U.S. men’s national team midfielder Tyler Adams is nearing a return to action after a lengthy injury absence.
Cherries manager Andoni Iraola confirmed the news on Tuesday, revealing that Adams is training individually after being sidelined since October. The 24-year-old made the move to Bournemouth from Leeds United last fall, but only played 20 minutes in his club debut.
Adams underwent a second hamstring procedure in eight months, which has forced him to watch majority of the Cherries campaign from the sidelines. However, after four months of no action, Adams is making progress to get back onto the field.
“He is training on his own still, but he is touching the ball, going through the process,” Iraola said an interview, transcribed by the Daily Echo.
“There have been no setbacks,” Iraola added. “Everything is going well. But I don’t know exactly when he is going to start training with the team.”
Adams’ return would not only be a major boost for Bournemouth, but also for the USMNT. The former New York Red Bulls homegrown hasn’t featured for Gregg Berhalter’s squad since the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The USMNT returns to action this March against Jamaica in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals, but it could come too soon for Adams to feature. If he is unavailable, Berhalter will hope that Adams is injury-free for the Americans’ involvement in the Copa America on home soil this summer.
Bournemouth sits 12th in the Premier League standings and next travels to Fulham in league play this weekend.
Tele,
Yep, for Copa America, semis or finals. Why not set the bar high?
Agreed, Uruguay is legit. Brazil could be the opponent in the quarterfinals. Historically speaking, Brazil has been strong, and would be daunting, but this is not the Brazil of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Rivaldo. Relative to their history, they are in a down period.
Colombia beat Brazil, at home, this past November in WC qualifying. Why can’t we / Berhalter beat Brazil ( essentially a more challenged team without Neymar ) at home in Copa America?
Venezuela tied Brazil, on the road, this past October in WC qualifying. Why can’t we / Berhalter beat Brazil ( essentially a more challenged team without Neymar ) at home in Copa America?
I’m on record of saying don’t fire Berhalter just for change’s sake. Sooo…to your point, if he is to be fired after Copa America, is US Soccer getting ahead of this? They should be talking to agents, intermediaries, friends, etc., of potential replacements NOW, so as to get ahead of this. That’s how soccer works, and Matt Crocker knows this, so no excuses.
Not sure if US Soccer contacted Zizzou, but he is on record saying he wants to coach at the club level, and not only is he in high demand, he can be picky about his landing spot. If true, I love the gumption from US Soccer, but he’s not interested, and if he wants a NT job, France is on deck once Deschamps leaves.
ourinho, because of his age, is probably ready for a NT job, and he would be effective, probably successful, and a “media darling,” but Portugal will be calling.
Zizzou and Mourinho have a much better chance for success with their respective NT’s, so why would they select the USMNT?
Marsch is probably a viable option farther down the road. Currently, his defensive pressing style is hard to implement successfully at the club level…it would be even harder at the NT level.
Viera and Henry are both interesting, but have a small sample set and aer not without risk.
For the USMNT, I EXPECT Berhalter to win Nations League and the Gold Cup…every time.
For Copa America, you already know.
For the World Cup, yeah, success should be expected, so 4th place would be acceptable. Again, why not set the bar high?
The runs of Qatar and Jordan are mutually exclusive of Berhalter, and in no way, shape, or form, reflect positively on him. The performances of the USMNT under the Berhalter regime reflect on Gregg…can we say 3rd place in 2022 WC qualifying? There is still plenty of egg on Berhalter’s face from that alone.
Agreed, the HC of a NT has a lot of responsibilities, including managing egos, so off the cuff, if I had my druthers…
Klinsmann as Sporting Director – he is a big picture guy that is good with process improvement and has a MASSIVE rolodex, but he evisions himself as a masterstroke HC and he is not…he just can’t get out of his own way.
