Tyler Shaan Adams (born February 14, 1999) is an American professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player who plays for

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

club

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...

and

captains Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

the United States national team. Primarily a

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

, Adams is capable of playing as a fullback or winger on either side of the defense or midfield. A homegrown player of the New York Red Bulls academy, Adams turned professional with the

New York Red Bulls II New York Red Bulls II is an American professional soccer team based in Montclair, New Jersey. They are the reserve team of the New York Red Bulls and play in MLS Next Pro, the third tier in the American soccer pyramid. History Red Bull New Yo ...

as a sixteen-year-old before joining the

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The club was established in October 1994 and be ...

first team a season later. Adams joined

RB Leipzig RasenBallsport Leipzig e.V. (), commonly known as RB Leipzig, and colloquially referred to as Red Bull Leipzig, is a German professional football club based in Leipzig, Saxony. The club was founded in 2009 by the initiative of the company Red Bu ...

in January 2019. Adams joined

three and a half years later in July 2022. Adams represented the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

at multiple youth levels before making his senior team debut in 2017.

Club career

Youth

Adams joined the Red Bulls Academy in 2012 and played with the under-13, under-14, and under-16 sides before turning professional.

New York Red Bulls II

On March 19, 2015, Adams was signed to

, the club's senior reserve team playing in the

United Soccer League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a Association football, soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues curren ...

. Adams made his debut for the team on April 4, 2015, in a 4–1 victory over Toronto FC II, the first victory in club history. After appearing regularly for NYRB II during the 2016 season, Adams helped the club to a 5–1 victory over

Swope Park Rangers Sporting Kansas City II is a MLS Next Pro club affiliated with Sporting Kansas City of Major League Soccer. For the 2022 season they will play their home games at Rock Chalk Park at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, as well as Sw ...

in the 2016 USL Cup Final.

New York Red Bulls

On July 23, 2015, Adams made his debut with the New York Red Bulls first team featuring in a friendly match against

champions

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

. He scored the second goal of the match, slotting a header past Asmir Begović in the 69th minute as the Red Bulls went on to win 4–2. Adams signed his first senior team contract on November 3, 2015, and joined the first team in preseason training camp in 2016. Adams made his first

MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

bench appearance as an unused substitute on April 1, 2016, during a 1–0 loss to the

New England Revolution The New England Revolution is an American professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), in the Eastern Conference of the league. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having compet ...

and on April 13 made his MLS debut, starting against the

San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchise ...

before returning to Red Bulls II on loan for the remainder of the season. Adams emerged as a regular starter for the Red Bulls senior team in the 2017 season. On August 15, 2017, Adams helped New York to a 3–2 come from behind victory over

FC Cincinnati Football Club Cincinnati, commonly known as FC Cincinnati, is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Cincinnati. The club plays in the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The ...

, assisting on

Bradley Wright-Phillips Bradley Edward Wright-Phillips (born 12 March 1985) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. He began his career with Manchester City in the Premier League, before spending the remainder of his time in England in ...

's 77th-minute equalizer. With the win New York reached their first Open Cup final since

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

. Adams scored his first two MLS goals in a 3–3 draw with

D.C. United D.C. United is a professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Supp ...

on September 27, 2017. On March 13, 2018, Adams opened the scoring for New York in a 3–1 victory over

Club Tijuana Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente, commonly known as Tijuana, or simply as '' Xolos'', is a Mexican professional football club based in Tijuana. The club's badge is the founder's (Jorge Hank) hairless xoloitzcuintle, Hermoso. Founded ...

, helping the club advance to the semifinals of the

CONCACAF Champions League The CONCACAF Champions League, known officially as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons, is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF. The tournament is contested by clubs from North Ameri ...

for the first time.

RB Leipzig

2019 season

Adams joined RB Leipzig in January 2019, reuniting him with former coach

Jesse Marsch Jesse Alan Marsch (born November 8, 1973) is an American professional soccer coach and former player who is the current head coach of club Leeds United. Marsch played 14 seasons as a midfielder in Major League Soccer (MLS) with D.C. United, ...

. He made his first league start on January 27 in a 4–0 victory against

Fortuna Düsseldorf Düsseldorfer Turn- und Sportverein Fortuna 1895 e.V., commonly known as Fortuna Düsseldorf (), is a German football club in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, which competes in the 2. Bundesliga. Founded in 1895, Fortuna entered the league ...

. On February 16, Adams recorded his first Bundesliga assist in a 3–1 victory over

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

. He missed the entirety of April games due to an abductor injury, and until then Leipzig had not lost a single game with him on the field. On May 16, Adams returned to the team, and eleven days later started the DFB-Pokal final against

Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...

to which Leipzig lost 0–3.

