If asked to picture a burgeoning talent in the infancy of their professional career, most soccer fans would imagine a scruffy-haired teenage rugrat fresh out of the academy. However, Real Salt Lake’s Emeka Eneli is flipping that stereotype on its head as the Ivy League-educated 25-year-old recently made his USMNT debut following his second season as a professional.

“It was a surreal feeling,” Eneli told SBI Soccer in an interview of the moment he got his first international call-up. “Ever since I was a kid 
I’ve been watching soccer, watching international tournaments like the World Cup, Euros, Gold Cup, things like that, so to be able to have the chance to represent my country, to get the opportunity, and then for them to tell me, I was just super excited.”

After a breakout 2024 MLS season which saw him voted RSL MVP by his teammates as the “Iron Man” in a double pivot alongside Braian Ojeda, Eneli got his first look at the USMNT setup during the 2025 January camp.

“That’s actually a pretty good analogy: first day of school,” Eneli described the novel experience. “Of course, you have some built-up nerves because of the staff and the players that are there, but then there’s so much excitement as well, just because you want to prove yourself. You can’t wait to play in front of the staff and things like that. So first day of school is a really good analogy. “

It seemingly only took 25 minutes in a debut cameo off the bench for Eneli to assimilate to the national team level as he ended January camp with a MOTM-worthy performance in his first start including an assist perfectly emblematic of his skillset instilled at RSL, counter-pressing effectively to win the ball back from an intelligent position before picking his head up to find the best pass. In the 3-0 victory over Costa Rica, he recorded match highs in passes completed (69), duels won (6) and tackles (3) according to Fotmob.

Emeka is a playmaker 🤝 https://t.co/UKqyqXH5hv

— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) January 23, 2025

But nowadays Eneli’s journey to the national team is not typical. Like many others, he played in an MLS academy as a youth and gained further experience in the Elite National Premier League (ENPL) in high school but unlike most others on the national team today, he did not turn pro immediately. His success led him to Cornell University where he earned a biomedical engineering degree while starring for the Big Red on the soccer field. 

Upon graduation, Eneli declared for the 2023 MLS SuperDraft where he was selected 25th overall by RSL, eventually making his professional debut at 23 years old.

In the new age of “Captain America” Christian Pulisic, who left the country at 17 to become America’s biggest soccer star, and 14-year-old Cavan Sullivan, who became the youngest debutant in MLS history, players like Eneli who took the traditional route of American development from youth academies through university are rare, especially to make it all the way to the national team.

In turn, Eneli represents a unique perspective on the American developmental structure, recurring stereotypes and pathways available to male soccer youth in this country as the United States aims to compete on the global stage as hosts of the World Cup in 2026 and beyond.

Crafting American domestic product: A case study

Few doubt that to foster a truly competitive national team on the international stage, a country must have the ability to develop talent on home soil. Yet the pervasive narrative within American soccer remains that players must turn pro and head to Europe as young as possible for peak developmental opportunity with superior coaches. If you have the privilege of a European passport allowing you to move across the pond before your 18th birthday, even better.

However, players like Eneli have challenged that notion by breaking into the USMNT scene from American youth development, whether an MLS academy or otherwise. The Columbus Crew Academy was indeed a stop in Eneli’s youth as was winning an ENPL national title but instead of signing a professional contract directly with an MLS club as many of the well-known USMNT prospects have (often with an eye on a quick move to Europe) he took a more unique route by continuing his development at the collegiate level.

Despite hearing the European narrative along with everyone else, it was the classic American trajectory which Eneli explains gave him the necessary tools to succeed as a professional.

“It’s an interesting thing because people do say that and I think it just varies for different players,” Eneli said of the young European stereotype. “I had my debut when I was 23. A lot of people make it when they’re 18, 19. My first college game was probably when I was 18. 

So it’s like at that time when I was 18, was I ready for the professional game at that point? I can’t say because obviously I wasn’t there but I will say that the path that I took I think built me up very well, physically and mentally, so that when I got to this point to make my debut that I feel like I had a lot of extra tools that I might not have had when I was a younger player.”

