Tyler Adams celebrates his second goal Wednesday night. (Noah K. Murray/USA TODAY Sports)
HARRISON, N.J. — You don’t have to be a genius to figure out who was the silver lining of the Red Bulls’ 3-3 draw with D.C. United Thursday night: Tyler Adams.
The 18-year-old right wing back was all over the field at Red Bull Arena, helping New York to grab a 3-2 advantage with his first two Major League Soccer goals.
“Amazing, amazing, amazing,” head coach Jesse Marsch said. “Tyler Adams, amazing. Gets better every game, growing every game. What a pleasure to watch him. What a pleasure to coach him. Big-time player, amazing, amazing. Took the team on his shoulders.”
Those goals were a long time coming, but it would not have been as sweet as a Red Bulls victory.
Adams said it was “a good feeling” to score those goals.
“But, ultimately, the three points is the most important thing, and we didn’t happen to come away with those today,” he said.
The Wappingers Falls, N.Y. native’s performance did not go unnoticed by his teammates.
“I think that’ll do a lot for his confidence moving forward,” captain Sacha Kljestan said. “I think he’s obviously very talented. I think that right wingback spot is a great spot for him. I think that’s probably his best position, I think he needs to make it his own and he needs to play there every game.
“You can see, even at the wingback spot he’s getting himself in good positions up the field. So, the more he can continue to grow and push himself is going to be a good addition to help our team.”
Adams was a force for the U.S. Under-20 squad at the U-20 World Cup in South Korea earlier this year. He has improved his play after returning to the MLS club.
“Tyler has been an important player this season,” goalkeeper Luis Robles said. “When you look at his development it’s not only important for him but for the entire team. As he continues to grow as a player, we know that there are still areas where he’s going to improve upon and one is the offensive piece. Tonight you were able to see how when he’s on full display what he’s able to do and how he can be dangerous. We are glad that he was on tonight because I think a lot of us weren’t necessarily on and he really bailed us out with his two goals.”
