Explained: Why ‘fully fit’ Tyler Adams is so important to USMNT even if Christian Pulisic keeps captain’s armband at Copa America

The 25-year-old midfielder captained his country at the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar. He has endured a wretched run on the injury front since then, with long-standing hamstring problems forcing him to undergo surgery.

Adams’ game time since leaving Leeds for Bournemouth has been impacted as a result, with only three Premier League appearances taken in during the 2023-24 campaign, but he did play an important role in another CONCACAF Nations League win for the U.S.

He is back in Gregg Berhalter’s plans for the 2024 Copa America, with Dike – who is sidelined with an Achilles injury suffered at West Brom – telling the Men In Blazers podcast of why Adams is key for the United States: “Playing with Tyler makes you realise how much of a leader he is. He is one of the most vocal people on the pitch – and it’s not just how he talks, it’s what he does. He is always going to be running, always going to have your back, always going to be tackling, fighting for every ball. He leads by example. One of the things he shows is when he gets the ball, calm, play and do his thing – playing out from the back, always wanting the ball, always willing to help and help the team. That’s something that is very important to have. Him coming back fit, fully fit, is something that is going to be so important to the squad. He’s a leader and somebody that everybody in the squad looks up to. You don’t have to be Tim Ream’s age or one of the older guys to lead that way – he leads in his own way and that’s very important.”

AC Milan star Pulisic has been skippering the USMNT in their pre-Copa warm-up games, but Adams will come back into contention for a leadership role. Berhalter is, however, looking for everybody to step up and prove their worth as an exciting squad continues down a path towards the 2026 World Cup.