There is no surprise that a 23-year-old man will be more physically developed after graduating college than a 19-year-old teenager still learning the campus, especially after spending those years running around on a soccer field. However, the mental benefit of an Ivy League education at Cornell can often go underappreciated in sport.

“I think definitely on the mental side I kind of had that grit and that determination and just that mental focus that as a young player, like an 18, 19-year-old making your debut, you may not have,” he continued. “You definitely have the talent but you might not be there mentally yet, which I think is such a big aspect of the game.”

Of course, Eneli noted, everyone is different and for the young phenoms who are mature beyond their years both physically and mentally, a young start at the professional level may be best, but the collegiate route should not be discounted in the process. Likewise we have often seen young Americans rush a move to Europe only to quickly return when it turns out they were not prepared either physically or mentally.

“A lot really just depends on the person and the environment. 
I can’t say which pathway is a better pathway,” he concluded. “I think it just really depends on you individually as a person if you’re ready at that time or if you’re not ready at that time.”

Crafting American domestic product: The MLS debate

It is an interesting perspective when considered alongside the longstanding debate over MLS players in the national team. One of the biggest criticisms of Mauricio Pochettino’s predecessor, Gregg Berhalter, during his tenure, was a perceived affinity for calling up MLS players from a league in which he previously coached and has since returned.

Unsurprisingly, the trope of superior European development often returns in this line of argumentation with many expecting Pochettino, as a manager who cut his teeth in the top European leagues, to favor those competitions. Still, even those staunch Eurosnobs who advocate for a discriminatory USMNT policy toward MLS players would agree that the long-term improvement and success of the domestic American league is beneficial to the national team.

In the end, calling up 23 of 24 players from MLS in January camp proved that Pochettino came to the rational conclusion, no different than Berhalter. He does not care which league around the world players compete in at club level. He only cares how well you are playing.

“He introduced that to us the first meeting that we had before training,” Eneli recalled. “He basically said, ‘I do not care where you play from. 
It does not matter where you play. I call people into camps and into rosters based on the form. You can be playing in MLS, you can be playing in Mexico, you can be playing in Europe. No matter where you’re playing, as long as you’re playing well for your club team then you have an opportunity to be called into those rosters.’”

Online, this was a true told-you-so moment for the MLS homers clapping back at Eurosnobs. But within a locker room, more importantly, this level of honesty from a manager in your first meeting is also a motivator for players.

“Him starting the camp out like that just gave us, I think all the guys in the camp, some much-needed excitement and hope that no matter where we’re playing at the moment, as long as we’re playing well, that we can have a shot with the national team.
 That was, I think it was a good thing to hear that first day and just propelled into the camp.”

Once again, the developmental motif of crafting the right environment returns front and center.

Crafting American domestic product: Coaching influence

Of course, the individuals sculpting youth environments are the heartbeat of any good developmental system. In America, we call them coaches.

For Eneli, there is no doubt the environment was well structured here on American soil by encouraging coaches. Too often there is a focus solely on the tactical acumen of coaches when the most impactful ones can also be those who leave a lasting impression verbally.

“Something interesting that one of my assistant college coaches said, when I was playing in college, was that he saw me as a professional player a hundred percent,” Eneli said. “He was like, ‘It might not be this year or next year, maybe at the end of your college career, but you’re 100% a professional player.’ And he said, ‘You can’t let other things get in your way of seeing that or viewing that.’

What I mean by that is he was saying that you might see other players that I played with maybe in the academy or something like that signing professional contracts [or] signing homegrown deals. He was like, ‘Don’t let that deter you, thinking that they’re going professional a year or two or three years earlier than you, that you can’t make it because they became professional. It’s not like that. Everyone has their own journey.’”

Hearing this message from his coach was the perfect reminder that just because social media says you need to be playing professionally as a teenager, development is a marathon, not a sprint. It is not about how quickly you can turn pro but how good of a player you can become. Slow and steady wins the race.

“That stuck with me ever since I started playing in college that even though I’ve seen these other players going professional, that it’s fine,” Eneli concluded. “Everyone has their own path. If you believe in your own ability then you’ll be able to make it at some point.”

