USMNT star Tyler Adams sets his sights on World Cup final at MetLife: ‘Biggest dream of them all’
The next time that American soccer star Tyler Adams steps onto the field at MetLife Stadium after this summer, he hopes it’s in the World Cup final in 2026.
“I freaking hope so. That’s the biggest dream of them all, is to play in a World Cup final and raise that trophy,” the A.F.C. Bournemouth and U.S. Men’s National Team forward tells The Post. “I’ve played in MetLife plenty of times before. To do it with Bournemouth is going to be special, and then obviously, to do it in a World Cup final, even more special. So yeah, hopefully, we can play twice in the next year and a half, and then win both games.”
As Adams alluded to, first, the midfielder is going to take the pitch at the East Rutherford stadium with his Premier League club this summer as part of the Premier League Summer Series that will be going on from July 26-Aug. 3 at MetLife, Soldier Field in Chicago and Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Adams and Bournemouth will face Everton on July 26 at MetLife at 4 p.m., with a match between Manchester United and West Ham United following at 7 p.m.
For the Wappinger Falls, N.Y. native and Red Bull academy product, the July 26 match against Everton will be a homecoming of sorts.
Adams has gone from being a bright-eyed teenager in the MLS club’s academy to a star in New York and now in one of the sport’s best-known leagues, the Premier League.
The 26-year-old was named Bournemouth’s Player of the Month in February and has three assists in 13 starts this season for his Premier League club, after his season debut was delayed until October due to summer back surgery.
Bournemouth has been Adams’ third club since he made the jump overseas in 2019, with stops at RB Leipzig and Leeds United before signing with Bournemouth in the summer of 2023.
Adams credits his time with the Red Bulls — where he played as part of the first team from 2015-18 — for helping him develop into the star he is.
“You see a higher level of soccer and that really raises the bar and is able to push you,” Adams said about his experience with the Red Bull Academy. “We had some great coaches throughout my academy. Times in New York Red Bull, great other players that I played with that, you know, some are playing with the senior national team now as well. So I was exposed to a high level of football.”
When asked what he remembers most from his time with the Red Bulls, he quickly responded it was the commute.
“Going from New York to Jersey is no close journey, especially being from a little bit more upstate New York,” he said with a chuckle. “It’s not like I was in Manhattan or closer to where we trained. You know, I was thankful to my parents for obviously making that trek. So, yeah, the journey was challenging, but I was often sleeping in the passenger seat, so I was fortunate.”
While Adams is focused on his current season with Bournemouth, it’s hard not to keep an eye down the line to the summer of 2026 when the World Cup comes to the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The United States has not had particularly strong showings recently in international play, with the USMNT falling to Panama in a notably ugly fashion on March 20 and then following it up with a loss to Canada.
Adams, who was quick to deflect any blame for new USMNT coach, Mauricio Pochettino, after the loss to Canada, said part of what it will come down to for them is how many guys on the roster have been playing consistently.
“That’s really what it comes down to, you can’t go into a national team setting and hope that someone gets hot at the right time,” said Adams, who served as national team captain during the 2022 World Cup. “In soccer, it’s not always that easy. It’s not like basketball at the Olympics or something else. You can’t rely on one guy, and you need guys that are playing week in, week out, are comfortable in pressure situations, have been doing it all season long, and I think we’re getting more and more of that. But I still think we need … guys playing at the highest level as consistently as possible.”
About The Author
