As Tyler Adams stood tucked away from the adoring group of youth soccer gamers, household and buddies that had gathered in Wappinger Falls for a particular ceremony to honor the U.S. Males’s Nationwide Crew captain, he couldn’t assist however smile.
Within the grand scheme of issues, Adams has had so much to smile about as of late, first with the USA’ run within the Gold Cup — which led to a irritating 2-1 loss to Mexico within the last — and now having the soccer area the place he grew up enjoying renamed in his honor.
With the home his grandmother used to stay in steps behind him and the sphere that he informed The Publish this week had “too many memories to tell you” about in entrance of him, it was troublesome to differentiate what he was prouder of within the second.
“This one means an awful lot to me,” mentioned Adams, who has partnered with Scotts garden care merchandise to help youth entry to natural-turf sports activities fields and provides away 5 natural-turf area refurbishments to youth sports activities nonprofit organizations.
“I was a camper there once. Now to see so many young kids there that have a role model and kind of shows that I’m doing the right thing, or continuing to try to do the right thing, is really cool.”
The short cease house was a welcome break after the grueling run the USMNT had throughout the Gold Cup that happened from June 14-July 6, the ultimate aggressive matches the group will play earlier than subsequent yr’s World Cup — which might be hosted, partly, by the USA.
The eye now will solely improve within the lead-up to the World Cup, which is being considered as a monumental second for soccer in the USA.
The U.S. group faces stress to make a run with the match on house turf.
Requested if there was any concern when a number of marquee American gamers didn’t take part within the Gold Cup — star Christian Pulisic created the largest waves opting to take time to relaxation — Adams mentioned he didn’t “feel any single way” about it they usually “made a decision that was best for themselves.”
“We are continuing to build a culture that we want to build, and I think that showed throughout the tournament,” Adams mentioned.
Days after the Gold Cup had wrapped up, Adams seemed again and famous the expansion the group went via throughout the match and the depth it developed heading into 2026.
“When you come away from this tournament, the amount of players that gained experience now going into a World Cup,” Adams mentioned. “There’s so many variables that go into a World Cup, and to give these guys experience now, every single player that represented the national team during that tournament deserves to be. They’ve all played amazing at their clubs. They’ve all grown tremendously.”
Adams famous the thrill he received from seeing so many MLS gamers as a part of the USMNT — certainly one of whom was New York Metropolis FC goaltender Matt Freese, who grew to become a breakout star throughout the Gold Cup. Freese appeared in each match throughout the Gold Cup and made six saves within the loss to Mexico.
“I knew that he would be important to our team, and the way that he stepped up in so many different occasions,” mentioned Adams, who began his skilled soccer profession with the Pink Bulls. “People obviously talk about the penalty shootout and the saves that he had, but just his personality and how he grew into himself throughout the tournament was amazing. You know, he made big saves in the final against Mexico. He’s going to be an important player for us moving forward.”
Adams will return to his membership group — Bournemouth — now that the Gold Cup is over.
The New York native will play regionally later this month when Bournemouth visits MetLife Stadium as a part of the Premier League Summer season Sequence.
The 26-year-old talked about one factor his teammates might want to do to be prepared for 2026 is to place themselves within the “right environment,” noting that some gamers will transfer groups, amongst different potential modifications between now and the World Cup.
“We have guys that were on loan, guys in MLS that want to move to Europe, and vice versa,” he mentioned. “It’s just about finding that balance and understanding if it’s the right move for you to put yourself in the best position for the team next year.”