Sliding in the DM

This well-rounded nature of Eneli’s development is what allowed him to be so successful in beginning his professional career. In his first MLS season, Eneli played a majority of his minutes at right back for RSL while making 21 appearances (13 starts) and being left on the bench nine times. In year two, the uptick was seismic as he made 33 appearances (31 starts) and was given an earned rest on the bench once when he needed it as the team’s most indispensable player.

So what changed? After one last cameo at right back on opening day, Eneli was moved to defensive midfield in a double pivot for the remainder of the 2024 season. It was a stroke of genius from RSL head coach Pablo Mastroeni who trusted that the foundation Eneli built throughout his development would allow him to make a smooth positional transition.

In addition to the many aspects discussed above, Eneli’s intrinsic love of the game led to an inherent soccer self-education.

“Something that also helps me making the shift is I love to watch soccer,” Eneli explained. “I’ve been watching soccer for as long as I can remember, for a very long time, but I just love putting it on [and] watching, whether it’s La Liga, Serie A [or the English] Prem[ier League]. Any type of soccer I just love to watch so I think when you watch it a lot and you kind of see how different teams play, how different players play, how they express themselves on the field. It helps you in a way when you get on the field and play in these different positions because you can understand it a little bit more. I think that’s something that’s definitely helped me very well.”

Earlier this preseason Eneli also identified Darlington Nagbe, Diego Chara, and Héctor Herrera as defensive midfielders within MLS who he enjoys watching. 

For most players, mentally intaking and processing all of that information in film study from multiple leagues worldwide is a learned skill left to coaches, often with the exception of defensive midfielders. Luckily for Eneli, he is aided by that Ivy League education.

“With my education and being relatively smart, I guess you could say at Cornell. I think that also helped me navigate the ways through the professional world and just soak in a lot of information and then use that information to play these two different positions and excel at both.”

Another contributing factor has been Eneli’s club coach. Mastroeni, a longtime MLS player himself, was also a defensive midfielder in his day, giving him extensive knowledge of the position. According to many, defensive midfield is the most intellectually demanding position in any team due to its defensive, organizational nature and centrality on the pitch.

This argument begins to carry more weight upon the realization that many of the best coaches in the world today were defensive midfielders in their playing careers including Pep Guardiola, Diego Simeone and Xabi Alonso. There is a clear connection between success in the position and an intellectual understanding of the game.

As you might expect, playing the same position as your coach has its benefits too.

“Yeah [it helps] 100%,” Eneli agreed. “My first year I played mainly right back but my second year when I started to play pivot a little bit I remember that preseason Pablo was on me almost every single day just about the little things like body shape and body positioning and playing forward and turning and things like that. 

I think him having played the position, he has all these little tricks and things that he’s learned from playing that position for so long that he tries to give me earlier on in my career. Things I think that if I can master or get much better at it will help me become a better player as a six…He was on me in training and it was very hard but I think it’s helped me as a player tremendously.”

Eneli also sees a newfound confidence that comes with the comfortability of no longer being a rookie around town as a cause for the improvement in his second pro season.

“I think the step up I can just attribute to confidence,” he said. “I feel like I knew I was at the level but it being my first year, almost two years ago now, you’re just testing the waters. You’re not 100% sure how things are gonna go. You’re very new to the club. A lot of senior, veteran players around you and you’re just trying to find your footing, your way around the club. 

I think after that first year and coming into that second year I kind of understood things a little bit better, understood our game a little bit better, understood myself much better, had much more confidence in my own abilities and I just let that show and play with a little bit more freedom my second year which allowed me to really express my true ability. I just want to hope that continues throughout my career each year. Just grow on the past one hopefully. Just continuously try to progress in my career.”

The next step: Leadership development

That progress is poised to take another step forward in 2025 as Eneli will take on a larger leadership role within the RSL locker room going forward. Following the departure of former club captain Chicho Arango along with other prominent figures during the offseason, the newly-minted US international confirmed to SBI he will be part of the player’s leadership group in Utah this season.

“It’s something that I’ve tried to say that I want to grow into being more of a leader for the club. It means a lot to me,” he said. “I think I always try and set a very high standard and try and set a really good example wherever I’m at, whatever I’m doing. I think when I can do that it raises the level of people around me, my teammates around me. I’ll be very proud and very excited to just help lead this team in whatever way I can. 