2019–20 season

A groin injury kept Adams sidelined for the summer of 2019 and the first half of the

2019–20 Bundesliga The 2019–20 Bundesliga was the 57th season of the Bundesliga, Germany's premier football competition. It began on 16 August 2019 and concluded on 27 June 2020. Bayern Munich were the defending champions, and won their record-extending 8th cons ...

season. He returned for the last game before winter break, playing 86 minutes in a 3–1 victory over

FC Augsburg Fußball-Club Augsburg 1907 e. V., commonly known as FC Augsburg () or Augsburg, is a German football club based in Augsburg, Bavaria. FC Augsburg play in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German football league system. The team was founded as ...

. On March 10, Adams made his

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...

debut in the second leg game against

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...

, when he entered in the 56th minute as a substitute for

Nordi Mukiele Nordi Mukiele Mulere (born 1 November 1997) is a French professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Defender (association football), defender for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain F.C., Paris Saint-Germain and the France national ...

who sustained a head injury. Adams missed the first leg due to a minor calf injury. The game finished 3–0 (4–0 on aggregate) with Leipzig victorious and advancing to the next round. On August 13, 2020, Adams scored the winning goal for Leipzig in a 2–1 win over

Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish profess ...

, helping the club advance to the semifinals of the

for the first time.

Leeds United

Adams joined Leeds United on a five-year contract for a reported £20 million transfer fee on July 6, 2022. He made his league debut for Leeds on August 6 as part of the starting line-up in their season opener, a 2–1 home win over

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...

International career

Adams has represented the United States at the under-15, under-17, and under-20 levels. He appeared in all of his team's matches at the 2015 CONCACAF Under-17 Championships in

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...

, helping the United States qualify for the 2015 FIFA Under-17 World Cup. In May 2017 Adams played every match for the United States at the 2017 FIFA Under-20 World Cup in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. On November 14, 2017, Adams earned his first cap for the senior national team, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–1 draw with Portugal. On September 11, 2018, Tyler Adams scored a goal against Mexico in a friendly at

Nissan Stadium Nissan Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Owned by the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, it is primarily used for football and is the home field of the Tennessee Titans of the Natio ...

in Nashville, Tennessee. In June 2019, Adams was named to the squad for the

2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 15th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the biennial international men's soccer championship of the North, Central American, and Caribbean region organized by CONCACAF. The tournament was primarily hosted in th ...

, but was forced to withdraw due to an injury. In November 2022, Adams was named captain of the

squad for the

2022 FIFA World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup is an international association football, football tournament contested by the men's national teams of FIFA's member associations. The 22nd FIFA World Cup is taking place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022 ...

. This made him the youngest captain at the competition and the youngest American captain since 1950.

Personal life

Adams was born in

Dutchess County, New York Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later orga ...

, to Melissa Russo. His stepfather, Daryl Sullivan, coached soccer at the high school and college levels. Adams graduated from Roy C. Ketcham High School in

Wappingers Falls, New York Wappingers Falls is a village in Dutchess County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 5,522. The community was named for the cascade in Wappinger Creek. The Wappingers Falls post office covers areas in the tow ...

Career statistics

Club

International

Honors

New York Red Bulls II *

USL Cup The USL Championship Final is the post-season championship match of the USL Championship, the second tier of professional men's soccer in the United States. The winner is crowned champion in the same manner as in other North American sports lea ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

New York Red Bulls *

MLS Supporters Shield The Supporters' Shield is an annual award given to the Major League Soccer team with the best regular season record, as determined by the MLS points system. The Supporters' Shield has been annually awarded at the MLS Supporters' Summit since 1 ...

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

RB Leipzig *

DFB-Pokal The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considere ...

: 2021–22 United States U20 *

CONCACAF U-20 Championship The CONCACAF Under-20 Championship is the second longest running international association football event in the North America, Central America and the Caribbean region, CONCACAF, and is the qualification tournament for the FIFA U-20 World Cup. ...

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

United States *

CONCACAF Nations League The CONCACAF Nations League ( es, Liga de Naciones CONCACAF, french: Ligue des Nations de la CONCACAF) is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of CONCACAF, the ...

: 2019–20

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Tyler 1999 births Living people African-American soccer players American expatriate soccer players American expatriate sportspeople in Germany American soccer players Association football midfielders Bundesliga players Expatriate footballers in Germany Expatriate sportspeople in England Homegrown Players (MLS) Major League Soccer players New York Red Bulls players New York Red Bulls II players People from Wappingers Falls, New York Premier League players RB Leipzig players Leeds United F.C. players 2022 FIFA World Cup players Soccer players from New York (state) Sportspeople from the New York metropolitan area United States men's international soccer players United States men's under-20 international soccer players United States men's youth international soccer players USL Championship players Roy C. Ketcham High School alumni