USMNT's Tyler Adams is back to his precocious best

Adams may not have fit the traditional mold of a World Cup captain, but his leadership skills and work ethic were clearly unparalleled in the USMNT squad. He was selected by a council of his fellow players, beating out the likes of Tim Ream and Christian Pulisic.

“We think he has great leadership capabilities,” said USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter of Adams. “He leads by his actions and his words.”

Adams delivered upon his elected role in his four games at the World Cup. He excelled on the field, holding down the USMNT midfield from his position at the base of a three-man triangle, but he excelled off it, too. 

In a tense news conference in advance of the USMNT’s decisive group stage match against Iran, Adams fielded a difficult question — about how he and his team could support the Iranian people, as they claimed to do, while mispronouncing key Iranian words and representing a country rife with discrimination — with humility and grace. 

“My apologies on the mispronunciation of your country,” he said. “One thing I’ve learned is that in the US we’re continuing to make progress every single day — like you just educated me now, on the pronunciation of your country. It’s a process.”

When the USMNT beat Iran the following day to eliminate them from the World Cup, Adams made headlines for his humility again — this time for encouraging his teammates to abandon their celebrations and comfort their fallen opponents, man to man.

It was a bravura performance from an incredibly young player, and one that set Adams apart as one of the USMNT’s brightest young stars. But concurrent injury problems removed him from USMNT contention and kept him off the field for huge swaths of the next two years.

When Adams would return, as he did against Mexico last summer in the Nations League, he showed flashes of brilliance.

But the question always remained: would he stay fit and regain the potential he showed in 2022?

Halfway through the 2024-25 Premier League season, we finally have our answer, and it’s an unequivocal yes.

Adams returned to regular play with Bournemouth this October and looked every inch the young captain he once was. He notched one assist last weekend against Newcastle and two this weekend against Nottingham Forest, making him the first American player in history to set up three goals in two successive Premier League games. He’s running the show in Bournemouth’s midfield.

For the USMNT, this is fabulous news — the team struggled to maintain possession and prevent quick opposition breaks without him.

The 2026 World Cup looms on the horizon. Everything about the USMNT looks different than it did in 2022. But in an era of change, might an Adams captaincy be the best thing leave alone?

He’s certainly making his case for it in the Premier League. We’ll find out if USMNT coach Pochettino agrees when the USMNT regroups for Nations League play in March.