IT seems that more and more players from Europe are tempted by the prospect of heading across the Atlantic to start a new life in the United States, but the reverse remains an exciting option for the Americans too.

Seattle-born DeAndre Yedlin could have looked more seriously into returning to his homeland when he realised he was leaving Tottenham in the summer, but was keen to stay in England to prove his worth, and that led to his move to Newcastle United.

Major League Soccer has seen a constant rise in popularity in recent years, and it is not too far away from becoming mainstream over there. It was helped by the USA reaching the last-16 of the 2014 World Cup when they forced Belgium to extra-time, although domestically they have been doing their own bit to make ‘soccer’ a greater success.

Better stadiums and a higher standard of football has clearly helped the entertainment factor, as have the addition of the high profile names to have signed up: Steven Gerrard, Robbie Keane, Andrea Pirlo, David Villa and Frank Lampard to name just a few.

You would imagine that when David Beckham - who did his own bit to get things rolling by spending a few years with LA Galaxy – gets his Miami MLS franchise up and running in the next few years then it will reach even greater heights.

Yet there has always been, and still is, a perception that the standard of football in Europe and South America is better and stronger. Yedlin, who joined Spurs from Seattle Sounders in 2013, is not completely sure that is the case.

"It's definitely growing in America. It's growing very fast. You have some big-name players. Even if you don't know a lot about soccer, you know them,” said Yedlin. “The likes of Kaka, David Villa and Robbie Keane are coming in. They're really giving the league a name. I think it's growing rapidly.

“People are coming out in numbers. It's getting bigger and bigger. In my first two seasons at Seattle, I think we averaged 40,000. We played at an NFL stadium, so we could fit that many in. It's still not the biggest sport, but it's getting a lot bigger.

"America still has a view that if you play in Europe, you're automatically a better player. I don't think that's necessarily the case. The MLS has room to grow to get to the level of the Premier League or Bundesliga, but I don't necessarily think just because you come to Europe you're a better player than one who plays in America.”

Yedlin was brought up in Seattle by his grandparents and, even though he could have gone on to try out to become a professional athlete, it was his upbringing that ultimately led him to becoming a footballer.

"My grandparents’ son, my uncle, lived in the house as well and he was kind of like my big brother,” said Yedlin, who was also close to his mother Rebecca. “He played soccer when he was younger, and I wanted to be like him.

“It was always my sport. I played four sports growing up, but I stuck with soccer. When I was 12 years old, I got called into the youth national team. From then on, I worked my way up.

“It was just a sport that stuck and a sport that I fell in love with. I played for the Seattle Sounders academy when I was 17 and went to university (of Akron) for a year and a half.

“I played baseball when I was younger and (American) football for a year, but I was too small. I played basketball. I ran the 100 metres, 200 metres, 400 metres and the long jump. I don't remember my times. My grandparents have all my records. I'm not sure what time I could run now.”

Yedlin has played six times for Newcastle already, only two of those have been starts in the Championship. Having signed a five-year deal at St James’ Park, his intentions are to prove himself a Premier League player for the longer term after a successful loan stint with Sunderland last season.

Playing in the second tier is different, but he thinks that life under Rafael Benitez is sweet. Yedlin, recovering from an ankle problem ahead of tomorrow's home game with Brentford, said: "You want the hectic Championship schedule, especially as a younger player. It's great, as there is so many games and so many opportunities to play. It's a great move for me to come here. Playing under Rafa has been unbelievable.”