Since arriving in 2020, Sounders defender Yeimar has established himself as one of the most dominant defenders in club history.
On the pitch, Yeimar blends an acute ability to read the game and anticipate danger with the physical tools to shut down opposing forwards. He’s been the cornerstone of a Sounders back line that has boasted a top-four defense in MLS in four of the last five years.
Yeimar was a stalwart of the Sounders side that made history as the first MLS club to win Concacaf Champions League and participate in the FIFA Club World Cup. With 527 clearances, 330 aerial duels won, 286 interceptions and 157 successful tackles, few players across the league have compiled such an impressive resume in the last five years.
“I believe this is about hard work, and giving everything you have on the field, and always having the desire to improve and compete,” said Yeimar. “That is what [defines] me.”
But like most international players, Yeimar traveled a winding path to becoming one of the more profound defenders of Major League Soccer.
At just 16 years old, Yeimar left his home of Tadó, Colombia to pursue a professional soccer career in Argentina.
“Making that decision was a bit risky because I was going to a new country where I didn't know anyone, but I also knew that moving to Argentina could open opportunities for me that I wasn't going to have in Colombia,” said Yeimar. “It was difficult, but at the same time I think it was the best decision.”
Any feeling of doubt immediately evaporated upon entry to his new home.
“The [coaches] treated me well, and over the years, I met many people, and all those people treated me like a normal person and not like a soccer player, and these are things that I value a lot,” said Yeimar.
Yeimar reflects on his formative years in Argentina as a positive experience. Not only was it a place that allowed him to grow into his role as a center back, but it also led him to his wife, Maiten, who he now shares two children with today.
“I honestly fell in love with Argentina from the moment I arrived there, and well, there were things that happened that I could have never imagined like meeting my wife, and then all the places and people I met,” said Yeimar. “All those things helped me through my journey.”
Yeimar spent seven years in Argentina with clubs Rosario Central, Tiro Federal (loan), Arsenal (loan), Independiente Rivadavia, and Unión Santa Fe, totaling a combined 154 appearances before getting acquired by Sounders FC.
Since then, his career has flourished.
In his first season alone with Seattle, the Colombian international led the backline to only 23 goals allowed in the regular season which, at the time, was the lowest in the Western Conference. He later earned Sounders FC Defender of the Year honors for his contributions on defense in 2020 and managed to win the same award the following two seasons.
Other accolades include a starting spot in the 2021 MLS All-Star game, finishing second in the 2021 MLS Defender of the Year voting, his role in the team and league’s first-ever Concacaf title a year later, and continuing to rank amongst the top players in MLS interceptions year-after-year.
What triumphs every achievement, however, is his stint with the Colombian National team during the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
“Like any other professional player who enjoys playing soccer, being called up from your country’s national team is a moment you will never forget,” said Yeimar. “I was also happy because it gave me the opportunity to explore my country more and give others the chance to get to know me better since I left [Colombia] at a young age.”
At 32-years-old, Yeimar has made the most of his career thus far. His hope is to play a few more years in Seattle before closing out his soccer journey where his passion for the sport began: in his home country of Colombia.
“I know that I will do my best to enjoy the years I have left here to the fullest,” said Yeimar. [But], there have been conversations with my family about going back to Colombia, because I have never played there, and I would like to enjoy my country and my [extended] family more.”
He continued, “It has been a long time since I have been able to spend time with them except for the holidays, so that would be my long-term goal.”
Yeimar's 10+ year career is a representation of the undeniable hard work and talent the center back embodies every time he steps onto the pitch.
It is his family, however, that motivates him to be the player he is today.
“For me, my soccer experience has been wonderful because one of the reasons why I decided to play is to help my family, and I feel like I was able to provide that for them,” said Yeimar. “As a player, you are always looking for what is best for your family and their future…So, I feel grateful for both the good and not so good times that we have been though.”
