Meet the future of American soccer: 17-year-old Adri Mehmeti

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As he sits down to talk, a beaming smile spreads across Adri Mehmeti’s face. The 17-year-old is relaxation personified, holding an air of confidence usually limited to veteran athletes who have been there and done it all.

But Mehmeti is far from an experienced professional. Instead, he’s at the very start of his soccer journey.

Importantly for the precocious teenager, though, he’s been able to translate that calmness and poise to the pitch, where he’s quickly developed into one of the most promising players to ever come out of North America.

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Despite his tender age, the midfielder has established himself as a regular starter for the New York Red Bulls and, last month, made his senior debut for the US Men’s National Team (USMNT).

He’s now part of a new generation of teenagers coming up through Major League Soccer (MLS) which looks set to take the US to a new level. More importantly, Mehmeti is doing it with a huge smile on his face.

“I didn’t expect it to happen so fast,” he tells CNN Sports about his rapid rise to prominence. “At the start, I was like, ‘Wow, this is crazy,’ because I was on the second team one year and then with the first team the next.

“I’m very thankful to all the coaches and all the other staff who have trusted me to put me into these games. I’m just getting used to it every day.”

In many ways, Mehmeti is a player full of contradictions. His youthful face belies his ability to play in one of the most demanding positions on the field, defensive midfield, a spot usually reserved for senior professionals who’ve enjoyed decades of experience.

But when the youngster takes his place in the center of the pitch, he looks totally at home – his socks worn low and his six-foot frame gliding around the turf. His willingness to demand the ball in tight spots shows the trust he has in his own technique, and his discipline to dictate the tempo of the game is a sign of true class.

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And while he’s been blessed by natural talent and physicality, his rise through the system has been a journey of sacrifice and education. One that started when he first learned to walk.

“For me, my dad is the biggest influence on the field and off the field too,” he says.

“But on the field, he helped me a lot. I probably started kicking a ball with him when I was like two years old. So you know, just kicking the ball in the backyard every day with him kind of got me attached to the game and gave me that first love.

“I got more attached every single day, and as I grew up, you know, this is what I wanted to do, and this is something that I’ve been dreaming about.”

For most young boys growing up in New York during the 2010s, soccer wasn’t the natural direction. But while others fell for basketball or baseball , soccer was always front and center of Mehmeti’s life.

Both his parents are from Albania, a country where the Beautiful Game is a second religion to many. His dad also played during his younger years, representing his nation at youth level.

That love, or near obsession, for soccer was passed down to Mehmeti, who still lives at home today.

“I still love the game every single day. Like sometimes, even with my dad, I’m kicking the ball with him in the backyard,” he says.

“I often have a ball at my feet in the house. I always have a ball near me and I don’t think that love will go away because this is the game that I chose and that my parents sacrificed so much for me. That’s why I also do it for them as well. That motivates me every single day.”

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His talent was obvious early on. What started in the small backyard of his house soon became more serious. In 2019, aged around 10, Mehmeti joined the New York Red Bulls academy.

Every jump in age level came with new challenges that he quickly adapted to. What helped, he says, was the consistency of coaches and how there was a clear pathway for him to reach the senior team.

In February, Mehmeti made his first-team debut aged 16. In April, he scored his first MLS goal and now he’s one of the first names on the teamsheet as New York pushes for a playoff place.

It’s no surprise, given his talent and US soccer’s desire to cultivate a new generation for the next World Cup cycle, that head coach Mauricio Pochettino called Mehmeti up for the US national team during the last run of international fixtures.

The youngster had previously represented Albania at youth level, in part to follow in the footsteps of his family, so tying him down to the USMNT quickly was important.

He made his international debut as a late substitute in the US’ 4-1 thrashing of Peru in September, replacing Tyler Adams in the 88th minute. It was a symbolic moment given Adams also came through the ranks at New York and many have drawn comparisons between the two players.

“The quality was obviously very high,” Mehmeti says of his first step into international soccer. “You could see in small-sided practice, just the quick intensity… it was a great experience.”

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Given his already impressive CV and general attitude to life, it’s hard to believe Mehmeti is still so young.

