Tyler Adams World Cup diary: ‘Fans are everything in this sport’

BOURNEMOUTH, UK – It’s been said that two things can be true at the same time.

For AFC Bournemouth and USMNT midfielder Tyler Adams, who finds himself simultaneously wrapping up a grueling Premier League season and gearing up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on home soil, this certainly seems to be the case.

“Where am I at? I don’t know, it feels like the season has just blown by.” Adams told Andscape, sitting comfortably on a training mat inside Bournemouth’s sprawling new 57-acre practice facility, “To be frank, having an injury in the middle of the season obviously threw a curveball into my year. First, not playing consistently for the past 10 weeks, and then finally getting back into the team but then having a long international break where we didn’t have any games for a long time. It’s felt like a really long time. But it’s also good to get in this final stretch now and in the final prep towards the World Cup and hopefully an unbelievable summer.”

AFC Bournemouth has been playing English football for over 125 years, with the club founded in 1899 as Boscombe F.C. It is located on the English Channel about 100 miles southwest of London. They adopted their current name in 1971 and have been playing at the Dean Court ground since 1910. Yet the club – which has spent decades in lower divisions before rising to the Premier League in 2015 – has never qualified to play in a major European competition (such as the UEFA Champions League, Europe League, or Conference League) in its history. The Cherries’ best-ever Premier League finish is ninth place, achieved last season with a team-record 56 points. But after a pair of 2-1 road victories over Arsenal and Newcastle, the Cherries have now gone unbeaten in 13 league games and find themselves suddenly fighting for what was once unthinkable.

“I think we still have an opportunity to do something special.” Adams said. “But I don’t want the main focus to be that. I think when you start to focus too much on results, that one goal can kind of consume you. Sometimes it can have the opposite effect. I think there’s winnable games left on the schedule, and we need to make sure we win those games.

“But we’ve shown what we’re capable of. We’re on an amazing run, still obviously a long time unbeaten. I think it’s 13 games now. A lot of those games have been draws that we want to turn into wins now. I think starting the [league] run-in with a win against Arsenal, there’s no better way to start that final stretch.”

While the club has yet to achieve this milestone, Adams speaks from a place of (European) experience. At German club Red Bull Leipzig, he became the first American to score in a Champions League quarterfinal when the then-21-year-old came off the bench in the 72nd minute against Atlético Madrid on Aug. 13, 2020, to slot home the winning goal in the 88th minute. Adams then became the second American to play in a Champions League semifinal the following week against Paris Saint-Germain.

While a return to the sports’ highest club competition is paramount, Adams is mindful of both the time he has missed this season with injury and what lies ahead after the Premier League season – a chance to lead America in the World Cup.

“It’s not about chasing that stride like we talk about. It’s not about chasing ‘feeling your best.’ It naturally has to come,” Adams said. “You just need to ease your way into it. That’s what I’ve learned as I’ve gotten a little bit older. When you’re younger, you’re constantly trying to chase success. You’re chasing the next feeling and that moment of greatness. You’re asking yourself, ‘When is it going to happen?’ whereas now I’m so patient about the process and trying to understand the process. I’ve been through different things that have helped me mature and calculate how my body feels and what exactly I need. I have a sense of the game and allow the game to come to me and not force things. So, that’s why I feel like although I’ve been out recently, I’m not in a rush. I’m patient. I’m trusting the process, and I know that it will work out well.”

The following is Adams’ fourth diary with Andscape this season.

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In playing Arsenal [on April 11], whenever you have the opportunity to play against a team that’s sitting in first place and has so much to play for, you’re kind of an underdog. You have absolutely nothing to lose. And I felt like we played like that. We played like Bournemouth has shown they’re capable of really showing our quality.

I think the starting 11 played unbelievable. I think it’s one of the best games that Bournemouth has played. The guys that came in off the bench brought that energy to try and close out the game. It was a fun one to watch. When you’re on the bench, you are supporting all the guys the best you can. And then when you come in, you are playing your role and closing out the win. So, I was extremely excited for that result (a 2-1 Bournemouth victory).

The midfield contingency that we have, we’ve grown to make each other better every single day. We truly have incredible players and incredible people in those positions. We call ourselves the ‘engine room.’ Those guys have a lot of quality and they showed it against Arsenal for sure.

But they’ve shown it in so many more games than that. I still don’t think the guys on our team get enough credit. I know that there’s some players that are always talked about, but the list goes on and on. When you speak about our team, there’s so many talented players and so much quality.

I wasn’t at my best before the international break, even after playing a little bit more consistently, so I didn’t think it was necessarily the right timing to be involved in [the friendly matches in late March]. I spoke with the [USA] coaching staff. After picking up a little niggle, I just wanted to make sure that I handled things in the right way so that after the international break I could get back in full swing and feel my best.

