Between stints at Seattle and Miami, Yedlin has 121 career MLS appearances and 116 starts, including on Saturday as Inter Miami romped over Orlando City SC, 5-0.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: FC Cincinnati completes trade for Inter Miami CF's DeAndre Yedlin