Alex Muyl is still Backed By Messi

The "Backed By Messi" campaign sees Adidas tag 10 young players as worth watching, with the promise they have been identified as talents on the rise by the legendary Leo himself. It's mostly a ploy to sell soccer footwear, and that's just fine. Do what you need to do, Adidas.

This year's Backed By Messi crop

includes the New York Red Bulls' Alex Muyl. In Episode 3 of the campaign's YouTube series, the players speak on the subject of "Achieving Your Dreams".

Muyl pops up at the 2:03 mark, attributing his success to date to his drive: "the fact that I wanted it a lot."

There are also words from Vancouver Whitecaps' Kekuta Manneh.

Muyl and Manneh can be expected to feature in the forthcoming CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal that pits RBNY against the Whitecaps. The first leg is at Red Bull Arena on February 22, and tickets for that game are expected to be on sale from Wednesday, January 11 (Tuesday, January 10 for RBNY season ticket holders).