USMNT

Tyler Adams, Irreplaceable MVP

Published

5 years ago

June 5, 2021

Caleb Adams

Tyler Adams has been blossoming under Nagelsmann at RB Leipzig this season. I made a data visualization to highlight Adams’ strengths & will analyze how this data translates on the pitch and to his roles for Leipzig and USMNT.

To clarify, Adams has played a good amount of time in the right back and wingback position for Leipzig. In many cases, he’s played both defensive midfielder and fullback in games. However, I am going to be focusing on his data and play from the defensive midfield role, since that is what he plays for the USMNT.

Defense

Adams’ main job is to disrupt offensive play whether it is through stopping counters or shielding the backline. Adams is where you want him to be when it comes to interceptions and tackling numbers, in the upper right quartile. Averaging 1.5 interceptions and 2.52 tackles per 90. They aren’t mind-blowing numbers but they are solid.

While his defensive numbers aren’t mind-blowing, he is one of the most secure tacklers in the league at his position. Coming in at 6th in the league for the percentage of dribblers tackled. He may not make the most tackles in the league but he’s a strong, accurate tackler.

What data doesn’t show you is how good Adams is at reading the game, anticipating threats, and denying space to attackers. He doesn’t allow attackers time and space on the ball. A great example of this below. Adams recognizes that the space in the middle of the pitch right above the penalty box is open. This area, zone 14, is the biggest threat to a defense and must be protected at all costs. So what does he do? He immediately presses and closes off the angle towards the middle not allowing the attacker any time and space to turn and attack towards goal.

In this second example, Tyler knows he can’t let the Frankfurt attacker turn because he will have plentiful space to carry the ball towards goal. At the same time, there is another Frankfurt attacker making a run in behind the defense that the player with the ball could pass to. With Tyler’s quick recognition and the physical athleticism to match it, he extinguishes the threat as quick as it appeared.

Instead of leaving his centre-back in a 1v1 scenario with Mane, Adams recognizes the opportunity for a trap. He immediately runs over to force Mane down to the corner, triggering the trap. No fancy slide tackles, just recognizing how to deny Mane space to attack.

Adams’ reading of the game is so good that in most cases he doesn’t have to make tackles or interceptions to win possession back for his team. Closing down and denying attackers space is his specialty. This is a skill and ability that is invaluable to any team under any coach.

This ability that Tyler has is a combination of quick reading of the game with lighting acceleration to close down his opponents. It’s mind and matter. Many players have speed, acceleration, quickness, athleticism but rarely have it combined with a mind that is just as fast at reading the game, recognizing threats, and reacting to them properly. This is what makes Tyler Adams so valuable to know only his club team but his national team as well.

Possession

On to perhaps Tyler’s most overlooked aspect of his game. His contribution in the build-up. Adams gets 78.4 touches per 90, and carries the ball a total of 254.2 yards per 90. Adams is on the ball… a lot. He’s very much involved in and key to the Leipzig build up. Nagelsmann refers to Adams as his quarterback for a reason. In build up, everything starts and flows through him.

Often as the lone defensive midfielder in possession, Adams can’t afford to make a mistake or it exposes the entire team to a possible goal scoring opportunity for the opponents. His ball security is excellent and a big reason why he is tied for 7th in Pass Completion Percentage, 86.1%, out of all midfielders in the Bundesliga.

Passing

Adams’ job for Leipzig is to beat that first line of defense with a pass or dribbling. He’ll often make himself available as an outlet when the team wins the ball and starts the build-up. He’s also available to recycle and circulate play when in the attacking phase. Progressing the ball from the defense to the midfield was an area that the USMNT really struggled in against Honduras.

This is an example of Tyler dropping back and making himself available and playing a pass into the attacking third. Beating not only the first but also the second line of defense.

Here’s an example of Tyler making himself available to recycle play and it ends up being a goal-scoring opportunity with a nice through ball from him.

This leads me to another underrated aspect of Tyler’s game… his excellent on-the-ground passing. A common misconception of Tyler is that he isn’t a very good passer. This is simply, just not true. He’s improved his passing and decision-making with every season. He is capable of playing great line-breaking passes, on-the-ground through balls, and make these passes with both his feet. The video below showcases him making an excellent through ball with his weaker left foot.

Another example of his underrated on the ground through ball passing ability. He threads a brilliant through ball that immediately takes 5 opposing players out of the play.

Now, you might have noticed I kept saying “on-the-ground.” It’s because while he’s very comfortable and fantastic at playing passes on-the-ground, it’s the over-the-top or in-the-air long passes that he struggles with. A skill, that if he improves it, could elevate him to the next level.

Conclusion

If there was one word to describe Adams it would be safe. If Adams were an attacker, that wouldn’t be a good thing. But as a lone defensive mid, safe is everything. Adams makes little to no mistakes. He plays simple but effective football. He’s smart, disciplined, and consistent.

