The New York Red Bulls welcomed back Tyler Adams from the U.S. Men’s National Team January camp on Monday evening and participated in his first preseason practice on Tuesday.
“I think playing for three weeks now with the national team got my fitness to the best it could be,” Adams said. “[There’s] a lot of new faces, I think there’s a lot of young guys here. A lot of energy, and we’re really going to make a push this year.”
Red Bulls head coach Jesse Marsch described the importance of Adams’ return as adding a ‘real presence in the team.’
“Tyler’s confidence is always high; he always has energy when he comes to training every day,” Marsch said. “He adds to the group in such a positive way…having him back in the group feels like we complete our team a little more.”
In terms of Wednesday’s friendly against the New England Revolution, Marsch’s goal for Adams is to continue to build up his fitness without pushing him too much after playing the full 90 minutes for the USMNT on Sunday.
“Physically he recovers quickly, he’s able to do so much physically,” Marsch said. “You want to utilize that, but also not over extend it so we’ll see.”
For Adams, who’s entering his third MLS season with New York, his goal is to build relationships with the new players and lead as a young veteran on the team.
“I’m excited to be a leader this year,” Adams said. “With my experience that I have had in the past two years - the USL year that we won the championship - I think that I can really make an impact in a lot of younger guys now.”
IN FOCUS: Tyler Adams' First Day at New York Red Bulls Preseason by New York Red Bulls on Exposure
