Tyler Adams says USMNT not concerned with 'outside noise' from former players

Tyler Adams says the U.S. soccer team has tuned out criticism from former players.
Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey, who share the American goals record with 57 each, are among those who have been critical of current regulars not in the struggling roster preparing for the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
"We don't talk about that internally as a group," Adams said Wednesday during a Zoom interview with The Associated Press. "The noise on the outside is the noise on the outside. I think we need to focus on what we need to do as a group and continue to build."
[RELATED: Landon Donovan, Christian Pulisic, and the drama over USMNT stars not playing]
Star Christian Pulisic is skipping the June camp and Gold Cup to rest after playing about 120 games for club and country over two seasons.
"Whether it was Gold Cup, whether it was Copa (America), whether it was Confederations Cup, whether it was the World Cup, I wasn't going to miss competitions," Dempsey said last week on the "Men in Blazers" podcast. "For me, I don't understand it because that wasn't my mentality. I always wanted to play in those games."
Watching Portugal celebrate its win over Spain in Sunday's European Nations League final, Donovan said on the Fox postgame show: "I can't help but think about our guys on vacation not wanting to play in Gold Cup."
Pulisic has not spoken publicly of his decision.
The U.S. has lost four straight games, its longest skid since 2007, following a 4-0 rout Tuesday night by Switzerland.
"This is part of the process," Adams said. "You're going to win games. You're going to lose games. It's about continuing to build that. I think we're on the right path. We have to continue to build and try the things that we've been training. It'll take a little bit of time, but it will come together."
Adams didn't dress for the Switzerland friendly but is confident he will be ready for the Gold Cup, where the Americans open Sunday against Trinidad and Tobago.
"A little turf toe-type injury. More of an overuse thing probably than anything — overload. It was something that I picked up when I came into camp," Adams said. "Progressing well right now, but just trying to be smart and manage it."
Adams, who captained the U.S. at the 2022 World Cup, funded a pair of mini-pitches at Pulaski Park in Poughkeepsie, New York, near his home in Wappinger. He spoke on the Zoom about his work with Allstate, the U.S. Soccer Foundation and Black Star Soccer to construct fields about the size of basketball courts at the Fisher Magnet Upper Academy in Detroit and The Bell Avenue School in Yeadon, Pennsylvania.
"Before the World Cup hopefully we plan to do one more with a city unnamed yet," Adams said. "It's something that I think has real impact, continues to grow the sport, serves underserved communities."
[RELATED: Projecting the USMNT's World Cup squad: Luna over Reyna? Turner starts at GK?]
Now 26, Adams is feeling back to his old self. He had back surgery last July with Dr. Robert Watkins and returned to the field with England's Bournemouth on Oct. 26. Adams played in 28 Premier League matches this season after being limited to three in 2023-24 because of leg injuries.
"It's definitely enjoyable when you're healthy," he said. "The 16-to-18 months that it was just on and off inconsistency is something I never had in my career and never had to battle. And then when it hits you and you go through that, you just learn different ways to navigate things, enjoy life, just not take things for granted, all the little things."
Since Mauricio Pochettino took over as U.S. coach last fall, players have had more autonomy to break away from rigid positioning employed by his predecessor, Gregg Berhalter.
"From a positional standpoint, obviously we had probably a little bit of a different structure under Gregg," Adams said. "Maurizio gives the players freedom to find spots they're comfortable in and see how they can affect the game in different ways. I think our attacking players definitely have freedom to try and find the ball and create things in the right areas of the field. So, yeah, I think he gives everyone freedom, but there's still structure to the way that we want to play."
Adams will be with the U.S. team in Austin, Texas, next Wednesday, and following intently when the Premier League releases its 2025-26 schedule at 3 a.m. CDT. He feels improved because of his time with Leeds in 2022-23 and Bournemouth the past two seasons.
"After you play in the Premier League, every game feels slow,'" he said. "No matter what game I play in now the game feels slow. You look at your schedule when the season comes out and you have to play in a row Arsenal, Tottenham, Man City, Liverpool, Manchester United, all these big games back to back to back you just learn how to make decisions quicker and if you don't, you get punished."
Reporting by The Associated Press.
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account , and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
recommended
Get more from United States Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

USA Today

28 minutes ago

• USA Today

Could the Nets be the preferred destination for Rutgers' Ace Bailey?

