Jesse Marsch did not have many positive things to talk about on Wednesday, but teenage midfielder Tyler Adams was one of them.
The New York Red Bulls were forced to settle for a disappointing 3-3 draw with rivals D.C. United at Red Bull Arena on Wednesday night, and one of the lone bright spots for the home team was Adams. The 18-year-old Adams -- expected to be among the Top 10 players on 24 Under 24 revealed at 2 p.m. ET on ExtraTime Live driven by Continental -- scored his first two MLS goals in the match, including an incredible half-volley in the 19th minute that opened the scoring.
"Amazing, amazing, amazing," Marsch told reporters after the match. "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."
Unfortunately for New York, Adams' efforts -- which also included a nice and low equalizing finish in the 74th minute -- were not enough to lead them to victory. The Red Bulls scored a late own goal that gave D.C. a point at the death, robbing Adams of the bulk of the spotlight and putting it on his club's continued poor run of form.
“One [goal] was for the lead, one was for the tie, so it was good. A good feeling," Adams said. "But, ultimately, the
three points is the most important thing, and we didn’t happen to come away with those today.”
While the result was not what the Red Bulls wanted, they can take some solace in knowing that they have a talented youngster blossoming before their very eyes. Adams may still have room to grow given his tender age, but performances like Wednesday's indicate that his ceiling could be very high.
"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," goalkeeper Luis Robles told reporters after the match. "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.”
