DeAndre Yedlin highlights pro/rel as secret to increased intensity in Europe

DeAndre Yedlin believes promotion and relegation is the secret to the increased intensity when playing in Europe compared to the United States.

The USMNT defender is now back in Major League Soccer with Inter Miami after previously enjoying a long career in Europe playing in the Premier League with the likes of Tottenham, Newcastle, and Sunderland, as well as Galatasaray in Turkey.

Istanbul has one of the most renowned soccer cultures in the world thanks to the three-way rivalry between Galatasaray, Fenerbahce, and Besiktas. And in England, the sport is treated almost more like a religion.

During his time in Europe, Yedlin experienced the most intense atmospheres and pressurizing environments playing in teams battling against relegation - something you just don't see Stateside.

"I don't think in any sport in the US there's anything that comes close to that," Yedlin told 90min's Football Americana podcast when asked to compare the European vs US fan cultures.

He elaborated: "I think just for the simple fact that in the US, you have a restart every year. So there's no relegation and there's no promotion in any sport.

"You even take the Patriots with Tom Brady. If they lost one year, it's like, okay, we're ready to go again next year. Whereas when I was at Galatasaray, we were not doing well in the first half of the season. And we were closer to the bottom of the table than we were to the top. And then it's like, whoa, can you imagine if Galatasaray were to go down?

"That's history, for the wrong reason. So I don't think there's anything like the type of pressure that is on. And I'm not saying just in Turkey, but in England, maybe Spain. I think just simply for the fact of promotion, relegation, and those sort of things. I don't think there's anything that matched it in the US as far as pressure and crowd pressure and things like that. Maybe a super bowl. But I don't know."

In Yedlin's experience, it isn't just the process of dropping down a division which hurts with relegation. It's also the effect that can have on a club, financially, on the city as a whole, and on the individual careers of the players involved.

"With Newcastle especially, we were in relegation battles," he continued. "So I've really felt that pressure of if you go down, it's not only you going down a division, but the club losing money, the owners losing money, potentially different players leaving. It looks bad on the city. And so it's a whole array of things.

"It's not just for your resume, but for the resume of the club as a whole in history. And that goes down in history. So it's a different kind of pressure."