But that bubble bursts when you realize the emerging star is still very much at school, learning remotely in between matches and training. He also still needs his mom to drive him to training – he’s the only player on the team to not have a license, he admits.

And away from the pitch, he’s just like any other 17-year-old. His hobbies consist of playing video games and golf with some of his teammates from the Red Bulls, but soccer is never far from his mind.

Mehmeti is a self-confessed student of the game and spends hours of his spare time watching games or clips of himself, looking for things he can adopt or do better next time.

He name-checks the likes of Barcelona’s Rodri and Pedri, as well as Manchester City’s Elliot Anderson, as players he looks up to and wants to one day emulate.

“I’m trying to look at every little detail every single day, so it helps me get that 1% better,” Mehmeti tells CNN Sports.

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That drive combined with his obvious talent is what makes him such a lucrative player in world soccer, so it can be no surprise that teams from across Europe are reportedly looking with interest at how he keeps developing.

But for now, the humble youngster is very happy where he is and US soccer can revel in yet another talent who joins the likes of Cavan Sullivan , Julian Hall and Justin Ellis as the future of the national team.

Mehmeti says he’s part of a Snapchat group with some of those emerging stars where they all support each other and dream of what they can achieve in the future.

For this generation, pressure doesn’t seem to be weighing them down. How could it when you’re playing with such a big smile on your face?

Mehmeti will be back in action this weekend when the New York Red Bulls face Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami in a cross-conference fixture on Saturday.

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阿德里·梅赫梅蒂坐下来交谈时，脸上绽放出灿烂的笑容。这位17岁的少年浑身散发着轻松自在的气息，自信的气质通常只有那些身经百战的老将才具备。

但梅赫梅蒂远称不上经验丰富的职业球员。相反，他的足球生涯才刚刚起步。

但对这位早熟的少年来说，重要的是他能够将这种冷静和沉着带到球场上，并迅速成长为北美有史以来最有前途的球员之一。

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尽管年纪尚轻，这位中场球员已经确立了自己在纽约红牛队的主力位置，并且上个月首次代表美国男子国家队（USMNT）出战。

他现在是美国职业足球大联盟（MLS）涌现出的新一代青少年球员中的一员，这批球员有望将美国足球带入一个新的高度。更重要的是，梅赫梅蒂始终面带灿烂的笑容。

“我没想到这一切发生得这么快，”他告诉 CNN 体育频道，谈到他迅速成名的经历。“一开始，我就觉得，‘哇，这太疯狂了’，因为我第一年还在二队，第二年就进了一队。”

“我非常感谢所有教练和其他工作人员，感谢他们信任我，让我参加这些比赛。我每天都在努力适应。”

从很多方面来看，梅赫梅蒂都是一位充满矛盾的球员。他年轻的面容掩盖了他胜任场上最具挑战性位置之一——防守型中场——的能力，这个位置通常是由拥有数十年经验的老将们占据的。

但当这位年轻球员站上球场中央时，他显得游刃有余——球袜拉得很低，六英尺高的身躯在草坪上轻盈滑行。他敢于在狭小空间内要球，这展现了他对自身技术的自信；而他掌控比赛节奏的自律精神，则体现了真正的实力。

克里斯·卡特/盖蒂图片社

虽然他天赋异禀，体格健壮，但他的成长之路却是一段充满牺牲和学习的历程。这段历程从他蹒跚学步的那一刻就开始了。

“对我来说，无论在球场上还是球场外，我父亲都是对我影响最大的人，”他说。

“但在球场上，他给了我很多帮助。我大概两岁的时候就开始和他一起踢球了。你知道，每天和他一起在后院踢球，让我渐渐爱上了这项运动，也给了我最初的热爱。”

“我每天都越来越投入，随着年龄的增长，你知道，这就是我想做的事，这就是我一直梦想的事。”

