Adri Mehmeti and Tyler Adams faced the media at U.S. men's national team training camp on Wednesday, Sept. 23. It was no accident that pair appeared at the podium together.
The two players are something of a mirror image of one another. Both New York natives, both products of the New York Red Bulls academy, both holding midfielders and now, both USMNT players.
Mehmeti is one of 12 newcomers in Mauricio Pochettino's first post-World Cup roster, which will play four friendlies over the next two weeks.
He is also one of six players on the roster aged 18 or younger. In his first season as a MLS starter, Mehmeti has been an ever-present with the Red Bulls, establishing himself as one of the top prospects in the American player pool.
Watching from afar
has been Adams, 10 years Mehmeti's senior and keeping a close eye on his former team.
"I've known him a little bit longer because he's come through the the Red Bull pipeline, and I was always hearing talk about him," Adams said.
He added: "He's taking all the right steps in order to reach this level. Now, for me, it's about getting the best out of him at this level because, again, it's another step. It takes time to adapt to this."
Mehmeti has been a quick study with every step up he's made thus far in his young career, but it can be a steep learning curve for any 17-year-old taking their first steps in international soccer.
"It's a big jump and it's going to take some time to get used to," Mehmeti admitted.
Having Adams as a mentor should help with the transition, though.
Like any player coming up through the Red Bull system, Adams is a model for Mehmeti to follow. Like Mehmeti, Adams won a title with the Red Bulls reserves before integrating into the senior team at a young age. From there, Adams moved to sister club RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga and eventually to Leeds and current club Bournemouth in the Premier League.
"Tyler and me have a similar pathway. He went through the Red Bull system as well, same position, and watching him at the highest levels, you can see the character that he has, the personality, what he's willing to do with and without the ball," Mehmeti said.
"[He's been] a role model for me because hopefully one day I can take that similar pathway that he's taken."
Mehmeti has been tipped to do just that, with European clubs already circling. Making that move would be another step up, but so far the midfielder has been up to the challenges.
"If he ever makes the move to Europe, it takes time to adapt to that," Adams said. "So you just have to do things in the right order, and we're giving him the best opportunity to do that now."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USMNT's 17-year-old newcomer eager to learn from 'role model' Tyler Adams
