Red Bull New York midfielder Adri Mehmeti is determined to seize his opportunity to make a strong impression on United States men’s national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino during his second national team camp.
Mehmeti spoke with South Ward Central via phone interview shortly after he was named to the 25-player United States training camp roster on Wednesday ahead of a pair of mid-November Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal matchups against Haiti.
After making his first three appearances for the United States, Mehmeti is hungry for more.
“When you get the first call-up, you always want to get more,” Mehmeti told South Ward Central after Wednesday’s roster announcement.
“This is the second one, so I’m going to go there again, continue to do everything I can to be the best version of myself on the field and keep showing them what I can do, because, of course, I want to get more calls in the future. This is another big opportunity for me, and I’m ready to take everything in.”
Mehmeti Eager to Build on His USMNT Debut
The 17-year-old made his United States senior team debut on September 26 in a 4-1 victory over Peru. He was the fifth-youngest midfielder to make his USMNT debut at 17 years, 173 days old.
“It’s a big achievement for sure,” he stated. “I mean, obviously, the biggest thing for me was getting the call-up and being able to make my debut, but that’s another great achievement but again, I’m trying to do more, so hopefully more to come.”
When the match ended, he searched for his family in the stands at Inter.co Stadium. The Mehmeti clan traveled from Staten Island to Orlando to witness Adri’s national team debut.
“It was a great moment, of course,” Mehmeti recalled. “My family actually came to the game, so for them to come to the game, it made it even more special. To see them after the game, they were really happy, my dad and my mom — a really proud moment for me and my family, of course. I’m looking to do more, for sure.”
Mehmeti Recalls ‘Nervous Excitement’ of His First USMNT Camp
During Wednesday’s interview, Mehmeti admitted that he felt “nervous excitement” during his first camp.
“Yeah, I would say the first camp was more of a nervous excitement,” he explained. “I mean, it’s a nervousness because you want to do good, for sure. Obviously, I was really excited too as well.”
This time around, the 6-foot midfielder is prepared to make his mark in consecutive matches against Haiti, the first of which will take place at Miami’s Nu Stadium on November 14.
“So, when I went into the camp with all the older guys that were in camps before that play in the World Cup, it made it really easy for the young guys to just be themselves and adapt easily,” he said. “Going into this one, again, I’m still really excited. I’m still trying to be the best player I can on that field and do the best I can, try to show what I can do.”
Mehmeti Reflects on Lessons Learned From His First USMNT Camp
During his first camp, USMNT captain Tyler Adams was among the players who provided him with valuable mentorship. Mehmeti is looking to soak up tips in his second camp from Adams as well as Chris Richards, Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie.
“Obviously, I learned a lot of different things because there’s players playing in Europe, and they teach you a lot of things that you don’t know and you can improve on,” Mehmeti said. “So, again, this second camp, also, that I’m going into with a lot of other guys that I haven’t played with yet, it’s going to be another really good experience, and I’m willing to learn off of them as well.
“There’s a lot of experienced players over there — Chris Richards coming into this camp, Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie. It’s going to be really good.”
Mehmeti on Advice From USMNT Veterans: ‘You’ve Earned the Right to Be Here’
The message from Adams and other U.S. national team leaders was simple — Mehmeti had earned this opportunity and should keeping showing his personality on and off the pitch while continuing to do what has already made him successful at club level for the Red Bulls.
“I think the biggest thing is just to be yourself because you’ve earned the right to be here, is what they all said,” Mehmeti recalled of the advice he received. “You’re here because of what you do at your club, so if you can just be yourself, go play your football, and just show your personality, show who you are every single day, on and off the field, the players get to know you more, the coach gets to know you more, and at the end of the day, that helps you be successful. So, that’s the best information they gave me.”
Mehmeti Continues to Make MLS History
Through 31 MLS appearances, Mehmeti has scored one goal and recorded nine assists. He became the second-youngest player in MLS history to record at least 2,500 single-season minutes at 17 years, 210 days old.
Stay tuned later this week for Part 2 of our interview with Adri, where he details his first-year MLS experiences, his development under Red Bull New York head coach Michael Bradley and his club and country journey alongside Julian Hall.
Haiti will host the United States in the first leg at Miami’s Nu Stadium on November 14. Kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Three days later, the United States will host the second leg of the series at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. Eastern Time.
The matches will be broadcast on TBS, TruTV, Universo, HBO Max and Peacock. Westwood One and Fútbol de Primera will provide radio coverage.
If you enjoyed this story, please consider supporting independent, local soccer journalism by buying me a coffee.
Contributions made through Buy Me a Coffee help support the time, travel and resources that go into bringing you on-the-ground coverage, reporting and original stories — without paywalls.
More Red Bull New York Coverage
Enjoyed this story? Follow us for the latest updates! | Bluesky | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Leave a Reply