The United States men’s national team has a new captain, and it’s likely no surprise that Bournemouth midfielder Tyler Adams has been named to the post.
Mauricio Pochettino made the announcement on Friday ahead of Saturday’s friendly against Mexico in Glendale, Arizona.
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“It’s so happy to announce, and for everyone to know, that he’s going to be our leader and our captain,” Pochettino said, via a statement on ussoccer.org. “He’s the player and the person that can lead the period that we have ahead.”
Adams captained the USMNT under Gregg Berhalter at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but Tim Ream took the armband in this summer’s tournament.
The appointment of Adams comes at a pivotal reset for the USMNT culture as Pochettino has signed a new contract through the 2030 World Cup. The manager did not call up regulars Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, and Timothy Weah this break, which boasts a young team posting decisive wins over Peru 4-1 last weekend and Chile at midweek.
Tyler Adams announced as USMNT’s new captain under Mauricio Pochettino
Here are Adams’ thoughts via the release.
“I’m extremely honored and grateful for the opportunity,” Adams said. “We’ve built an amazing relationship over the past two years with all the staff, with my teammates here going into this past World Cup. As we start a new cycle, I’m excited to be able to help my teammates and the staff in any way possible in order to win, grow the Federation, and ultimately take that next step.”
“Getting the armband doesn’t mean anything to me in being a leader or different in who I am. I’m going to try to lead this group into a winning culture and continue to build what we’re trying to build here.”
“I want to represent my teammates and the country in the best way possible. This is just the icing, the cherry on top. We have a lot of work to do still, but we’re getting there.”
“For the long run, if the U.S. wants to grow and get better, we need to be able to compete with the likes of Mexico at a high level.”