That being said, it’s really strange having that much time during an international break without any games. I don’t want to say you ‘lose that competitive edge,’ but when you have nothing to play for over that period of time, it feels a little bit strange. So, it was good to cap that off last week with a win against Arsenal after those three weeks off.

I didn’t speak too much to the players in [USMNT] camp. I wanted to let them do their thing and focus on what they had to do. I think that there’s already enough noise sometimes in the media – given the results that had already happened – so I don’t want to cross any boundaries. I just want to allow them to do their thing. I know what it’s like when I’m playing and a result doesn’t go my way… the last thing I want to text is, ‘What happened?’ or ‘What is it?’ I’m not searching for information. I know those guys will bounce back and I know the coaching staff will get them in the right direction.

It’s tough to watch when you when you don’t have an influence on those games. It’s obviously difficult being a player that ultimately wants to have a huge impact come the summer to not be there. That last preparation is difficult. To watch the guys go and battle and not get the results they want is tough. But, I know that ultimately will make the team stronger and we’ll learn from it.

In regard to my road mentality: 100 percent, I think that’s what you play the game for, to be in an environment where there’s so many people that share the same passion as you and energy as you. For me, whenever I talk to people that aren’t from here, I always say the best venues are all up north in England. You have Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester United, Newcastle. Those are some of the best venues in world football, let alone in England. So I always get excited to go back up north. When I lived up north in Leeds, anybody that’s been to Elland Road knows what it’s like to play up north, what those fans are, and how passionate they are about the game. I always get excited to go back up north and think Newcastle is one of the more special venues here in England.

Of all my favorite places to play, Elland Road [home to Leeds United] is still tops for me. Playing at Leeds, those fans are it’s incredible. The passion that they have for the game, the energy backing you… it can really affect your performance. So yeah, that’ll always be one of my favorites.

For me, fans are everything in the sport. They are what makes this sport so amazing. I had the opportunity to play against Bayern Munich on numerous occasions while playing in Germany and it’s incredible. You almost get lost when you look up and see an abyss of darkness. You feel the ground vibrating when they score a goal or when something happens. That’s [what it is] like at St. James Park, Elland Road, and Old Trafford, which are some of the bigger stadiums here in England. When you get that sense of emotion through the fans, it gives you energy, gives you that extra push and motivation that you need to go out there and battle. So yes, the fans are everything for me.

There’s only one that doesn’t leave my playlist: J. Cole. Everyone knows that I’m a big J. Cole fan. Obviously, he just released a new album, ‘The Fall Off.’ So, for me that was a huge moment. That’s all I’ve been listening to the past two months.

Pregame for me is nothing specific musically. I could honestly listen to absolutely anything. Some games I walk in not listening to anything. When I was younger, I felt like I always had to listen to that same song when I was walking in, but now I just listen to whatever gets me chilled out and just in the vibe, you know?

I wouldn’t say I’m superstitious. I think I’m a creature of routine and habit. I think every athlete is superstitious to a certain extent, but I don’t have a need to step on the field with a certain foot or anything like that. I go with the flow.

My NBA team is the New York Knicks. It’s going to be interesting because we got the [Atlanta] Hawks in the first round. I think it’s going to be a tough conference to come out of with the [Boston] Celtics having Jayson Tatum back. But if there’s a year to do it, this is the year for the Knicks. That’s what we say every single year. So come on JB [Jalen Brunson]! Come on Josh Hart! Let’s get it done.

I camped out for shoes when I was younger. I remember sitting outside of the stores, waiting for them to release. I remember the cool Jordan mist blues, the retro fours. The Concord (Air Jordan) 11. Bred 11. Space Jam 11. The cement 4s. I mean, I can name them all … I’m a Jordan fan, obviously, and a collector. The closet runs deep as well.

Soccer boots? What did I wear growing up? Nike Maestri was always my cleat, then T90s as well. Watching Wayne Rooney wear them was pretty iconic.

In England, there’s no such thing as a tunnel walk. I’m trying to convince our people here to allow us to do it. I think that’s what the U.S. does that is so amazing – the creative side of things. They really allow players to show their personalities. England’s a little bit more in black and white still, but I think they’ll get there eventually. My tunnel fit on June 12th – walking into the first World Cup game – I’m going with a suit for sure. I think you got to be suited out. It’s a business trip. We’re there for the business. So, I think it’s a suit.

I’m in a good spot right now. I want to continue that way. I still need to get stronger. I still need to gradually increase the minutes. I think with the final six games [in the Premier League], it’s a perfect amount of games to run-in to the World Cup.