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2014 World Cup - Brazil


Jetsfan80

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Nice article on Yedlin:  http://grantland.com/features/deandre-yedlin-world-cup-2014-newfound-fame-transfer-to-european-club-mls-soccer/

 

 

 

Supposedly our best athletes don't play soccer, but Yedlin, who dominated when playing football as a kid, chose soccer. 

 

Today, it’s easy to look at Yedlin — 5-foot-8 and thick-chested, and able to outrun the best soccer players in the world — and imagine him on an NFL roster. He could be Darren Sproles, leaving linebackers grasping at air, or he could be Tyrann Mathieu, another Mohawked terror with a knack for separating offensive players from the ball. In college, Yedlin was clocked at about 4.2 seconds in the 40-yard dash. And, says his college coach, Caleb Porter, “It’s about a lot more than top-end speed. It’s his burst, his ability to go from a jog to a sprint before you even realize what has just happened.” His athleticism, Porter says, “is truly world-class.”

It would have made sense for Yedlin to play football. He inhabits a cornerback’s body in an age when cornerbacks can command $70 million contracts. He grew up in a city that became home to Richard Sherman, one of the best and highest-paid corners in the NFL. Almost as soon as a young athlete hits puberty, the American sports industry offers him incentives to star in football, basketball, or baseball. If you’re a physically gifted American teenager with American friends consuming American media, chances are you don’t consider soccer your best option for a career in sports.

 

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