Rumor: Tyler Adams being scouted by Swiss Super League's BSC Young Boys

The New York Red Bulls run a tight ship these days. Little word of the club's transfer market plans seems to leak out unless it suits RBNY, or it's a deal nearly done (for example, Kristian Dyer unearthed news of positive progress in the negotiations between Aurelien Collin and the Red Bulls the day before the successful agreement on a new contract for the player was officially announced by the team). And RBNY doesn't feature in the rumor mill's (often) fanciful speculations with the frequency of year's past. It seems the global soccer community has finally figured out that the Red Bulls of New York don't throw money at big any names the way they used to, and what was once a regular flow of (very often) baseless gossip has slowed to a trickle.

So RBNY's rumor mill grinds at a snail's pace these days, which likely makes RBNYsporting director Ali Curtis's job a little easier (since, very occasionally, rumor-mongering can collide with actual negotiations and have an impact) and definitely makes the off-season appear a little quieter to fans.

Nonetheless, there are still tidbits of gossip that find their way out into public view. One such tidbit: the Twitter handle @MLSTransfers has been informed that Tyler Adams (aka "AmeriKante") is being monitored by Swiss Super League giants BSC Young Boys.

Source: Swiss club Young Boys monitoring RBNY's Tyler Adams. Coach Adi Hutter is ex-RB Salzburg club coach,Alain Rochat exMLS player at club

— MLS Transfers (@MLSTransfers) January 4, 2017

The key word is "monitoring". Per MLS Transfers' information, the Young Boys head coach Adi Hutter - who as mentioned served as head coach of Red Bull Salzburg in Austria and earned Austrian Football Bundesliga and Austrian Cup title honors in his lone season with the team in the 2014-15 season - was alerted by friends in the RB Salzburg youth set-up that Adams is a player worth looking out at. The word is Hutter has not seen Adams himself, but that the 17-year-old midfielder is on his watch-list for 2017.

Adams has previously trained in Europe with Red Bull affiliate clubs - last year, in point of fact. After helping NYRB II to the 2016 USL Championship, he indicated that he intended to train in Europe again before the 2017 season begins.

So it adds up: a coach with knowledge and proven ability in managing the Red Bulls' RalfBall style gets a heads up from friends at his former (RB) club about an emerging talent, and that coach decides he'll keep an eye on that talent. It is merely a rumor, of course, and if there is truth to it, there's no suggestion Young Boys are about to swoop in for RBNY's young talent.

Adams might be attracting several more scouts in 2017. He's entering his third season as a pro, and to date his progress has been steady. In 2015, at the age of 16, Adams turned pro out of the RBNY Academy with the club's USL side, NYRB II. He made 12 appearances in his rookie year, scored a goal against Chelsea, and was signed to a first-team contract for 2016.

Last season, he spent the bulk of his time on loan to NYRB II, playing an important part in the team's record-setting run to the USL regular season and Cup titles. He also earned his MLS playing debut with a start against San Jose Earthquakes on April 13. And he got regular minutes in the CONCACAF Champions League, winning three starts for the first team in four group stage matches.

More recently, he has worked his way onto the U-20 USMNT side (making him the third-youngest on the current roster). If he sticks with the national team's U-20 roster, he might make appearances at the forthcoming U-20 World Cup. Strong performances on a global stage and the fact he turns 18 in 2017 could combine to make Adams an attractive transfer target.

The significance of the rumor of interest from Young Boys is most likely that it is the first of what could be many Adams-on-the-radar stories this year.