DeAndre Yedlin Makes Final 23-man Squad to Brazil

United States Men's National Team coach Jurgen Klinsmann named his final 23-man roster to go to the World Cup in Brazil, and Akron product DeAndre Yedlin must have been delighted to see his name among the nation's elite. After being named to the provisional 30-man roster, many critics questioned whether he could fit in the USMNT squad

The former Akron defender was outstanding during his time as a Zip, notching 12 assists and being named to the All-MAC First Team during both his years at Akron. He appeared in 45 games--starting 41 of them-- and helped the Zips go 33-5-7, 13-0-0 in league play, and two NCAA Tournaments during his time at Akron.

Yedlin then bypassed the MLS SuperDraft by signing a Homegrown Contract with the Seattle Sounders, the first of its kind for the Cascadia Club, in 2013 and made a major impact during his first year in Major League Soccer.

He played 31 games for Seattle, starting 30, bagging a goal and two assists on his way to being named an MLS All-Star during his freshman season. All of this was enough to gain Klinsmann's attention and the USMNT coach invited the MLS standout to national team camp in January 2014.

A national team debut seemed to be imminent for the Seattle native and he would officially done the Red, White and Blue in a friendly against South Korea on February 1 as a substitute. He would make another sub appearance against Mexico on April 3 to earn his second cap for the USMNT before returning for his sophomore season in the MLS.

The Seattle Sounders' right back has been in excellent form this season, starting all 11 games he's appeared in and defending for the best team in MLS (8-3-1, 25 points). He will now how to compete with Geoff Cameron for a starting spot on the World Cup Squad.

One influential person who will not be making the trip to Brazil is Landon Donovan, the USMNT all-time leader in goals and linchpin to many previous World Cup squads. The decision has left many in the soccer community wondering about Klinsmann's selection process but one things for sure; Yedlin will be counting his lucky stars to be on the plane to Brazil and mid-June can't come fast enough.

Original US Soccer release here.