N.Y. Red Bulls sign 15-year-old Staten Island native to professional contract

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Those who are passionate about professional soccer will want to watch for a homegrown player hoping to establish himself in the major leagues.

The 15-year-old Adri Mehmeti, who was hailed as a native of Staten Island, has joined the New York Red Bulls as their newest member.

The New York Red Bulls (@newyorkredbulls) shared this post.

Mehmeti, a midfielder, signed a four-year contract with the Red Bulls, one of two New York teams in Major League Soccer (MLS), until 2028 with a 2029 option. In the history of MLS’s homegrown program, which nurtures young domestic talent and introduces them to the league, Mehmeti is now the third youngest player to sign.

Mehmeti is the team’s 35th in-house acquisition.

A product of the player development program

Strict guidelines are established by the MLS for the teams’ player development initiatives. Geographical boundaries for recruitment are established by the homegrown territory player program; for the Red Bulls, this territory is 75 miles from the team’s Harrison, New Jersey, home stadium, omitting a 25-mile radius from the Philadelphia Union’s home stadium.

An academy for teenagers to hone their skills and play in youth soccer leagues like MLS NEXT could be one way to support these indigenous territory players. Youth affiliates and initiatives like soccer clinics, local youth competitions, and talent spotting camps are examples of additional programming.

Red Bull’s development pipeline produced Mehmeti, who worked hard in the hopes of joining the first team.

After spending the previous season with the New York Red Bulls II, a side in the MLS NEXT Pro league—which completes the pro player pathway from MLS NEXT to MLS first teams—the young athlete has joined the Red Bulls.

Mehmeti played on the field for 687 minutes and made 15 appearances during his tenure with the team. On May 8, he played his first game as an MLS NEXT Pro against Orlando City B.

In a 4-3 victory over Chicago Fire FC II on August 4, the midfielder recorded his first assist, solidifying his status as the youngest player in club history to record an assist.

Red Bulls Academy (@rbnyacademy) shared this post.

A talented young player

Julian de Guzman, sporting director of the New York Red Bulls, stated that Adri is a superb young midfield player who made significant strides in his development with the team’s II this past season. We are thrilled to have him join our team because he is a wonderful person both on and off the field.

Since 2019, Mehmeti has been a part of the Red Bulls academy. He was a part of the U-15 Red Bulls Academy squad that won the U-15 MLS NEXT Cup in 2023. Mehmeti produced a goal in this title run.

Both the Albania Youth National Team and the United States Youth National Team have called up Mehmeti for his exploits. In addition to making three appearances and scoring one goal for Albania’s U-15 National Team, he has made seven appearances and scored one goal for the United States U-15 National Team.

According to New York Red Bulls head coach Sandro Schwarz, Adri has performed well in both his games with the New York Red Bulls II and his training sessions with the main squad. He is a gifted young player, and we are eager to support him as he continues to grow.

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