Phenoms

The recent big-money sales of players like Matt Miazga, Alphonso Davies and Miguel Almiron are no flash in the pan for Major League Soccer — this is now the trend rather than the exception. With the league’s top academies now producing talent fit for first-team minutes — as well as the shift toward buying young foreign talent with an eye toward developing and selling them on for a larger fee — expect to see MLS clubs make even more noise in the transfer market over the coming years.

Watching 19-year-old American Tyler Adams make his debut for RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga, it was easy to understand why former New York Red Bulls midfield partner Dax McCarty referred to him as “the Terminator.” Leipzig raced out to a 3-0 lead as early as the 16th minute with a combination of fearlessness, speed and physicality — words that perfectly summed up Adams’ display in the midfield over that period.

Chris Richards, an 18-year-old American center back, is officially a Bayern Munich player. 

The FC Dallas Homegrown Player joined the German giant on loan in July. On Thursday, his move was completed as the Alabama native signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with Bayern. According to reports, FC Dallas will be paid $1.5 million for Richards. 

Last week, the South American U-20 Championship kicked off in Chile, with the top four finishers earning qualification to this summer’s U-20 World Cup in Poland.

Schalke defeated Wolfsburg 2-1 in Bundesliga action on Sunday in a match replete with Americans. 25-year-old USMNT defender John Brooks anchored Wolfsburg, and promising 20-year-old attacker Haji Wright made a late substitute appearance for Schalke. However, it was 20-year-old Weston McKennie who made the difference for the home side at Veltins-Arena.

18-year-old Mexican phenom Diego Lainez made his debut with Real Betis on Sunday following his transfer from Club América. Lainez entered the fray in the 81st minute with Betis and Girona knotted at 2-2 at the Estadio Benito Villamarín in LaLiga play.

Lainez’s introduction made him the third-youngest Mexican debutant in Europe, and his positive play on both wings during the brief cameo certainly isn’t going to slow the hype surrounding him.  

Granted this isn’t much, but there’s nothing else we can do until the Bundesliga returns from its winter break on Friday, Jan. 18, so these friendly matches will have to tide us over.

We can’t wait to see how Josh Sargent carries on with Werder Bremen after scoring two goals in his first three appearances, as well as how Christian Pulisic fares for Borussia Dortmund during his final four months at the club, but we’re equally as excited for the debuts of Canadian international Alphonso Davies at Bayern Munich and USMNT midfielder Tyler Adams at RB Leipzig. 

The Diego Lainez transfer is complete. And he’s headed to Spain.

The exciting 18-year-old winger made the move from Club América to Real Betis on Thursday. The LaLiga club will pay América a reported $16 million for Lainez’s services.

Real Madrid doesn’t like losing players for cheap. Because of the club’s massive history in world football and its financial muscle, the players Los Blancos bring in are meant to be world-class. Apart from Real's huge wage bill and transfer budget, the amazing part of player contracts at the club are the release clauses, and young players like Brahim Diaz are no exception.