Tyler Adams is one of the brightest young stars in American soccer, not only in his leadership on and off the pitch for the US. Men’s National team and with AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League, but in the way he connects with young fans and inspires them to achieve the highest level of success in anything that they do.
Oh, and yes, the 26 year old Wappingers Falls, New York native is also a part-owner of WSC.
On Tuesday Adams returned to his hometown during a training break to accept a very unique honor…having the soccer pitch bear his name. Martz Field, a place Adams knew well in his formative career years, has been renamed the Tyler Adams Soccer Pitch. Adams, hosted a clinic that drew more than 100 families, many of whom waited in line to meet the USMNT captain. “being a kid that developed his skills here on these fields, I fully understand that commitment that is needed at the grassroots level, and that commitment starts by having the right facilities,” he said during the event. “They (Scott’s, the sponsor of the event, is doing the field renovation) gave me full freedom of picking where I wanted to renovate pitches and where I wanted to give back. My first immediate thoughts was here because this is where I grew up, and this is where my first experiences of playing soccer were.”
And while the FIFA Club World Cup winds down this weekend, the eyes of the soccer world will stay firmly fixated on the U.S., as the World Cup comes to North America in less than a year. For Adams, while the World Cup is the grandest stage, he see his investment in WSC as a great opportunity for fandom to grow on the local level as well. “The impact and growth of soccer in this country is not just about the World Cup, it is about the local clubs and professional teams (like WSC) that are developing those key local fan bases and those experiences that fans should support,” he added. ” Those local fans who turn out are going to be so key to the sport continuing to grow here. I remember when I played for Red Bulls, the fan support meant, and still meant, everything to me, and that support is what will give us such great opportunities to grow the game.” And now some local fans not far from WSC’s home turf will get their own field to create those memories and grow their fandom, thanks to one of America’s rising stars, and a key voice for the sport.
