Fresh off their side’s 2-0 victory over the Seattle Sounders on Wednesday, New York Red Bulls players Tyler Adams and Luis Robles were talking about another big victory, that of the United 2026 bid earlier in the day.
“With the time change, I was up at 6:30, so I was well awake for that,” said Adams, only a few days removed from getting a 1-1 draw in France with the U.S. Men’s National Team. Once the vote was complete, Adams could not hide his joy.
“It’s really, really exciting to have the World Cup come to your home country because you could have friends and family wherever the event may be,” Adams said.
As someone who is expected to be part of the USMNT for the several World Cup cycles, Adams is well aware of the opportunity that comes for him individually with a World Cup in the United States. “[I’m] hoping to be a core guy for that World Cup,” the 19-year-old said, “so I’m continuing to establish myself now and gain experience like those France games will help me be ready by that time.”
For Adams’ club captain Robles, thinking about 2026 brought back fond memories of 1994. He remembered the U.S.’ run to the quarterfinals, saying, “I saw Tony Meola and his long hair, Alexi Lalas and his fiery hair, all of those characters that made up the 1994 team that advanced against Colombia.”
In addition to making memories with his son, Robles is also looking forward to the future for U.S. Soccer in general, . “I’m excited for U.S. Soccer, and I think that really gives us a lot of incentive to really sort out what’s going on with the U.S. national team.”
Additionally, he is excited for players like Adams who will work for the next eight years with that World Cup in mind. “I’m really excited for the youth of America,” Robles said. “You look at what transpired over the weekend against France and when they play the young generation, you see this tenacity and fearlessness that’s amazing, and a lot of it comes from this organization, so I’m glad that we can contribute in that sense.”
More than anything, though, a World Cup creates memories for players, coaches, and onlookers alike. “I was doing the math; ‘oh man, my son [will only be] 13,’” Robles said, “but he’ll at least get to see what I saw when I was young in ‘94.”
I do not know the reason, but the players in between the ages of Bradley and Adams were not able to step up and displace Dempsey, Bradley, Altidore, etc. from the USMNT. If you look at where that generation of players are now, you will not find them being stars anywhere. The group of players now 22-28 were simply not good enough or were injured too often to displace those who came before them.
Things look better for the present 18-22 year-olds, Pulisic, McKennie, Adams are playing at very high levels and are integral to their teams’ successes. Players like Sargent and Weah are with good clubs and look promising. The young defenders like Robinson, CCV, Parker, and Miazga look to be able to step up and replace those now about 10 years older than them. Most of the young guys are either getting serious playing time with strong clubs or are outstanding players for their present club and have prospects of making upward moves.
The sort of ‘tweeners like Zardes, Zalelem, … may yet contribute, but each will likely need to show improvement and consistency. Yedlen seems to be the single player in this group who managed to step in and contribute to the nats consistently; the others have had some bright performances, mostly punctuated with forgettable ones.
They didn’t make the quarterfinals in 94
Let’s hope Adams is still relevant in 2026. Being realistic the USMNT has little to show from the last eight to ten years in player development. Losing out on two Olympics and paltry U-Tournaments showings. Really hope Adams is a component of change for future national team players. Some may take this as a negative but players like Brek Shea need to be made an example of for what not to be or become. Harsh to single him out but the dude has it all physically. Sometimes things just don’t workout for a variety of reasons but players perspective need to be broader then just being a pro in any league.