The teenage Sergio Busquets with best-in-the-world potential who can save the USMNT

Analysis

Tom Weber | Writer

Multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer.

Red Bull New York and the United States men's national team have a gem on their hands in Adri Mehmeti.

After making his senior debut in Leagues Cup last year, the 17-year-old has exploded onto the scene for Michael Bradley's Baby Bulls this season. Despite his youth, Mehmeti has started every single game NYRB have played this term, including in the Open Cup.

Bradley, the Red Bulls' first-year head coach, has trusted the club's most talented youngsters after managing the actual Baby Bulls in MLS Next Pro last year. In addition to Mehmeti, 18-year-olds Julian Hall and Matthew Dos Santos have also seen regular minutes and impressed.

Hall, for a long time regarded as one of US Soccer's biggest talents, has made the headlines, not just because he has been banging in goals but also because he has taken his game to a new level in 2026. He is increasingly becoming the full package rather than just a finisher.

However, the heartbeat of the Red Bulls is Mehmeti, who was just 16 when the season started. The classy midfielder makes the team tick - and there are certainly worse coaches to learn from than 151-cap former USMNT midfielder Bradley.

Mehmeti's is a world-class prospect

The Staten Island-born teenager, who is also eligible to represent Albania, has been one of the standout performers in MLS this season. Calm on the ball and not afraid to get stuck in, Mehmeti is running the Red Bulls' midfield.

Bradley's men have been inconsistent this season, which is understandable given that this is a team in transition and stacked with youth, but Mehmeti has often emerged with credit in the bank, even after disappointing performances.

He plays with a maturity well beyond his years, though this shouldn't be entirely surprising given that he models his game on none other than Barcelona legend and former Inter Miami star Sergio Busquets.

"I watched a lot of Sergio Busquets before he retired," Mehmeti told CNBC in an interview this week. "I think we have similar playstyles, and him being so calm, I try to implement that into my game, whatever he's doing with and without the ball. I try to take all that in, see what he's doing, so I can make my game better."

Ironically, Mehmeti is already performing better than Busquet's replacement at Miami, Rodrigo de Paul. According to futi, a new soccer data and match scores app, De Paul has been fairly disappointing this year (which matches the eye test and explains why Miami are signing Casemiro) and has a season rating of just 47.

This pales in comparison to Mehmeti's score of 60. Like De Paul, he is described as a "central orchestrator." The 17-year-old has a well-rounded profile and is considered very progressive with his play.

He has made 92 progressive passes in his 15 MLS outings this season and recorded two regular assists as well as an additional two secondary assists (which are officially counted as normal assists by the league).

Data from analytics firm SciSports backs up that Mehmeti is a special talent. In fact, he has the potential to become one of the very best midfielders in the world. SciSports calculates this potential by analysing hundreds of in-game data points.

Among midfielders aged 20 or younger who have played 1000 senior minutes within the last year, Mehmeti's potential of 136.3 is only bettered by PSG starlet Warren Zaire-Emery (149.8), who is a two-time Champions League winner.

To put into perspective how highly SciSports rates Mehmeti, his potential is higher - by a solid margin - than Cavan Sullivan's (113.2), even though the 16-year-old Man City-bound attacker is generally regarded as the best prospect in the US talent pool.

The hype is understandable, though. Mehmeti has been one of the best-performing midfielders in MLS this season, according to SciSports. If he keeps on playing at his current level, he is bound to get a major move to Europe.

Fans of the USMNT have every right to be excited about Mehmeti. He might just be the biggest talent the US has produced since Christian Pulisic.