HC for NT – Roberto Martinez or if you can make it happen, Guus Hiddink, circa 2002 – 2006
Assistant for NT – Thierry Henry
Oh, and for shits and giggles, Salma Hayek as my wife! 🙂
Papi, in most professions, an employee’s performance is evaluated based on comparison with their peers. If you are Rowdy Roddy Piper than you have no peers but most of the rest of us do. Gregg’s peers are the other international coaches. The more they falter, the greater his achievements become just like an average employee that regularly “meets expectations” becomes a star in the eyes if the company when all their peers regularly screw up. Had Marv Levy won four consecutive super bowls instead of losing four straight he would likely be considered the greatest NFL coach of all time. I think you would be hard pressed to find many people that would even consider him to be one of the 20 greatest NFL coaches all time. Winning championships is important and Gregg has won some. You can poo-poo them all you want by saying CONCACAF sucks but so does Asia, Africa, and Oceania. CONCACAF had 4 head to head to matches with Asia last world cup and won 3 of them. Who’s a better coach, Gary Williams or Coach K from Duke? Gary Williams would beat Duke every year with no players that would even start for Duke but those games weren’t singularly important. Coach K won like 30 championships and Gary Williams won one ACC tournament and one National Championships. Winning championships is important and Gregg is a better international coach now than he was before Asia and Afcon this year because of the failings of his peers. Who do you consider to be good international coaches?
A major rethink is needed here. I know it’s not realistic w/this coach, but here it is:
Pulisic Balogen
Musah Reyna Adams Mckennie
Robinson Ream Carter V Weah
Turner
Even when he gets back on the field, I don’t think he will beat out Musah. We are starting to play with a 10 this makes Musah more valuable than Adams.
Tele57,
I understand what you are saying, but as of right now, I believe Berhalter will go 4-2-3-1.
Reyna as an 8, in a 4-3-3, is a bigger risk defensively than McKennie as a 6 next to Musah, in a 4-2-3-1. Plus, the 4-2-3-1 formation won’t need to be so rigid that both McKennie and Musah will necessarily have to sit in defensively in front of the back 4.
Depending on how the games unfold, and to your point, they may not need two “holding” 6’s, so McKennie can have some freedom and liberty to get forward, which suits him better and he prefers.
On a side note, I did not get a chance to reply to your last post in the thread, “Gio Reyna joins Nottingham Forest on loan,” when we were discussing USMNT roster selection, and current form vs past performance. You had a good response, and it merited a reply…
Your post…
I think it is odd that you are such a proponent of firing Gregg while at the same time recognizing that the players aren’t nearly as good a most of the fire Gregg contingent think. I don’t think he is a good coach and I wish they had a better coach but the idea that Gregg is the only thing holding them back is pretty unrealistic. They could win Copa with Gregg, but it wouldn’t be because of Gregg. When US made the Copa semis in S. America Steve Sampson was there coach. To be great you first need great players and then you can add the great coach but there is no coach that would make this group of players great. Just my opinions of course. This post is too long; I fell asleep while reading it before I hit post.
I didn’t say that Berhalter is the only thing holding the USMNT back. 🙂 I’m a proponent of moving on from Berhalter for a variety of reasons, but from a general standpoint, what about Berhalter’s tenure has moved the needle forward? Nothing, which is the first reason he has to go.
If the USMNT wins Copa, you are correct, it probably won’t be because of Berhalter…it will be in SPITE of Berhalter. That said, for Copa, I’m on record saying that the minimum for him to stay is reaching the finals, and if he wins Copa, he can stay…both of those are moving the needle.
Agreed, no NT Coach will make this team great…but, a great coach would make this team BETTER…with better tactics, in game tactical adjustments, and in game subs. Those are just a few things that highlight some Berhalter deficiencies…there are more.
