There was a time when soccer in the United States was looked down upon by the elite leagues in Europe. A time when $73 million for a player from across the pond was unthinkable. My how times have changed.
From Christian Pulisic’s mega-money move from Dortmund to Chelsea to Gio Reyna turning heads in the Bundesliga, this week we’ll see us taking a look at the main American talents making a splash on the continent where the sport was born.
It’s the perfect time to do so as the United States Men’s National Team have a friendly against Wales on Nov. 12 (start time, 2:45pm ET) in Swansea at the Liberty Stadium. They will then play Panama on Nov. 16 in Wiener Neustadt, Austria to complete the pair of games they have scheduled this internaitonal break.
Due to COVID-19 outbreaks and public health precautions, the only previous action for the Stars & Stripes in 2020 was a Feb. 1 victory over Costa Rica by the score of 1-0.
A homegrown product of the New York Red Bulls, Tyler Adams has benefited from the energy drink giant’s massive soccer network. This is not to dismiss his natural talent, however. Adams made his debut for NY’s Red Bull franchise in a friendly against then Premier League champions Chelsea FC.
He made an impact almost immediately, beating veteran Bosnian shot-stopper Asmir Begovic to score the second goal of that match. Having announced his arrival in that game, he was then on the radar for all of the major scouts in Europe to see.
After signing his first pro contract, Tyler Adams rode the bench for a couple of weeks before making his debut against the San Jose Earthquakes. Not long after that match, he dropped back down to the reserve squad to help aid his development.
It worked a treat, with his emerging as a regular for the senior squad the following season. After nailing down a starting position, he was instrumental in the Red Bulls’ qualifying for their first Open Cup final appearance since 2003.
He was credited with the assist on Bradley Wright-Phillips’ goal in that game. Unfortunately, there was no winners medal for Adams as his side went down 2-1 in the final.
He did go on to reach a number of milestones that season, as he scored the first goals of his professional career against DC United. He also scored against Tijuana in NYRB’s run to the semi-finals in the CONCACAF Champions League.
In the European winter transfer window of 2019, Adams joined RB Leipzig for a reported $3 million fee, with a clause that would see sister club New York receive a percentage of any future transfer fees that Leipzig got for the young American. The move saw him reunite with former coach Jesse Marsch, who was at the German club as an assistant manager.
After some early injury problems saw him miss large chunks of his first year in Germany, his career highlight came in the Champions League that season. Adams scored the winner vs Atletico Madrid that secured RB Leipzig’s first Champions League semi-final appearance.
After representing the US National squad at all junior levels, Adams made his first of ten international caps against Portugal, before scoring his solitary international goal in a friendly versus Mexico.
A prodigious talent, expect to see Adams move from beneath the Red Bull umbrella sooner rather than later.
USMNT Golden Generation Profile Series
Christian Pulisic Gio Reyna Sergino Dest Josh Sargent Weston McKennie Zack Steffen
Stuart Kavanagh is an up and coming journalist from Melbourne, Australia. A student of sports media, his passion for the world game, in particular, shines through. Always keen to discuss footballing matters, you can follow him on Twitter @futbolislife8