Inter Miami finalizing trade of Yedlin to Cincy

FC Cincinnati is finalizing a deal to acquire U.S. national team right back DeAndre Yedlin from Inter Miami.

Pat Brennan first reported the deal. Sources add that Miami will receive $172,000 in General Allocation Money for Yedlin.

Yedlin, 30, has 81 caps with the USMNT. He’s been with Miami since 2022, returning from a successful stint in Europe during which time he featured for Galatasaray, Newcastle United and Sunderland (the latter while on loan from Tottenham).

Yedline got his start with the Seattle Sounders in MLS before transferring to Tottenham in 2014. He has made 82 appearances with Miami since returning stateside.

FC Cincinnati needed to finesse the salary cap to fit Yedlin in. Cincy has all three designated player spots filled, plus several non-DPs with big cap hits like Matt Miazga, Miles Robinson and more. To add Yedlin — whose guaranteed compensation was $873,750 in 2023, according to the MLS Players’ Association’s most recent data — required delicate structuring, hence the specific GAM compensation to Miami.

Cincy’s cap structure is led by director of soccer strategy Kyle McCarthy and technical director Hunter Freeman, who helped get the deal formatted and sorted.

Yedlin will fill a big need at right wingback for Cincy after Santiago Arias left this winter. Yedlin should be available for selection in Cincy’s CONCACAF Champions Cup match against Monterrey this week – he is not yet cup-tied for the competition because Miami’s debut comes on Wednesday.

Cincinnati won the Supporters’ Shield last season and is viewed as one of the best teams in the league again in 2024. They added USMNT defender Miles Robinson, Corey Baird, Pavel Bucha and now Yedlin to offset the departures of Brandon Vazquez, Yerson Mosquera, Arias and Alvaro Barreal, who was officially loaned to Brazilian side Cruzeiro on Friday.

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The move opens up significant salary cap room for Miami, with Yedlin’s cap hit gone as well as some allocation money coming in, adding flexibility to make more moves. The move opens a max salary cap slot at least, but the exact number is difficult to discern with the lack of salary cap and allocation money transparency.

Miami likely needs to add a new right back now with Yedlin gone. Highly-rated Argentine youth international midfielder Federico Redondo is expected to be available to debut this week, which could free up midfielder/defender Julian Gressel to shift to right back. However, head coach Tata Martino sees Gressel more as a central midfielder, where he has played effectively over Miami’s last two games.

Miami previously expressed interest in acquiring Franco Escobar from Houston, but the Dynamo has had no interest in trading him. Escobar is also now cup-tied to Houston for the Champions Cup after appearing in their last round. Escobar previously played under Martino at Atlanta United, winning MLS Cup in 2018.

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