Kyle Adams came to the States from New Zealand almost a decade ago and since he’s carved out a place in the USL Championship as one of the best defenders in the league. Currently the captain for Louisville City, he sat down with Protagonist Soccer to talk about his path to the States, his perspective on the American sport, and his hopes for Louisville this year.

Protagonist: You had a pretty interesting path from New Zealand to American soccer.

Kyle: The academy I went to when I was 16 was a residential academy that was run by Americans. The owner was a Kiwi, but he brought in American coaches. But the owner’s son had played for Stanford back in the day, so his thought was that the way to get Kiwis in pro environments was to send them to college and get drafted, that sort of way.

So I went to that academy and my mum said she wouldn’t support me if I went straight to Europe professionally, but she would if I tried to get a degree. So I came to San Diego State with the help of my academy. So I went to school to play soccer. It was never my focus or priority, just a way to play soccer.

Protagonist: What do you think of the college vs academy pathway to pro?

Kyle: For me it was great, becauseSan Diego State played in the Pac-12, which was really good in soccer. So I was marking guys who were getting drafted first overall. And I came in at the perfect time because the left center back from the year before had graduated. So when I came in, I was put directly into the starting lineup. I think I missed 20 minutes in three years. I didn’t love the style we played, but I have to give credit to my coach. He made me one hell of a defender. He taught me how to defend at a high level.

[In college] you learn to live on your own, that’s a huge thing. Some of these pros, when you leave home at 17 and never lived away from your parents before, it’s tough. You have to be very good at being bored. But also, those games [in college] are important and you have to find ways to win. You learn to win. There were some players when I first started at RGV that had come from academies where there was no pressure on them to get results and they didn’t know how to close out games. They didn’t know how to fight back in games and make adjustments. I think that’s a big difference with the players I play with now that have been through college versus those that haven’t.

Protagonist: Since coming to the States, do you often travel back to New Zealand?

Kyle: No, my parents moved over to San Diego in 2022 and my brother has been there since 2012, so there’s not much reason to travel back. Last year and the year before, I went back for the national team, but before that I hadn’t been back since 2017.

Protagonist: What’s the biggest difference between the States and New Zealand?

Kyle: I lived in San Diego, which is pretty similar to New Zealand. Moving to Texas was a big adjustment. Obviously a lot of people speak Spanish there and I wasn’t ready for that. They obviously do speak a lot of Spanish in San Diego as well, but it was a little different.

But other than that, everything is bigger, a little farther away. I used to think a 15 minute drive to training was so far away. And now, when I was is San Diego, I was driving 45 minutes to practice every day. I spent an hour and 30 minutes in my car every day. That’s just normal now. But 15 minutes, when I was growing up was just so far.

Protagonist: About the size of the States…

Kyle: Yeah, people do not understand. It’s tough for people coming from different parts of the world to play. They’re playing in different time zones every weekend. Altitude is different all over the place. And the humidity. Normally, in most countries the weather is going to be the same. Here every state is a completely different environment. When you press, you have to pick and choose your moments a little more.

Protagonist: You’ve played for several clubs that no longer exist: RGV, Monarchs, Loyal…

Kyle: Yeah, when RGV went under a friend told me “every club you play on is gone!”

Protagonist: As a player, how do you feel about American clubs coming and going like that?

Kyle: Obviously it’s sad. Especially with Loyal, I had my family there. They were big in the community. When the team found out, it was really, really sad. That’s the American way right now. I hope it changes. I hope everyone wants promotion/relegation, I think it would help the game grow a lot here. But that’s going to take a lot of owners losing a lot of money.

Hopefully, in my football lifetime, the next 5-7 years, even if it’s just in USL, that would be great.

Protagonist: What’s your experience been like since coming to Kentucky?

Kyle: It’s incredible. The community love the team. I go to Trader Joe’s and people recognize me. I walk my dog by the river and people wish me good luck. Restaurant owners take care of me. To be fair, we’re out in the community a lot. We give it them and they give it back to us.

Protagonist: What are your goals for this season in Championship?

Kyle: Well, for the club, we talk about just adding to the legacy and getting a third star. We haven’t lifted a trophy in a while. Obviously the club was very successful early on. The last two years, we’ve made finals but haven’t made it past that final hurdle. That’s a big thing we’ve talking about at the club.

Something I’ve been preaching to the guys, this is the tenth year of the club. In ten years time, when there are other players sitting in this locker room, what are they going to be saying about this year’s team. We can talk about 2015, 16, 17, the guys who built the stadium for us, that built the training field for us, that made the fans come and watch us now, but, in ten years time, what are people going to say about us.

I think we’re excited to make a run in the Open Cup. We’re excited to win it all, honestly: Open Cup, Supporter’s Shield, Championship.

Protagonist: Best local place for a bite or to hang out?

Kyle: Quills Coffee, just down the road. That’s the spot.

Protagonist: The hair is pretty fantastic. Any tips for those that might want to grow out their manes?

Kyle: Honestly, I’m really bad with my hair! I don’t wash it, just put conditioner in it once a week. I wet it every other day. I just scrunch it a bit with my hand and try to keep the curls bouncy.

- Dan Vaughn

Massive thanks to Louisville City for the photos used in this profile.