FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — Tyler Adams doesn’t get rattled by many things in life. It’s part of what makes him one of the U.S. men’s soccer team’s steadiest players, not just one of the most important.
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So it was no surprise to hear him say Thursday that he isn’t worried about the World Cup squad’s lack of depth around him in central midfield. It’s the biggest question anyone has about Mauricio Pochettino’s squad, and Adams was ready for it.
“I know just speaking to players in the squad and stuff like that, we have so many guys that can play in the middle of the field,” he said.
Though he said he didn’t see Pochettino’s long recitation Tuesday of who could take the role — with notable mentions of some attacking midfielders and outside backs — Adams took a similarly broad tack.
“I’m not sure where Brenden [Aaronson] was in that, I’m not sure where Gio [Reyna] was in that,” he said. “But, obviously, all these guys, they play. They can play in the midfield as well. So we have flexibility.”
Hearing that, it felt necessary to make the point a little less politely. With Cristian Roldan the only other true defense-first midfielder in the 26-man World Cup squad, is Adams worried about accumulating yellow cards? A player booked in each of the first two group games would miss the third, and the United States’ finale against Turkey is its toughest game.
“Nah,” Adams promptly said. “If I recall, I think in the last World Cup I got a yellow card in the first game. I survived.”
Alas, he didn’t remember right. The booking came in the group stage finale against Iran. But perhaps it makes the point in a different way — that he went scot-free through the first two games against Wales and England, the latter among the best tactical performances by a U.S. men’s team in World Cup history, even though it was a scoreless tie.
“That’s just part of the game,” Adams said. “It’s not going to change how you approach the game — it can’t change how you approach the game. You’ve got to be clever in all these situations. Ideally, I’d like to play without a yellow card and having to worry about it, but I’ve managed.”
Pochettino offered more detail on the subject in a meeting with reporters after Thursday’s practice.
“We think that the capacity of Malik [Tillman] or Weston [McKennie] dropping a little bit their position, going a little bit deeper,” he said, “[then] we have better possibility in our build-up to have better control and to play much better, and to claim the ball easier, and to move the ball quick, and to have the capacity to put the ball in the last third [of the field] in a better condition.”
He acknowledged that it is a tilt toward the attacking side of the game, a view some outsiders might disagree with, given team’s usual place in the world as an underdog.
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“I think we need to be strong in our defensive side, but I think also we need players that in front of our centerbacks have the possibility to play and feel comfortable,” Pochettino said. “I think Sebastian [Berhalter] or Cristian or Tyler — if we play with one holding midfielder it’s enough. We need to be good in possession, to have more possession than the opponent. That is the idea.”
Adams also was asked about being the U.S. captain four years ago, but not anymore. Tim Ream has been Pochettino’s captain for a long time, based on the centerback’s status as the team’s most experienced player.
As with the other questions, Adams brushed it off.
“I mean, listen, it’s a privilege and an honor, anyone that gets to wear the armband,” the 27-year-old from New York’s Hudson Valley said. “But what I represent, how I lead, I think anybody that plays with me knows that I’m a leader — that’s just how I’ve been my entire career. So whether I’m wearing the armband or not, that’s what it is.”
A guest from the Union at training
Union striker prospect Malik Jakupović, who has played for the U.S. under-17 team, was spotted in the crowd watching Thursday’s practice. He was part of a group in town for a photo shoot with Nike, the national team’s longtime gear provider.
Alas, the senior team’s schedule didn’t allow time for Jakupović to meet with the Union alumni on the World Cup squad. But he was spotted chatting with former U.S. striker Jozy Altidore, another of the day’s celebrity guests.
Later, Jakupović was seen at lunch in the cafeteria with U.S. Soccer’s vice president of sporting, Oguchi Onyewu, who made the Union the last club of his decorated playing career.
There was no word on what they discussed, but U.S. fans know that Jakupović, at 16, is a marquee prospect for club and country. Though he hasn’t played much for the Union’s first team — perhaps Bradley Carnell’s successor will change that — he scored eight goals in three games for the U.S. under-17 team at Concacaf’s continental championship in February. The next step likely is the age-group World Cup this fall in Qatar.
Jakupović has dual American and Bosnian citizenship, and Bosnia’s national team has a track record of recruiting Americans with Bosnian roots. Former New England Revolution winger Esmir Bajraktarević, now with the Netherlands’ PSV Eindhoven, made the Dragons’ World Cup team after scoring the penalty kick that toppled mighty Italy in qualifying.
So those fans might hope that Onyewu nudged Jakupović a bit to pick the U.S. for his international future.
Nine nations will compete in five group stage matches this summer, plus two more in a knockout game on July 4. Here’s what you need to know about those countries — and what those fans need to know about Philly. Click here for more.