Bournemouth star says USMNT must understand the stakes and 'can’t be taking a World Cup for granted on home soil'
Adams stresses competitive mindset for every matchUSMNT star calls for return to basics, improved executionRecent losses raise concerns about World Cup readinessAFPWHAT HAPPENED
Following disappointing results in the 2025 CONCACAF Nations League, where the USMNT lost to both Panama and Canada, many critics have questioned the mindset of the players.
Tyler Adams acknowledged the criticism, and the midfielder said that the team's inconsistent mentality and lack of competitiveness need immediate attention.
“For me, more than anything, it’s just the belief,” Adams told Men in Blazers. "We have to believe before we go out on the pitch that you’re able to win, able to compete with any team. I don’t know if the little bit of success that we’ve had – whether it’s Nations League or the opportunity to play in World Cups at a young age – that we’ve taken it for granted. But the mindset needs to shift and it needs to shift quickly. Because with a World cup on the horizon, we can’t be taking a World Cup for granted on home soil.”
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Adams stressed that the team, coached by Mauricio Pochettino, needs to "get back to basics."
“I don’t think it’s a ‘naïve’ mindset, I don’t think it’s 'we’ve had too much too soon’ mindset," he said. "I just think we need to get back to the basics. And the biggest thing for me is just compete at a high level. You know we don’t need to play the most beautiful game of football, it doesn’t need to be Guardiola-esque football. We don’t have the time for that, we have the time to compete.
“I think we need to understand that not everyone gets the opportunity to represent your country so I think in the next camps leading up to the World Cup, people need to represent their country in the best way.”
The Bournemouth midfielder also touched upon comments made by Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey post-Nations League about the lack of passion and pride on display.
“They definitely know the struggle of what we’re dealing with and they’ve definitely all dealt with times in the national team career as well that has been difficult," he said. "But I wouldn’t disagree with anything that they’re saying, and the way that we’ve played and the way that we competed, 100 percent it looks like we don’t care. I mean how do we go out in some of these games and not have the attitude to be ready to compete? We need to show that mindset, show that we care and show the character that we have and who cares about the football anymore? Show that we want to be there and want to compete.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
The USMNT have endured a tough few months especially after many expected them to lift the Nations League especially after they won the previous three editions. However, Pochettino’s side fell short as they lost 1-0 to Panama in the semifinals and then lost 2-1 to Canada in the third-place game.
AFPWHAT’S NEXT?
The USMNT will play Turkey and Switzerland on June 7 and 11 respectively. Following that, Pochettino’s team will compete in the 2025 Gold Cup, which they are co-hosting alongside Canada.
