USMNT youngster Tyler Adams has praised Christian Pulisic for his remarkable career to date, which he claims is inspiring many young Americans.
At just 20, Pulisic is already one of the most successful players to emerge from the U.S., having established himself as a star in Borussia Dortmund’s side over the past several seasons.
His success in Germany earned him a move to Chelsea in January , although the winger will only meet up with his new team-mates in the next few weeks .
Adams, who himself has swapped America for Europe and RB Leipzig, believes Pulisic’s success could be something of a watershed moment in his homeland.
“Christian came to Germany at the age of 14 and paved the way for many young Americans,” Adams told Goal and DAZN .
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“Before him, there were no Americans who had success abroad at a young age. It's great to see how he has developed at Dortmund and is now even moving to Chelsea and the Premier League.
“I'm taking the same step as him, but it was a lot harder because he was younger and had fewer players to follow. Christian is a role model for many young Americans - including me.”
Adams may be one of the first to reap the rewards of Pulisic’s generation-defining move.
The midfielder, who began his career with New York Red Bulls, earned a transfer to Leipzig in January and has already impressed in his 10 appearances in the division to date.
Like Pulisic, Adams is now being spoken about as an idol for the American youth players of today.
“It's a great feeling to suddenly be a role model for young players,” he said.
“I'm lucky enough to live my dream and work hard every day to improve. Many young players now want to take a similar path and it makes me happy to be able to give back to society in my role model role.
“My younger brother, Dylan, also played in the academy and looked up to me. That's why I wanted to be the best possible role model for him in my youth.”
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Adams knows the influence that heroes can have on shaping the paths of younger players, and admits that getting the opportunity to train with former World Cup winner Thierry Henry was a huge moment in his fledgling career.
“I really admired him at Arsenal and Barcelona, and with his move to New York I wanted to play against him. I wasn’t fortunate enough to play with him, but when I trained with the pros for the first time, he was still part of the team. Playing there with Henry was a great experience.
“I remember suddenly sitting in the changing room with the man who was my idol for years - it was completely crazy!
“Today he is still good friends with Bradley Wright-Philipps and he is occasionally still in New York. After a game last season, he came up to me and told me that I had played very well. It was incredible and I didn’t know how to react. Luckily I asked him for a picture.”
As for now, all thought of playing in New York has gone for Adams, who is looking forward to his first full season with Leipzig and playing under the guidance of new head coach Julian Nagelsmann.
“It's going to be incredibly exciting to be coached by a great coach like him soon,” he admitted.
“Although he is still so young, he has an excellent reputation in Germany. It's extraordinary how he can develop players and what he did in Hoffenheim. He has already watched me and told me that he is looking forward to working with me.
“The variation in playing styles of Hoffenheim was exceptional, because the defence was constantly changed between a three and four-man system. He is a unique coach and it will be great to work with him.
“In the second half of last season we showed that we can keep up with Dortmund and Bayern Munich,” he added on Leipzig's third-placed finish in Bundesliga last term.
“We have a young team that plays at the top level and is hungry to achieve more. Especially with playing in Champions League next year, there will be a great opportunity for us to show what we’re capable of. It will be a great experience for the club as well as for us personally.”
