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Seattle • This should be a grand homecoming for DeAndre Yedlin.
Playing in his hometown in the quarterfinals of the Copa America, returning to Seattle with international club experience and a firm place in the starting lineup for the United States.
Instead, Yedlin will be a spectator on Thursday night when the U.S. faces Ecuador with a berth in the semifinals on the line. A momentary loss of composure led to a red card for Yedlin in the final group stage match against Paraguay and will keep the starting right back in the stands.
Consider it another chapter in the education of the 22-year-old.
"You're always learning. You talk to Clint [Dempsey] and he's still learning," Yedlin said Tuesday. "As a player if you're not learning every day then you're not improving. ... Obviously, I'll learn from this one and move on to the next."
Yedlin's red card leaves the United States needing to make its first lineup change of the tournament after going with the same starting lineup in three straight games for the first time since 1930, although U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann wasn't willing to tip his hand Tuesday.
Klinsmann was hoping to continue the consistency until Yedlin lost his cool.
Yedlin's two yellow cards came in about a minute and left the Americans short-handed for most of the second half of their 1-0 win over Paraguay on Saturday. Yedlin was shown a yellow card for a tackle from the side on Miguel Almiron. Moments later, Yedlin charged at Miguel Samudio, slipped with his left foot and took him down. Chilean referee Julio Bascunan didn't hesitate in giving out the second yellow.
"You cannot overreact after something goes wrong," Klinsmann said. "The first yellow card he was too emotional about it. He was too upset about everything, himself, the call. That's when you have to be calm. And this will come over time. It's an age-related issue. You're just too pumped up in that moment and he will learn to breath a second, walk away from it, think about it a second, get back to your game and after a couple of minutes it's all good."
Yedlin's been learning since leaving the Seattle Sounders at the end of the 2014 MLS season for an opportunity to play in England. His performance in the 2014 World Cup immediately brought interest from European clubs and Yedlin eventually made the move to Tottenham.
Yedlin struggled with the transition. He was living on his own in a foreign country and trying to live up to the expectations created by such a high-profile move. He appeared in just one game for Tottenham in the second half of the 2014-15 season and was loaned to Sunderland, where he appeared in 23 matches during the Premier League this season.
"I think I've learned how to become a well-rounded player. Being with Sunderland, especially the defensive side, made me a more well-rounded player," Yedlin said. "And not so much on the field, off the field just growing as a man and growing as a person. I've had to live on my own and I didn't really know anybody over there, so you make new friends. ... It's something you have to go through but I'm glad I'm going through it at this stage because I am still young. I still have a lot of time to improve."
The disappointment for Yedlin is that there may not be a more pro-U.S. atmosphere than the one created by fans in soccer-mad Seattle. Copa America officials declined to release ticket sale numbers for Thursday's match, but a healthy crowd is expected at CenturyLink Field.
Klinsmann made the point Tuesday that this will likely be the biggest international match played in Seattle for the next few years. Seattle hosted a World Cup qualifying match for the U.S. in 2013 against Panama.
"This is Copa America, knockout stage. You're not getting any bigger than that," Klinsmann said.