Tyler Adams youth soccer push puts a new mini-pitch in Georgia
The USMNT midfielder joined Allstate and the U.S. Soccer Foundation to open a mini-pitch in South Fulton after the 2026 World Cup.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Tyler Adams youth soccer work has moved from talk to turf, with the USMNT midfielder helping unveil a new mini-pitch at Sandtown Park in South Fulton, Georgia, through a partnership with Allstate and the U.S. Soccer Foundation, CBS Sports reported.
The project is aimed at making soccer easier to reach for children who may not have a nearby place to play. Adams, who plays for Bournemouth in England, has tied the effort to the surge of attention around the 2026 World Cup in the United States.
According to CBS Sports, Adams said he, Allstate and the U.S. Soccer Foundation have been working on the effort for three years, with mini-pitches planned around the idea that the World Cup would make more kids want to try the sport.
A mini-pitch is a small soccer field designed for tight-sided games, often placed in parks or community spaces. The point is straightforward: give kids a safe, visible place to kick a ball without needing a full-size field or a long drive.
Why is Tyler Adams focused on youth soccer access?
Adams has made access a personal issue because his own path required help that many families cannot provide. CBS Sports reported that Adams credits his parents for driving him more than an hour so he could play with stronger teams while he was coming through the New York Red Bulls system.
That experience shaped his view of what is missing in many American communities. Soccer can be cheap to start, since a ball and a space are enough, but the space is often the hard part.
Adams told CBS Sports that the United States has challenges Europe does not face in the same way, including the country’s size, the search for competitive soccer, travel to facilities and infrastructure. He compared Europe’s abundance of soccer fields to the way basketball courts are common in the U.S.
The wider point is bigger than one park in Georgia. In many soccer-heavy countries, kids can find places to play in neighborhoods, on concrete, on grass, in pickup games and in small spaces. Adams wants more American kids to have that same easy first step.
How does the World Cup fit into the project?
The 2026 World Cup ended with the United States men’s national team out in the round of 16, but CBS Sports reported that the tournament still left a mark on Adams and the team because of the home support around them.
Adams was not born when the U.S. hosted the 1994 World Cup. This time, he experienced fans waiting outside hotels and heard crowds singing “Country Roads” in Seattle, according to CBS Sports.
That kind of attention can fade if there is nowhere for new fans to play. The mini-pitch push is meant to catch the moment while kids are watching, copying goals and looking for a place to join in.
Adams also offered advice for young players trying to break into the sport. He told CBS Sports that belief matters, but so does staying patient and focusing on their own path instead of measuring themselves against someone else’s timetable.
One mini-pitch will not solve U.S. soccer’s access problem by itself. The South Fulton opening is one piece of a longer effort by Adams, Allstate and the U.S. Soccer Foundation to put more places to play in front of the next wave.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS Sports.