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DeAndre Yedlin scored his first Premier League goal in Newcastle United’s match against reigning champions Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. The American fullback converted a cross from Salomón Rondón in the 30th minute.
DeAndre Yedlin scores his first Premier League goal and it's a nice one! pic.twitter.com/kyyluClVdp
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) September 1, 2018
Yedlin took advantage of lackadaisical backtracking from City’s defense, displaying his blazing speed to get behind the back line.
As noted by Paul Carr of TruMedia Sports, this is the first Premier League goal by a U.S. international in four years. It breaks the second-longest goal scoring drought for Americans.
Yedlin is coming off last week’s Jekyll-and-Hyde league appearance against Chelsea. His assist tied things up in the 83rd minute, but he scored an own goal in the 88th and the match ended 2-1 in favor of The Blues.
The 25-year old Seattle-native will likely be one of the key veterans moving forward with the U.S. national team in the lead up to the 2022 World Cup. Despite already having earned 52 caps, he still has plenty of room to grow and will continue his upward ascent if he plays consistently in the Premier League.