Currently, Adams is irreplaceable for the USMNT. There is no one in the current pool that provides a fraction of what he provides for the USMNT and is anywhere near his level. This was clearly evident in the Nations League match against Honduras. While USMNT depth is deep at several positions, the #6 role is one that is severely lacking. Adams is one of the few players that the USMNT can’t afford to lose for competitive matches.

Since Tyler Adams has been a part of the national team picture, the USMNT has lost twice to Mexico and won once. The one time the US won was when Tyler Adams played. While there are other variables involved in these games, the impact of Adams playing against Mexico can’t be denied.

El Tri has a blistering counterattack under Tata Martino led by lightning Chucky Lozano and Diego Lainez. The transitional defense of the USMNT has been poor under Berhalter but having Tyler Adams disrupting the counters can make up for not all but some of the tactical deficiencies. Adams’ defensive awareness, positional soundness, passing, and athleticism will all be crucial to have for Mexico.

Adams is perhaps the smartest (Soccer IQ) player USMNT currently has. No one reads and understands the game as well as he does. No one is able to process information and act accordingly mid-game as quickly as he is able to. No one is able to close down attackers and deny space as rapidly as him. Tyler is the most important player for the USMNT as of right now.

Every winning team, club or international, has a superb defensive midfielder. The USMNT is lucky to have Adams who at his ripe age of 22 is already proving to be one of the best young defensive midfielders in not only the Bundesliga, but the world. Adams has an incredible hunger to learn and improve which is why he will only continue to grow and excel with every passing year.

Tyler Adams may not grab all the headlines and may not have the flashiest highlight reels but his importance to the USMNT can’t be overstated.

USMNT

The Next USMNT Star That Never Was: Revisiting America’s Biggest Teenage Prospects

Published

3 weeks ago

September 25, 2026

Marcus O'Malley

Thomas Deschaine (@uskeeper on X and us_keeper on Instagram)

With the next wave of highly rated teenagers likely to be brought into the #USMNT during the 2030 World Cup cycle, I decided to look back at some of the young players who were once hyped as the next stars of the U.S. Men’s National Team but never established themselves as regular internationals.

Freddy Adu would seem to be at the top of this list. While he never became a regular for the #USMNT or the world-class face of U.S. Soccer many expected, he still earned 17 caps, scoring 2 goals and adding 3 assists. In many ways, he accomplished more at the international level than most of the players who are listed below combined.

Which former USMNT prospects did I miss, players who are no longer playing or are past their prime, who deserve to be on this list?

Cody Cropper – GK – 0 caps

U.S. youth international and longtime goalkeeper prospect who reached the Southampton and MLS systems but never earned a senior cap.

Junior Flores – AM – 0 caps

Creative midfielder who joined Borussia Dortmund’s system as a teenager and was viewed as a major U.S. prospect, but never reached the senior USMNT.

Eddie Gaven – MF/W – 8 caps

Teenage MLS phenom who became a league standout, but despite eight USMNT appearances, his international career never developed further.

Luis Gil – AM – 2 caps

One of the most hyped American midfield prospects of his generation; debuted for RSL at 16 but never translated that promise into a sustained USMNT career.

Emerson Hyndman – MF – 2 caps

Highly rated central midfielder who broke through at Fulham and earned two USMNT appearances, but never established himself internationally.

Perry Kitchen – DM/CB – 5 caps

U.S. youth captain and defensive midfielder who became a regular MLS starter, but his senior international career stalled after five caps.

Will Packwood – CB/DM – 0 caps

Birmingham City prospect who became the youngest American to play in the English Championship, but injuries severely disrupted his development.

Marc Pelosi – LB/CB – 0 caps

Highly regarded defender who moved to Liverpool as a teenager, but injuries and limited senior opportunities derailed his path to the USMNT.

Gedion Zelalem – MF – 0 caps

Arsenal wonderkid and one of the most highly regarded U.S. prospects of his generation. Injuries and inconsistent senior opportunities slowed his development, and he never made a senior USMNT appearance.

The number of young USMNT players in this September/October window is something we haven’t seen in quite some time. Some will catch the eye of newly extended USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino, while others may not, but all of them have an opportunity during this cycle to make their case for World Cup qualifying and, ultimately, a spot on the 2026 World Cup roster.

It all starts now, and it should be fun to follow their development over the next four years.

USMNT

Building the Next Generation: Who Should Be on Pochettino’s USMNT Radar?

Published

2 months ago

August 25, 2026

Thomas Deschaine

Thomas Deschaine (@uskeeper on X and us_keeper on Instagram)

Header_NextGen

With the USMNT manager in place and the new cycle underway it’s time for recently extended Mauricio Pochettino to get some new young players on his radar and what better time to do this than the September/October double FIFA window.

