‘Raise the Bar’—Tyler Adams Reveals Pochettino Post-Nations League Message to USMNT | OneFootball

Tyler Adams and Mauricio Pochettino were on the same page after the Concacaf Nations League third place match—the level they showed wasn't good enough.

The U.S. men's national team is facing immense pressure heading into the Concacaf Gold Cup. Losses to Panama and Canada during the Nations League final raised alarm bells, but two more losses in friendly action to Türkiye and Switzerland have pressure turned up to a level not seen since the USMNT failed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Representing one final, competitive tournament to prepare for a 2026 World Cup on home soil, down numerous stars amid varying circumstances, Gold Cup is a flashpoint in Mauricio Pochettino's short tenure as head coach. If he can rally the team after a demoralizing send-off match, this summer could be the catalyst for something special. If not, it’ll be a precursor for what's to come next year on the biggest stage. Not to mention the drama surrounding Christian Pulisic's absence.

Tyler Adams sat down with Sports Illustrated before the team’s summer friendlies revealing Pochettino's post-Nations League message to the team.

“When we got knocked out of the Nations League and Mauricio spoke after Panama and Canada, we touched on the level of competition we showed in those two games was never good enough. It doesn't matter what level you're at, who you're playing against, any players will make you look bad when you compete at that level. The level of competition has to be higher and higher and we need to raise the bar. For me, it's an opportunity to show we're ready for that,” Adams says.

Pochettino’s words seemingly rang true with players when they took the pitch against Türkiye. The passion and energy were there, but defensive lapses resulted in a third straight loss for the team. Switzerland, albeit demoralizing and another loss, should be looked at in a vacuum given the amount of squad rotation. If anything, that game is a warning sign to Pochettino that there’s a stark contrast between his perceived best XI, the team that faced Türkiye and the team that started against Switzerland.

Adams didn’t play against Switzerland nursing a foot injury, but watching the performance should push him further as a leader this summer. The Bournemouth midfielder brought a sense of calm and poise to the second half against Türkiye, things greatly lacking against the Swiss.

Off the pitch, his mindset remains similar. When asked to describe what the Gold Cup represents this summer for the USMNT, Adams had one word: Opportunity.

“I look at it as a massive opportunity to set the tone of what we're trying to do in the right way. My goal is obviously to win Gold Cup. Whenever you enter a tournament, you want to win. But for me, the most important thing I've said to everyone is to get back to the basics. Make sure we understand what makes the U.S., the U.S. Running, competing, winning duels, tackles, all the things that make fans jump out of their seats because that represents American pride. People want to talk about the quality of players that we have now. The quality can only be shown once we do the basics really well. I think that's what the national team's always been built off of. We have to get back to that point and a high level of competing.” Adams says.

Off the back of the two friendly losses, while blocking out outside noise, Adams is poised to be a driving force behind whatever success the USMNT has this summer as one of the few veteran players in camp.

Their Gold Cup journey gets underway on Sunday against Trinidad and Tobago.