But I always say I think the best teams aren’t teams that just have one or two leaders. It’s where everyone on the team is a leader and everyone on the team holds each other accountable. Hopefully as the season prolongs, us as collective group can find that right balance where everyone is leading each other, everyone’s holding each other accountable and I think that’s how we’ll get the most out of the season.”

In terms of accolades, Eneli is not self-indulged either. Too old for the traditional MLS 22 Under 22 rankings intended to give recognition to up-and-coming stars, his position is rarely honored with awards.

“[In a] six type of position stats aren’t really your biggest friend so I feel like as long as you’re playing consistent minutes and the team’s performing well, then you’re usually performing well,” Eneli pointed out. “Whatever comes along with that comes along with it, whether that is goals, assists, making the all-star team — things that I would greatly like to do — then I would be super, super happy to do that.”

Unsurprisingly based on his unwavering team-first mentality, Eneli remains a candidate for the vacated club captaincy after becoming the youngest to don the armband in RSL history last season. He wore the armband again in their preseason match against St. Louis CITY SC, which the coaching staff will officially hand out soon. Continuing his selfless trend though, earning the distinction is not top of mind for Eneli.

“The captaincy isn’t really that big of a deal to me. That’s one of the things too,” he said. “One of the reasons is some players, if they put it on, they might feel like they have some extra leeway to do other things…I think it doesn’t really change the way that I’m gonna go about anything if I am it. I’m just gonna keep on doing what I do, keep on trying to become the best version of myself and then just pushing others along the way. Nothing major”

Implementing leadership: Setting the tone

It may be nothing major to Eneli but his leadership off the field, on the training pitch, and in-game will be paramount to any success RSL achieve this season. A stellar debut USMNT camp off the back of a breakout season is assuredly the best foundation to build upon as Eneli can now draw on experience in nearly every environment throughout the American soccer food chain to foster a winning culture as a leader at his club.

One of the first steps in doing so, as Eneli has been vocal about throughout preseason, is an eagerness to implement the training intensity that made such an impression on him in January camp back at the club level.

“You can do it from your own individual standpoint. You can do it for selfish reasons,” Eneli gave a step-by-step tutorial. “Say that I want to become a better player or I want to make the next national team roster or I want to get this far in my career. So what I am going to do is I’m going to work the hardest that I can work, be the most intense that I can be, have the most focus that I can whenever I’m doing any type of exercise on the field or in the gym and then it radiates to other people around. It radiates to other people at the club when they’re training. The more people you can have doing that, having that high intensity, having that high focus in every single action that you do, the better the team’s gonna be no matter what.”

From that individual standpoint, Eneli’s main targets for improvement in 2025 are switches of play and getting into the attack more by playing the ball forward. The former is a matter of awareness to pick up his head in time to see the available pass. The latter is more of a tactical tweak which was evident, much to Eneli’s own liking, in the preseason match against St. Louis where he was more involved in ball progression, chance creation and drew a noticeably high number of fouls on the ball. 

He already excels on the ball in retention and press resistance as well as off the ball in positioning, winning duels and counter-pressing. If his improvements in targeted areas even come close to the leaps of last season, Eneli will cement himself as one of the premier midfielders in MLS, if he has not already.

“Then it gets to the point where it’s like, wow, so many players are doing this, I don’t want to be the odd man out not going through the motions when we’re doing a passing drill or a possession drill or something like that,” he finished explaining the process. “I don’t wanna be the odd man out and look out a place so I’m gonna f***ing put in the work, the effort to do this. I think that’s something that if we can achieve that as a club, that’s how you grow the most. That’s how you really, really achieve something and it might be uncomfortable. It might be tough to do it all the time but that’s also how you grow is putting yourself in uncomfortable situations.”

By continuing to put himself in uncomfortable situations throughout his career that may contradict the stereotypical expectation, Eneli has prepared himself to grow at each stage and make the next step up the American soccer ladder with success. He never operated on a schedule others planned, only his own, and it has led him to the national team following just his second season as a professional. As always, the goal of creating the best possible environment for optimal development remains the challenge as Eneli, from that selfish perspective, tests just how far he can take this blossoming career of his.