Your last sentence, “This post is too long; I fell asleep while reading it before I hit post.”…made me laugh. 🙂 While I did not fall asleep while reading my post, it is long, and now I’m tired, so now, I need a nap. 🙂
Papi, Yikes!! Semis or finals. He definately won’t get fired if they make it to the semis. I think they will make it out of the group but Uraguay is a tough team. If they get 2nd in the group I think they most likely would hit Brazil in the round of 16. If they don’t get out of the group, he should be fired IMO, but if you fire him, there has to be someone to bring in that will be better. If you believe Zidane, he was offered the job and declined before they rehired Gregg. It seems unlikely to me that he was the only high profile guy they went after. I don’t think it is a highly coveted position. The only other people I know were interested are Henry, Vierra, and Marsch. I definately don’t think Marsch would be an improvement and the other guys are probably a crap shoot as neither have very good track records themselves as coaches. Maybe Mourhino is interested now since he got sacked from Roma and it is hard to imagine he wouldn’t be an improvement but would he even consider the job? Pure speculation, but I just have a feeling he was someone they talked to also before rehiring Gregg. Again, I am not a Gregg fan, but every time teams like Japan, S. Korea, and Morocco crap out of their confederation tournaments, it makes Gregg look better. Qatar is probably going to win back to back Asian titles. While few US fans probably think Qatar is the best team in Asia, and they definately shouldn’t be based on the players, it would be hard to argue with a Qatari fan if they win the Asia Cup again. Gregg did win Nations League once, the Gold Cup once with a C team, and contributed to the 2nd Nations League title as he coached up to the semis. Would you rather the US did not win those tournaments but got 4th at the WC like Morocco? I’m not sure I would. I think in the grand scheme, I would prefer the US winning Nations League to anything other than 1st or 2nd in the world cup. I can remember every WC final since ’78 but I can’t remember hardly any 3rd/4th games. It was Iran that knocked out Japan in the Asia Cup this year and then they got knocked out by Qatar. I’m not sure there are that many great international coaches. The best coach for a team like Brazil is a guy who can manage great players with even bigger egos but that isn’t what the US needs because they don’t have that level of talent or egos. Klinsmann’s S. Korea got eliminated by Jordan losing 2-0. I think both Qatar and Jordan would have a really tough time qualifying for the WC in CONCACAF.
A serious hammy injury is so tender- vulnerable to rein jury- it’s no joke. The things it takes to carefully nurse your hamstring into complete health are the absolute antithesis of what makes Adams tick as a player- what makes him valuable. Great engine, anticipation- explosiveness, beat the other player to the spot. Hoping the length of his time away has been great caution, building his strength, explosiveness, flexibility. That he’s 95% there before even considering getting into the red-line demands of a PL match.
Can’t wait of Adams to become 100% fit. This kid had the wheels that made him tenacious on the field. According to Bill Foley (part owner) they are waiting on Adams to get healthy. I don’t know about Andoni Iraola, but Foley seems to really like Adams as a player (which is really good) and was complimentary of his on / off-field attributes, describing them as a perfect fit for the vision he’s laying out for Bournemouth.
“As soon as he’s fit, he’s going to play in that No. 6 role and he is a quality guy,” Foley said. “He wants to win. He wants to play hard and he has got a winning attitude, which is the most important thing for me. It’s all about character and about wanting to win.”
Absolutely awesome, but let’s see what Iraola thinks of Adams’ abilities on the field. At the end of the day, I just hope this kid is back 98% – 100% healed.
i pulled then repulled my hammy in men’s league after college and my personal experience with the repull was that even if you try to play a less explosive style the impulse is like etched in your DNA. first game back i was deliberately playing lazy, technical soccer, no hard chases, no explosive moves or runs — kind of get it, give it, soccer — even had a couple goals including the winner, no problem — i go to jump for a header at the end and it yanks. for me what worked was i got shut down for the season as of then (march) and came back in september. i think the 4 weeks’ recovery is malarkey. maybe 4 weeks to where you don’t pull the muscle even thinking of running. but i took a month-plus off, came back where i felt ok jogging in a straight line, dribbling, and kicking a ball on my own, and what gets you is the other team doesn’t let you just do a relaxed jog, dribble in a line, slow stepovers or turns. or just track someone on a slow jog. you have to get on your horse, turn, jump, fake, sprint…..all in a hurry. all fast twitch stuff. the leg is either healed or not.
also, a guy is usually valuable in a particular way and less so at 80% of trying to be something different. some players transition to a more technical game with less athleticism. some what they had going for them at all was the athletics. you drop that to 80% there and try them as a technical type and they are just sloppy. his forte is defensive positioning and covering ground. if you try to make him a passing 6 he’s probably average.
that and every time GB tries a passing 6 the MF is just horrible getting burned on transitions. they need a mop up guy. he’s either that or it’s time for successors eg musah. i personally was disappointed how little sands and others got to trial at the 6 slot. we need some other options in case.