The Brooklyn Nets head into the 2025 NBA Draft with the eighth overall pick and they could be missing out on the cream of the crop in the class. However, Brooklyn may be able to take advantage of the fact that some talented player slides in almost every draft and one such players may be indicating his preferred landing spot. "One league executive believes that Bailey, once a consensus top-three pick, probably will drop in the draft because of his agency's tactics," Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported recently when talking about Rutgers forward Ace Bailey. What makes this news interesting is that Pompey also reported that the Nets are one of the teams that would be interested in trading up for Bailey if he falls. "Bailey remains the only American-based draft prospect to not visit any teams for a workout," Pompey continued. "Another league executive believes that the agency wants Bailey to remain on the East Coast and play somewhere between Atlanta and New York." With the news that Brooklyn is one of the teams that would be interested in Bailey already known, it seems that Bailey trying to remain on the east coast could be something to monitor. Pompey also wrote that "sources say the Washington Wizards (who will select sixth), New Orleans Pelicans (seventh), and Brooklyn Nets (eighth) are interested in moving up to take him." With the assumption that Bailey prefers to play on the east coast, that still means that the Wizards could have the insane track on him, especially since they have the sixth overall pick. Despite all of the reporting on Bailey in the past few days, there isn't any indication on how many teams Bailey would be okay playing for so playing for Washington is on the table. Prior to the beginning of the 2024-25 season, Bailey was perceived as being the consensus second-best player in the class until his teammate, Dylan Harper, showed more of what he could do while playing alongside Bailey. Assuming that Bailey still has the talent that once made people wonder if he was the best player in the class, Brooklyn may be able to benefit from Bailey's projected drop.

Yahoo

37 minutes ago

• Yahoo

🎥 OTD: The most famous free-kick in World Cup history? 🇧🇷

🎥 OTD: The most famous free-kick in World Cup history? 🇧🇷 Ronaldo might have been the undisputed star of the 2002 World Cup-winning Brazil side, but Ronaldinho scored the goal best remembered on this day 23 years ago. La Seleção came into the tournament in iffy form, and with so many questions around the fitness of the injury-riddled R9, but both team and striker kicked into gear from the outset. Advertisement They faced their first true task at the quarter-final stage, taking on England. Michael Owen gave the Three Lions the lead before Rivaldo equalised right before half-time. That set the stage for the third of three Rs to make his mark on the competition in spectacular style. Did he mean it? Who knows. The future Barcelona superstar, then at PSG, would be sent off eight minutes later, but it mattered little as Brazil progressed, leaving David Seaman in tears. Is this the most famous World Cup free-kick? Let us know in the comments! 📸 Tim de Waele

Newsweek

3 hours ago

• Newsweek

Shane Van Gisbergen Takes Jab at Red Bull Over Liam Lawson Demotion

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. NASCAR driver Shane van Gisbergen made a joke about Red Bull Racing's brutal driver handlings. Gisbergen got his maiden win in Mexico over the past weekend after struggling in his first full-time NASCAR Cup Series season. He only made the top ten once in the first 15 races. He struggled to adapt to the ovals that feature so prominently in the American racing series. Shane Van Gisbergen, driver of the #88 Safety Culture Chevrolet, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on June 15, 2025 in Mexico City, Mexico. Shane Van Gisbergen, driver of the #88 Safety Culture Chevrolet, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on June 15, 2025 in Mexico City, Mexico. Photo byGisbergen - a New Zealander sponsored by Red Bull - started in pole position in the Mexico City Cup Series race. His win was anything but smooth; he battled shifting conditions due to the inconsistent rain and a never-ending series of caution flags. Despite all of the challenges, Gisbergen managed to pull off the win, staying calm, cool, and collected throughout the race. After his landmark win, he thanked Trackhouse Racing for their continued support of him despite his struggles. He made a cheeky remark about the support he received during his downturn in form, comparing it to what Red Bull offered fellow New Zealander Liam Lawson. "I'm glad I didn't drive for Red Bull F1 after how the first few rounds went," van Gisbergen joked after the race. "[Team boss] Justin [Marks] has been amazing, supporting me and just giving me all the time I need and not putting pressure on [me]. It's been really cool." Red Bull's F1 team decided to axe Lawson after only two races, a drastic decision that followed a series of underwhelming results. When Lawson made an Instagram post back in March about his removal from Red Bull, van Gisbergen left a message under the post saying, "Prove em Wrong!" The 36-year-old New Zealander mentored his fellow countryman and backed Lawson through different racing series. While trying to make it in America, van Gisbergen still monitored Lawson's progress. "The way he's gotten to F1 has been a little difficult the last couple of years. But seeing him get this opportunity full-time now, I'm just stoked and so proud," he said back in December. "You've got to be versatile, which is something I've always tried to do by driving a bunch of different cars. It helps you when it comes to something new in the setup, something technical, or even with the weather changing. You've got to be able to adapt straight away. "Liam's been exceptional at that. Even when F1 wasn't working out, he did DTM and other racing that I think has really helped him."