Tyler Adams is back on the U.S. men’s national team roster for the upcoming Nations League semifinal against Jamaica.
Adams, 25, captained the USMNT at the 2022 World Cup but has not played a competitive match since a 20-minute substitute appearance for Bournemouth on Sept. 27, 2023, which was followed by a second hamstring surgery that fall.
He has not played for the USMNT since the World Cup loss to the Netherlands in the knockout stage in Qatar in December 2022.
Adams will return to a team that is at full strength for the Nations League, which begins with the semifinal against Jamaica on March 21, followed by a final or third-place game against Panama or Mexico on March 24.
Twenty-one of the 23 players have been a part of one of the USMNT’s previous two Nations League-winning squads and 14 were a part of the team that went to Qatar, led by Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, Yunus Musah, Sergino Dest and Tim Ream.
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Adams had hamstring surgery while with Leeds United in March 2023. Despite the injury, Bournemouth triggered Adams’ $25.5 million release clause in August. Adams came on as a substitute against Stoke City in the Carabao Cup in September after a six-month lay-off recovering from the hamstring operation he had while at Leeds, then had a second surgery in October 2023.
Adams returned to the field earlier this month with Bournemouth’s developmental team, starting his side’s 5-0 victory over Colchester United’s under-21 side. The game was held behind closed doors.
Earlier this month, U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter told The Athletic he wasn’t ruling out Adams from making this Nations League squad considering his return to the field with Bournemouth.
“Copa America I think is something that is more realistic, but I wouldn’t rule out Nations League because (Adams) is training with his team now,” Berhalter said. “He’s back to training. So there’s possibilities.”
The average age of the U.S. Nations League squad is just under 25 years old — 24 years, 310 days as of the first day of camp — and players represent clubs in nine different countries.
Norwich City forward Josh Sargent is also back in the fold for the first time since the 2022 World Cup. Sargent started two of the first three group-stage games for the U.S. at the tournament before suffering an ankle injury in the group finale against Iran. Sargent missed four months with an ankle injury in 2023 but returned to Norwich in December and has scored eight goals in his last 10 games in the English Championship.
Sargent will compete with Monaco’s Folarin Balogun (five goals, three assists this season) and PSV’s Ricardo Pepi (six goals, one assist) for the starting striker job. Pepi has scored seven goals in his last 10 USMNT caps, all from a substitute role off the bench.
Dest is suspended for the semifinal against Jamaica after receiving a red card in the U.S.’s last Nations League game at Trinidad and Tobago on Nov. 20, 2023.
The U.S. won the first two CONCACAF Nations League titles, beating Mexico in the 2021 final and then besting El Tri in the semifinals in 2023 before downing Canada, 2-0, in the final.
Panama face Mexico in the other semifinal.
Notably, the U.S. under-23 national team that is preparing for the Olympics is holding a camp in this same window, which may have impacted some of the roster decisions.
The full roster is below:
GOALKEEPERS (3): Drake Callender (Inter Miami), Ethan Horvath (Cardiff City), Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest)
DEFENDERS (8): Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo), Mark McKenzie (Genk), Tim Ream (Fulham), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Tyler Adams (Bournemouth), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Yunus Musah (AC Milan), Gio Reyna (Nottingham Forest)
FORWARDS (6): Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Josh Sargent (Norwich City), Tim Weah (Juventus)
(Top photo: Getty Images)
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