The return of Tyler Adams to the U.S. men’s national team midfield corps is majorly important however the veteran midfielder isn’t just going to slide right into his former starting role.
Adams looks back to his best for English Premier League side Bournemouth, helping the Cherries to a current ninth place spot. The 26-year-old overcame a frustrating first half of the season by making a total of 18 appearances to date (1,167 minutes of playing time).
Most importantly, Adams is starting matches consistently in Andoni Iraola’s squad, being a defensive leader and showing his versatility and range on numerous occasions.
While Pochettino admitted that Adams’ USMNT return is great for the program, he also praised the competition that Adams will compete against for minutes.
“He is a very good player, but of course he needs to prove that he’s better than the others,” Pochettino told media Tuesday following his CONCACAF Nations League roster release. “It is a good competition in the midfield.
“We are going to have [Tanner] Tessmann and Johnny Cardoso, [Yunus] Musah, Weston McKennie that can play in that position,” Pochettino added. “We have very good competition and it is good opportunity for us to feel him, to see him and it is great to have him again.”
Whether it is in the starting lineup or off of the bench, the USMNT will greatly benefit from having an in-form Adams back and available for competitive action. First though, Adams will need to avoid any potential issues in final domestic matches against Brentford and Manchester City in England.
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