Yedlin will enjoy MLS All-Star Game, but his focus is on Inter Miami vs. NYCFC on Saturday

DeAndre Yedlin is honored to be Inter Miami’s lone representative in the MLS All-Star Game on Wednesday night. He is enjoying reconnecting with U.S. national team teammates during his few days in Minneapolis, but his main objective is to head back home healthy for Saturday’s home game against New York City FC.

The game between MLS All-Stars and Mexican Liga MX stars (8:30 p.m., ESPN/Univision) is just an exhibition and chance for the leagues to showcase their talent and earn bragging rights.

“Obviously we have a game and want it to be competitive and intense, and you never want to go into a game and put the brakes on, but we also know there’s a lot at stake, an incredibly close playoff race, so everyone is going to want to come out of this game healthy,” he said. “It is a little difficult to balance it, but that’s what we’ll try to do.”

Miami is coming off a grueling road trip that resulted in a win against San Jose and a tie against CF Montreal.

“The team is in very good spirits, we showed something in the last three or four weeks that we hadn’t shown all year and that’s the ability when we are not performing our best to be able to come back and get results,” he said. “That’s a strong characteristic the best teams have, so hopefully we can keep that going.”

Miami is in ninth place in the East, tied on points with three other teams, all of whom are vying for one of seven playoff spots with 10 games to go.

Yedlin said the addition of Alejandro Pozuelo and resurgence of Gonzalo Higuain, which are intertwined, have made a big difference.

“Gonzalo has hit form, which is great to see, and Pozuelo is a huge addition, he has incredible vision,” Yedlin said. “They definitely seem to have that understanding with each other, they don’t even really need to talk. They can just look at each other and know exactly what movement the other person’s going to do. Pozuelo obviously with any player is unbelievable at finding guys behind the line and picking the correct passes, that’s one of his biggest qualities.

“And to have a guy like Gonzalo, who’s a legendary striker, to have a player like Pozuelo behind him, being able to find him in dangerous areas. They create a really dangerous duo.”

The Inter Miami youth academy will be well represented in the MLS NEXT All-Star Game, which is being played at noon. Israel Boatwright, Benjamin Cremaschi and Kobi Thomas and head coach Javier Morales will feature on the East team.

Morales, a former MLS All-Star whose son is an Inter Miami academy standout, said the league’s youth development has gotten much better over the years.

“This is the next step the MLS needs to keep moving forward,” Morales said. “In the beginning we started with bringing superstars, but in the end of their career. Now, we are bringing young stars to the league. The next step is to start playing players from our academies. There is a lot of talent in South Florida. Our goal is to find them and help them develop.”

Yedlin, who left MLS to advance his career in Europe, agreed.

“The biggest things I’ve noticed since I came back is the kind of talent they’re bringing into the league and exporting out, mostly young players,” Yedlin said. “That wasn’t happening when I was in the league. Obviously, they’re getting names in, but also guys nobody has ever heard of who are extremely talented, coming in and making names for themselves. And then the players MLS is developing and sending to massive clubs around the world. That’s a big change.”