对于大多数在2010年代成长于纽约的男孩来说，足球并非他们的自然选择。但当其他人沉迷于篮球或棒球时，足球却始终是梅赫梅蒂生活的重心。

他的父母都来自阿尔巴尼亚，在那个国家，足球对许多人来说就像第二信仰。他的父亲年轻时也踢过球，曾代表阿尔巴尼亚青年队出战。

他对足球的热爱，或者说近乎痴迷的热爱，传给了梅赫梅蒂，他至今仍和家人住在一起。

“我仍然每天都热爱这项运动。比如有时候，我甚至会和爸爸一起在后院踢球，”他说。

“我家里经常脚边放着一个球。我总是把球放在身边，而且我觉得我对足球的热爱不会消失，因为这是我选择的运动，也是我父母为我付出很多。所以我也是为了他们而踢球。这每天都在激励着我。”

Ira L. Black/MLS/Getty Images

他的天赋很早就显露出来。最初在他家后院的练习很快就变得更加正式。2019年，大约10岁的梅赫梅蒂加入了纽约红牛青训营。

每一次年龄组的提升都伴随着新的挑战，但他都能迅速适应。他表示，教练组的稳定性以及清晰的晋升路径对他帮助很大，这些都为他进入一线队奠定了基础。

今年二月，16岁的梅赫梅蒂完成了他的一线队首秀。四月，他打进了他的首粒美国职业足球大联盟进球，现在他已成为纽约队冲击季后赛席位的首发球员之一。

考虑到他的天赋以及美国足球希望为下一个世界杯周期培养新一代球员的愿望，主教练毛里西奥·波切蒂诺在最近一系列国际比赛中将梅赫梅蒂召入美国国家队也就不足为奇了。

这位年轻球员之前曾代表阿尔巴尼亚参加青年级别的比赛，部分原因是追随家人的脚步，因此尽快将他招入美国国家队非常重要。

他于9月在美国队4-1大胜秘鲁的比赛中替补登场，完成了国家队首秀，在第88分钟替换了泰勒·亚当斯。考虑到亚当斯也出自纽约队青训营，许多人将两人相提并论，这具有象征意义。

“国际足球的水平显然非常高，”梅赫梅蒂谈到他首次涉足国际赛场时说道。“从小场比赛就能看出，节奏很快，强度也很大……这是一次很棒的经历。”

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鉴于梅赫梅蒂已经令人印象深刻的履历和人生态度，很难相信他仍然这么年轻。

但当你意识到这位冉冉升起的新星仍在上学，只能利用比赛和训练的间隙进行远程学习时，这种美好的幻想便会破灭。他还承认，自己是队里唯一一个没有驾照的球员，所以仍然需要妈妈开车送他去训练。

球场之外，他和其他17岁的少年没什么两样。他的爱好是和红牛队的队友一起玩电子游戏和打高尔夫，但足球始终萦绕在他的心头。

Mehmeti 自称是这项运动的忠实学生，他会在空闲时间花几个小时观看比赛或自己的比赛片段，寻找可以借鉴或下次做得更好的地方。

他点名巴塞罗那的罗德里和佩德里，以及曼城的埃利奥特·安德森，称他们是他仰慕并希望有朝一日能够效仿的球员。

“我每天都努力关注每一个细节，这样才能帮助我进步1%。”梅赫梅蒂告诉CNN体育频道。

Michael Miller/ISI Photos/Getty Images

这种动力加上他显而易见的天赋，使他成为世界足坛如此炙手可热的球员，因此，据报道，欧洲各地的球队都对他如何继续进步表现出浓厚的兴趣也就不足为奇了。

但就目前而言，这位谦逊的年轻人对自己的现状非常满意，美国足球也迎来了又一位天才球员，他将与卡文·沙利文、朱利安·霍尔和贾斯汀·埃利斯一起，成为国家队的未来之星。

梅赫梅蒂说，他加入了一个 Snapchat 群组，群里有一些冉冉升起的新星，他们在群里互相支持，梦想着未来能取得怎样的成就。

对于这一代人来说，压力似乎并没有压垮他们。当你脸上始终挂着如此灿烂的笑容时，又怎么可能被压力压垮呢？

本周末，梅赫梅蒂将重返赛场，纽约红牛队将于周六在跨联盟比赛中迎战梅西领衔的迈阿密国际队。