Football
ESPN staff 6y

Michael Bradley, Toronto FC very impressed with Red Bulls' Tyler Adams

Toronto FC captain Michael Bradley said he is "very impressed" with New York Red Bulls midfielder Tyler Adams ahead of the teams' Eastern Conference semifinal first leg on Monday. 

Adams, 18, has emerged as a star-in-the-making for the Red Bulls this season for both club and country. The Red Bulls' academy project broke into Jesse Marsch's starting lineup in the fourth game of the season and has been a fixture since, only missing significant time to play in May's Under-20 World Cup.

The Red Bulls trounced the Chicago Fire 4-0 on Wednesday night and Adams played a pivotal role throughout, including setting up Sacha Kljestan for New York's second goal with a smooth move and cross in the 11th minute.

New York now faces Bradley and Supporters' Shield winning Toronto in the semis and Bradley, Jozy Altidore and Reds' boss Greg Vanney have taken notice of the versatile Adams.

Bradley said: "From the outside looking in, I'm very impressed. He has, in a year, grown in big ways. The first thing that catches your eye when you watch him is how easy he is moving around the field. He's light on his feet, explosive, can cover ground.

"With the way they play, his ability to close down, press and come away with balls is so important. Football-wise, he continues to get better."

Altidore recalled his first match against Adams, a 4-2 win for Toronto in September, and said he was a fan and could see a future for the youngster in the senior U.S. national team setup.

"To play against him was nice, see what he is all about," Altidore said. "I was a fan for sure. I heard a lot about him, but I'd never really watched him play.

"He's got some great starting points for a young kid. He's definitely got a bright future as long as he continues to work hard. Hopefully he can be a guy that can have a national team future for many years to come."

Toronto boss said he sees a mental toughness in Adams, who scored two goals and assisted on four others in 2017, and said the team will be aware of him as he battles Justin Morrow in the first leg on Monday.

"I like him a lot. I think he's an excellent young player," Vanney said. "He's playing, in their current shape, out on the outside. He has nice athleticism, speed. He's got a bright future.

"At the end of the day I'm not sure he's a wide player. He's fully capable of doing that, but as he gets more mature he'll slide to the inside.

"I enjoy watching him. It's a good sign of the future of this league when you see young guys like that who can come in and hold their own."

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