Meet the ‘next Freddy Adu’ as wonderkid, 15, makes MLS debut

New York Red Bulls youngster Julian Hall became the second youngest player in MLS history to make his debut on Saturday night during a narrow defeat to Chicago Fire FC. The forward stepped onto the field at the tender age of just 15 years and 190 days old to make a brief, but notable, cameo just 23 days after signing his first-team contract.

The game in question saw New York RB face Chicago in Matchday 35 at the Red Bull Arena. New York were reduced to ten men after Hassan Ndam saw two yellow cards for two rash challenges, with Chicago scoring the opening goal shortly afterward thanks to a Georgios Koutsias header.

In an attempt to salvage a point from the game, Hall was introduced on the 81st-minute mark to raptuous applause from the home fans. Despite failing to get on the scoresheet the club’s second-youngest homegrown signing managed to impress and immediately drew comparisons to former MLS forward Freddy Adu.

Adu still holds the record as the youngest footballer to feature in MLS history, making his D.C. United debut against the San Jose Earthquakes at just 14 years and 306 days old.

Despite making history, Adu struggled to live up to expectations after brief spells across Europe and at Philadelphia Union and Las Vegas Lights. The forward is currently without a club having seen his contract with Swedish club  Österlen FF terminated last year.

Hall will be hoping for a more illustrious career after his debut, and his previous experiences at football’s lower levels is certainly encouraging. The New York-born forward impressed from a young age after joining the New York Red Bulls Academy back in 2020.

Across the last three seasons Hall managed an impressive 28 goals in 39 appearances in MLS NEXT. Recently the youngster scored five goals to help the club on its way to wining a first-ever U-15 MLS NEXT Cup title.

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Hall was rewarded with the MVP award for his efforts which he can also add to his Generation Adidas Cup Golden Boot. The striker scored four goals during the tournament, including a brace against Chelsea U-15’s.

Outside of club football Hall has seen call-ups for both the United States Youth National Team and the Poland Youth National Team. For the US he was instrumental in their 2023 U-15 CONCACAF Championship win. The youngster scored three goals on route to the team’s 4-2 win over Mexico in the Final.

Hall has a contract with the New York Red Bulls which runs until 2026 after signing a three-and-a-half year deal, with an option to extend by a year.

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