Tyler Adams hails USA's new generation: "They've earned it, nothing was given to them"

When Tyler Adams made his debut for the United States national team in November 2017, the country had just missed out on a World Cup and everything felt urgent. Eight years later, the captain sees something different in the locker room: a new generation of young players arriving without that suffocating pressure, and that, he says, is good news for the future.

Adams spoke this Wednesday about the players called up for the upcoming international window and didn't hold back on the praise. For the 27-year-old midfielder, these aren't kids being handed a spot based on potential alone: they earned it on the field.

They've earned it and nothing has been given to them just because of their potential. I think when you get called in for the first time, there's a reason for that call-up.Tyler Adams

The numbers back up his point: the original 28-player squad Mauricio Pochettino named for the September-October window averages just 22 years and nine months in age. Among them are no fewer than 13 players with no previous experience at the senior level, including midfielder Adri Mehmeti.

Adams, an MLS product himself, was quick to highlight the path these young players took before reaching the senior national team.

Prospect is a great word, but they're performing at a high level right now. And for me, as a product of MLS and a kid who came up through MLS, you have to respect the league and the level they're playing at such a young age, because you're competing against grown men.Tyler Adams

Less pressure, more time to grow

Mehmeti, one of those debutants, described what it's like making the jump to the senior team surrounded by teammates with far more experience.

It's a huge step for me. I mean, coming in with all these young guys and experienced players, being able to learn from them, seeing the different personalities and how it all blends into the style the US wants to play. It's been great. Again, it's a big jump, but it's going to take time getting used to it.Adri Mehmeti

Adams, who became the youngest captain in US World Cup history at 23 years and 288 days old at Qatar 2022, and who has two goals in 58 appearances for the national team, compared his own experience to what these young players are going through now. He had to take on responsibility almost immediately, pushed by the need to qualify for the next World Cup. Just two years after his debut, he was already deep into a qualifying cycle.

My situation was a bit different from what these guys coming in now are dealing with. I say that because I think there's less pressure on these young players to perform right away, and more time to actually develop them. I look at this generation and I think they're in a great position to go through the process the right way, lean on the guidance of others, live their own experiences, get opportunities like the Olympics and other competitions that will shape them ahead of the next World Cup.Tyler Adams

That new generation will face its first big test soon. The United States takes on Peru on September 26, before facing Chile, Mexico and Canada in the same window. For Adams, those matchups against historic rivals are exactly the best way for the newcomers to understand what it means to wear the jersey.

When you get the chance to play against Mexico and Canada, it's so easy to get up for those games. I think that's what's exciting about having so many young guys in camp: they're finally going to get a taste of what those rivalries are about, what those games mean, and what it takes to represent the country.Tyler Adams