There is a belief resonating from Red Bull New York that up-and-coming 16-year-old American central midfielder Adri Mehmeti could get a significant opportunity to cement playing time with the first team following the trade of Daniel Edelman.
New York completed a deal to send Edelman, the 22-year-old holding midfielder, to St. Louis City for $700,000 in general allocation money on Tuesday. It continues the revamping of Red Bull’s roster under new head of sport Julian de Guzman and head coach Michael Bradley, who are instituting a more aggressive and offensive-minded 4-3-3 formation.
Such tactics made Edelman, who was a fast riser in the US youth system before two solid seasons with Red Bull, expendable. Veteran Swedish midfielder Gustav Berggren, who was acquired during last year’s summer transfer window, will factor into the formula moving forward within the three-man central midfield unit.
However, Mehmeti provides an intriguing option that could step into New York’s new-look midfield. In a year in which he made his first-team debut in August during Leagues Cup action, the Staten Island native anchored Red Bull’s second team to an MLS NEXT Pro championship in early November. Just a week later, he was training with Red Bull Leipzig — a powerhouse of the German Bundesliga — where he impressed their manager, Ole Werner.
Despite his age, he is a forward-thinking player whose vision and skill on the ball are well beyond his years. He is composed in the midfield, can find and make the dangerous passes in behind defenses to break their lines, and has the work rate to get back and provide stout defending.
It is that blend of composure, playmaking, and a remarkably high ceiling that could thrive in Bradley’s new system, which will change how the club lines up compared to previous seasons.
Emil Forsberg, the Swedish international, Red Bull captain, and former RB Leipzig star, could be deployed out to the wing within New York’s forward three, which would feature Bayern Munich alumnus Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting in the middle and the newly acquired 22-year-old US international winger, Cade Cowell.
A clearer picture of how exactly the puzzle pieces fall, though, will emerge next week when scrimmages begin during preseason preparations.
