Gregg Berhalter says the U.S. men's national team jumped at the chance to bring Tyler Adams into camp despite his lack of minutes this season.
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Adams called into USMNT March campRecently returned from injuryAvailable for limited minutesGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?
Adams was named to the USMNT's 23-man squad for the CONCACAF Nations League on Wednesday despite having played just a few minutes for Bournemouth this season. A hamstring injury suffered late last season with Leeds left him out for the start of the Premier League campaign. He returned in September but, just 21 minutes into a League Cup match against Stoke City, he suffered another setback, knocking him out until the start of March.
He recently returned to the Bournemouth bench but, after being given the all-clear from Cherries boss Andoni Iraola, Berhalter was comfortable calling Adams up for his first camp since the 2022 World Cup.
AdvertisementGettyWHAT BERHALTER SAID
"This decision was basically the output of months of communication with his club to track where he's at, to see the levels that he's performing at in training, the loads that he's doing in training," Berhalter said. "Finally, I had a conversation with his coach two days ago and really hearing from the coach where he thinks Tyler's at, he couldn't say enough good things about him. He thinks that he's actually ready to play minutes today in the Premier League so we'll see how that ends up, potentially 30 minutes, 15 minutes, who knows? They think at the club that he has enough to play up to 45 minutes for us.
"Once we heard that, we jumped at that idea, because he means so much to the team both on and off the field. It'll be nice to get him back. His last time with the national team was at the World Cup, so he's been missed for a while. It'll be nice to get him back into this group."
Getty/ GOALTHE BIGGER PICTURE
With Adams' minutes limited, the USMNT midfield could be shaped in several different ways. It seems unlikely the M-M-A midfield of Adams, Yunus Musah and Weston McKennie will start together in the Nations League due to Adams' fitness, which means Berhalter can either stick with a similar shape or toss in a No. 10.
If he chooses to add in another No. 6, Johnny Cardoso is the prime candidate, having shined in La Liga since joining Real Betis. At the No. 10, though, the U.S. has both Gio Reyna and Malik Tillman as potential starters in a more attacking role.
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR USMNT?
The U.S. will face Jamaica in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals on March 21 before facing either Panama or Mexico in the finale or third-place game. Before that, though, Adams and Bournemouth face Luton Town on Wednesday in their final match before the international break.