Chase Adams returned to Naperville Central three days before Thanksgiving, but he wasn’t there to attend classes.

Chase Adams, a 17-year-old who would be a senior this year, plays professionally for the Columbus Crew 2 in MLS Next Pro. He tries to make it back to campus as often as possible and was in town after playing forward for the U.S. team in the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Doha, Qatar.

“I’m not going to be able to make prom, sadly, but I was able to make homecoming (for the dance) and be able to be back and experience at least somewhat of a senior life,” he said. “Obviously, it’s different because I’m traveling over to Doha in the middle of it.

“But I try to maintain friends and have that life of a senior as much as I can, try to make friends and talk to people and just enjoy my life that I get when I’m here.”

Chase Adams is living the life many boys dream about but few realize. As a freshman, he teamed with his older brother, Carter, to lead the Redhawks to their first state championship. Two months later, he moved to Columbus, Ohio, and joined the Crew’s academy. He signed a professional contract in 2024.

Naperville Central senior Eli Jarrell, a former classmate and teammate, remains Chase Adams’ friend. The Redhawks, who lost to eventual Class 3A state champion Naperville North in the sectional final this past season, miss Chase Adams but understand why he left.

“I know he loves Central soccer very much,” Jarrell said. “We keep in touch. He comes back to Naperville. He said he kind of wishes he was out here, but obviously he’s off to bigger and better things, as we all know.”

Chase Adams played in two games at the U-17 World Cup. The U.S. went 3-0 in group play but lost 2-1 to Morocco on penalty kicks in the round of 32 on Nov. 14.

He missed the opener against Burkina Faso with a minor injury, but he started and played 80 minutes against Tajikistan. He entered the game against Morocco as a substitute in the 84th minute and converted a penalty kick in the shootout.

“I thought I played OK in the Tajikistan game,” Chase Adams said. “It took me a little bit to get into the game because it was my first game in a while. But I worked well, got a few chances. Goalkeeper made a few good saves.

“And then the Morocco game, I thought I made an impact with the penalty and kept my team in it, so that was good.”

He was impressed with the way the tournament was run.

“The environment was really sick,” Chase Adams said. “It was a professional setup. We had our own locker rooms. It was probably some of the best fields I’ve played on.”

The off-the-field experience was just as meaningful for him.

“I really enjoyed the time I got to spend with my teammates, and I became really close with a lot of them, so that was really nice,” Chase Adams said. “The soccer was amazing. That’s kind of what I expected it to be. But the ability to have so much time to spend with my teammates and actually become really good friends with them is what made it such a unique and nice experience.”

Naperville Central’s Chase Adams (10) celebrates after scoring a goal against Hinsdale Central during the Class 3A East Aurora Supersectional on Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022. (Mike Mantucca / Naperville Sun)

Making it even better for Chase Adams was having Carter, a sophomore midfielder at John Carroll, and his parents, Troy and Jen, in attendance for the first three games.

Troy Adams, who coached both of his sons at Naperville Central, was thrilled, shaking off the jet lag caused by a 15-hour flight and the nine-hour time difference to soak in the atmosphere.

“You talk about a heartfelt moment to see something that to be honest you don’t even think about at all when you’re watching your kid play at age 6, 7, 8,” Troy Adams said. “Realistically, you’re just hoping they enjoy the game, they can make some friends.

“To see him warming up before the first game really was a special moment for myself, my wife and Carter, to see somebody that you care about so much has accomplished at least one of their goals.”

This was the second foreign trip Troy and Jen Adams have made to watch Chase play for the national team. They also went to Costa Rica in February for the U-17 World Cup qualifying tournament, where Chase Adams was the top scorer with 11 goals and scored the game-winner against Cuba.

“We’ve said with these different experiences Chase has had, every time could be the last time,” Troy Adams said. “Maybe he goes to the U-20, maybe he goes to the Olympics, maybe he plays for the senior team, but there’s no guarantee of that.”

Which is why Chase Adams was not satisfied with the U.S. team’s showing in Qatar.

“We expected to go to the semifinals, and our goal was to make it to the final,” he said. “I think we had the talent to make it that far and have that much success.

“Obviously, any time being there, you have to be grateful. But we all knew we could have done better. It hurts a lot.”

That disappointment will only fuel Chase Adams’ fire. He will return to Columbus on Jan. 4 to begin training for the 2026 season.

“Sometimes we see the athletes get where they are, and we don’t see the whole story of all the times that things went wrong,” Troy Adams said. “That’s what we’re most proud of as parents, to see how Chase has dealt with different adversity points.

“Sometimes it’s soccer. Sometimes it’s school. Sometimes it’s life. He’s really done a great job of working through them and kind of persevering.”

Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/05/mls-next-pro-naperville-chase-adams-world-cup/