Don’t know if Adams will be the same player. Back to back hamstring issues with surgery takes a toll mentally. I would say it’s far more likely the US stays in a 4-2-3-1 even when Adams is back so he doesn’t have to do all of the heavy lifting in that defensive midfield role. But more options are emerging in the midfield. Cardoso being the most relevant besides Musah and Mckennie.
You could tell it took Pulisic awhile before he trusted his hammy again.
Papi, in March they won’t really need two 6s so playing McKennie next to Musah is an option like against Mexico in Nations League but mcKennie didn’t really play a 6. I think Berhalter was pretty disappointed with McKennie against Holland and Germany where he wanted him to play as a 6 when defending and I think we have seen the last of him as a 6. Gregg takes a lot of critism for playing a 433 but he can get both Reyna and McKennie on the field togethor in a 433 but not as easy with a 4231. I think he will play Musah at the 6 and McKennie and Reyna as 8s with Pulisic, Weah, and Balogan as the top three. Musah doesnt want to be a 6 but McKennie and Reyna are better than he is at the 8 IMO so he plays the 6 if he wants to start. A 433 is probably unrealistic for Copa similar to it being unrealistic in Qatar. I guess it is a good problem to have to have a really good player on the bench available as in impact sub but figuring out how to get Reyna and McKennie on the field togethor seems like it would make the team better but I can’t really think of any formations other than a 433.
I’m wishing Adams a safe and healthy return to the field, but I hope he is conservative, cautious, and measured, in his return. Two surgical procedures, within 6 months of each other, and for the same hamstring issue, has increased risk for significantly impacting his career, such that he would not return to his former self.
As for who slots into the DM spot this March…if we see a 4-2-3-1 formation, Berhalter probably goes with McKennie and Musah, but Cardoso is making a case for himself over Musah.
Jonny is in good form and has got off to a very good start for Real Betis and Musah’s playing time in January has dropped off significantly since the return of Adli from injury.
So who fills in for him in March (and maybe for Copa America)? Cardoso? Lenny?
Maybe have Musah drop back and bring in Tessmann, who plays a little more forward than Adams. But yes, Cardoso and Maloney are also candidates.
musah cardoso maloney sands tessmann
i don’t trust playing with a passing 6 — even reyna — as we then get burned on transitions. i also think we overrate the value of finessing the 6 slot as we’re not some barca tiki taka dream that can hold the ball all day, nor are we very sold out on offense where it’s designed to win 4-3.
IV: then who is your choice?
In a big match I think it’s Musah, then probably McKennie. If either can’t go or are needed higher up the field, we might consider Richards who is getting some EPL experience in that spot right now.
it’s not the craziest idea ever but we need an airtight backline sorted before we start retasking CB candidates as DMs. miles doesn’t look himself and we need a pair who can mark teams out of games. at least try as hard as we can to find someone else for now.
that being said, if we have nothing sorted by late 25 or 26, we aren’t going anywhere without a functioning 6 slot either.
it’s the sudden lateral cuts and explosive stop-go that gets you on a hammy and until you’re playing other people and having to take unanticipated creative/evasive action, at full speed, under duress, you really don’t know.
one can hope. we could really use him.
IV,
Given his long injury history it seems as if Tyler’s aggressive style needs to be modified somehow.
Can he do this and still remain effective? He needs to think about whether or not rushing back to get onto the Copa America squad is a good thing for his health, fitness and his career, long term.
If it was me, unless he comes right back and is dominant and back to his old self for the remainder of the season, I leave him off of the Copa America squad