Tacoma, WA - Sounders FC U-23 defender, DeAndre Yedlin, was named First-Team All-PDL on Tuesday. The right back started every match during the 2012 campaign, scoring a goal and an assist. The selection recognizes Yedlin as one of the 11 best PDL players amongst the 73 teams across North America.
Sounders U-23 Head Coach, Darren Sawatzky said, “DeAndre is a dynamic, modern, outside back, with a great engine. He was a warrior this summer logging every minute of every game.”
Yedlin joined the Sounders U-23 after his freshman season at Akron. Following his freshman season at the NCAA powerhouse, Top Drawer Soccer named him as one of the Top 10 Freshman in college soccer.
“DeAndre comes to training and games and works hard without any excuses and he has grown daily over the past two years,” Sawatzky said. “We look forward to watching him grow this fall at Akron”
The future is bright for Yedlin, who is a Sounders FC Academy alum. The 19 year-old is eligible to be a Homegrown Player for the Seattle Sounders FC. This means the Sounders FC first team could acquire Yedlin automatically without using a draft pick if or when they choose.
“DeAndre is poised to play at the next level, and time will tell how well he does,” Sawatzky said. “He has the pieces necessary to play as a professional and it will be fun to watch him in the coming years”
To learn more about DeAndre, CLICK HERE for his in-depth story featured on SoundersU23.com earlier this season.
DeAndre Yedlin (photo by Chris Coulter, SoundersPhotos.com)
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PDL NEWS RELEASE: Tuesday, July 31, 2012
PDL All-League Team Announced
TAMPA, Fla. – The PDL announced its 2012 All-League Team today, highlighting the top 11 performers from the league’s 73 teams this season. The 2012 PDL All-League Team was selected through a vote of team management.
The PDL regular-season champion Michigan Bucks led all clubs with three selections to the team as goalkeeper Adam Grinwis, defender Kevin Cope and midfielder Tom Catalano were all named. Grinwis led the PDL with a 0.444 goals-against average this season, while Catalano finished tied for the league lead in assists with fellow midfield selection, Jordan Green of the Kansas City Brass.
One player from the 2012 All-League Team will be in action this weekend, with the Carolina Dynamo’s Sebastien Ibeagha earning a berth on the team’s defense. A U.S. U23 international, Ibeagha was outstanding all season for the Dynamo as the club finished tied for the league-lead in goals conceded with 10. Rounding out the back four are Max Gunderson of the Laredo Heat and DeAndre Yedlin of the Sounders FC U23, with the Akron standout appearing in every minute of every game for the Western Conference champions.
Joining Catalano and Green in the team’s midfield is the Kitsap Pumas’ Matt Friesen, who had another standout season with 10 goals for his side. Friesen scored crucial goals as the Pumas fell short of another postseason berth, while also earning Player of the Week honors on June 21.
The forward line is led by the league’s leading scorer, Sullivan Silva of the Thunder Bay Chill. Silva led the league with 32 points in 15 games as the Chill took their second consecutive Heartland Division title. He is joined by Reading United’s Deshorn Brown, who tied Silva for the league lead in goals with 13 in 13 games, and the Portland Timbers U-23s Mark Sherrod, who had 10 goals and three assists to help his side reach the playoffs.
2012 PDL ALL-LEAGUE TEAM
GK – Adam Grinwis, Michigan Bucks
D – Max Gunderson, Laredo Heat
D – Sebastian Ibeagha, Carolina Dynamo
D – Kevin Cope, Michigan Bucks
D – DeAndre Yedlin, Sounders FC U23
M – Matt Friesen, Kitsap Pumas
M – Jordan Green, Kansas City Brass
M – Tom Catalano, Michigan Bucks
F – Sullivan Silva, Thunder Bay Chill
F – Deshorn Brown, Reading United
F – Mark Sherrod, Portland Timbers U-23s
