Three takeaways from the USMNT's Nations League victory over Mexico

It all bodes well for American soccer in advance of its moment in the spotlight: the U. S. will host the Copa America, South America's continental championship, this summer before co-hosting the World Cup in 2026. With guaranteed spots in both tournaments and guaranteed matches against high-quality global opponents, the USMNT will have plenty to prove in the coming years.

This Nations League tournament gave us a glimpse of what the USMNT's future could look like. Here are three key takeaways from the team's performances:

Tyler Adams means everything to this group of players

Coach Gregg Berhalter chose Tyler Adams, then just 23 years old, as the USMNT's World Cup captain for a reason: he's a reassuring presence both on the ball and in the locker room. Adams is a reliable, unfussy defensive midfielder capable of setting a game's pace and dictating its play channels, and his intelligence is off the charts. 

He missed more than a year of play to a gruesome ACL injury, but his return in this Nations League final marked a big shift in the USMNT's fortunes. Without Adams, the team looked confused and disjointed; with him, it looked lethal. He's a special player and his presence elevates the whole team.

Adams isn't quite back to full fitness. Berhalter took him off at halftime in the final to slow-roll his re-entry into competitive soccer. If his recovery continues at pace, he'll be an eye-catching threat in the Copa America this summer.

A happy Gio Reyna is worth every sacrifice 

There's no American player out there quite like Gio Reyna: at his best, he's creative, tricky and nigh unplayable, but at his worst, he's petulant and exhausting. We saw the bad Reyna at the 2022 World Cup, where his lackluster work ethic led to Berhalter benching him for crucial games. But we saw the good Reyna in this Nations League tournament. ... And the good Reyna was good enough to make up for the bad one altogether.

Reyna's goal in the second half shows why he's valuable to the USMNT. While other American attackers are direct and formulaic in their approach, Reyna is unpredictable and often impossible to defend against. He positioned himself perfectly inside Mexico's penalty box to take advantage of a defensive error. No other player had the foresight to see it coming.

This team hinges on its fullbacks and defensive midfielders

Cast your mind back to the USMNT's turgid semifinal against Jamaica last Thursday: the team looked slow, sloppy and confused throughout the opening 90 minutes. USMNT got to extra time on the back of a lucky Jamaica own goal in the dying seconds of the game. 

It looked like a completely different team than the one that dismantled Mexico a few days later. What changed?

We mentioned Adams up top, and his inclusion in the final was important: he served as a conductor from his position in midfield and orchestrated the USMNT's passing. But Sergiño Dest, the oft-maligned Dutch-born fullback, was another key swap. He missed the Jamaica game due to a red-card suspension and his replacement (Borussia Mönchengladbach's Joe Scally) made the error that preceded Jamaica's goal.

The USMNT will face Colombia and Brazil in friendly matches in June before opening its Copa America account against Bolivia on June 23.