There are several U-23 players like Josh Wynder, Jalen Neal, Rokas Pukstas, Diego Kochen, Jonathan Gomez, Caleb Wiley, Cole Campbell, Chris Brady, Gaga, Slonina, Niko Tsakiris, Damion Downs, and Benjamin Cremaschi who have no caps order less than a handful with the USMNT.

Will USMNT snubs or overlooked players opportunities be during the 2030 cycle look like? Players like Diego Luna, Tanner Tessmann, Aidan Morris and Camron Carter-Vickers to name a few, we have to wonder how or if they will be part of this cycle of players. I would suggest some will likely get the opportunity in the early part of the cycle but will need to be performing n with their club to remain getting called back into camps.

Integrating a few of these youth USMNT players during each window for the first half of the cycle will allow Pochettino to evaluate them up close and see if there might be a role for them during this next cycle.

It’s extremely important that the USMNT have a few on their current U-20 teenagers’ breakthrough and become a reliable part of the USMNT in the second half of the cycle.

The below players will have an opportunity to play in next years U-20 World Cup being hosted by Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan as well as hopefully if their clubs release them being part of the 2028 Olympics USA Football squad to hopefully medal for the first time since 1904 when the US had two teams win Silver and Bronze. I think it’s also important to look at these players alongside some of the core USMNT in the upcoming window to see how they can integrate with one another.

Mathis Albert-17-Winger

Noahkai Banks-19-Centerback

Cole Campbell-20-Midfielder/Winger

Zavier Gozo-19-Winger

Julian Hall-18-Winger

Malik Jakupovic-17-Striker

Adri Mehmeti-17-Central Midfielder

Peyton Miller-18-Left Midfielder/Winger

Neil Pierre-18-Centerback

Cavan Sullivan-16-Attacking Midfielder

Whether we see all of these players, or just a handful, through the first half of the cycle, hopefully leading into another Copa América appearance, it’s clear that the time has come for Pochettino to begin integrating the next generation of USMNT players into the senior pool. How quickly that transition happens will be one of the most interesting storylines to follow.

USMNT

Mauricio Cuevas Taking “Huge Step Forward” in Liga MX

Published

2 months ago

August 9, 2026

Alex Calabrese

CHICAGO — Four years on from captaining the United States to their last CONCACAF Under-20 title, Mauricio Cuevas is quietly stepping back into the spotlight. Still only 23 years old, the talented right back just moved abroad, leaving his boyhood Los Angeles Galaxy for Liga MX side Santos Laguna in a summer move that slipped under the radar.

“To be able to get sold to a big club like Santos is a huge step forward for me,” Cuevas said in an exclusive interview this Saturday. “From the first day, I knew the challenge coming into it because the club hasn’t been meeting expectations in the past few years. Coming in and trying to be a difference-maker is something that I wanted. It’s a new challenge for me, and overall I’m just super excited.”

New Challenge in Mexico

As a teenager, Cuevas showcased himself as one of the country’s most exciting young fullbacks. Known for his technical prowess and set piece ability, the L.A. area native spent time at Belgium’s Club Brugge before returning to the Galaxy in 2023. There, he won an MLS Cup in 2024, appearing 78 times in total before his departure this summer.

“It’s always tough leaving home,” Cuevas said. “Obviously, it’s my boyhood club. My family still lives there, and I was great with all the guys at the club as well. I knew everybody, from the staff and the front office to the coaches. It’s never easy when you’re leaving home.”

“Honestly, the people in Torreón and Santos have all welcomed me with open arms since the first day. They’re all amazing people. It’s an amazing club and an amazing city.”

The move to Liga MX made sense from a number of angles; Santos manager Renato Paiva wanted a new right back, Cuevas’s Galaxy contract was winding down, and his Mexican passport made a move south of the border quite easy. Since joining, Santos have faced an extremely difficult run of games against CF Monterrey, Atlas, Club América, and New York City FC — all of which Cuevas started.

“It’s been great, to be honest,” Cuevas said of his adjustment to life in Torreón. “There hasn’t been much of an adjustment tactics-wise or playing-wise because Renato, our head coach, has similar concepts to what we had at the Galaxy. The players are really good as well. There’s so much quality on the team.”

“The only thing I’ve probably had to get adjusted to is the weather. It’s a little too hot out there, the sun is beaming a lot. But I love it, man. It’s a super-calm city. It’s beautiful, with great food and great people.”

Back in the U.S.

The game against NYCFC came in Leagues Cup, a competition with a razor-thin margin for error. To advance past the first round, teams ideally need to earn at least seven points from their three matches; after losing to New York City, qualification for the knockout rounds is now nearly impossible for Santos. They’ll face Gregg Berhalter, Robert Lewandowski, and the Chicago Fire on Sunday (8 p.m. Eastern Time on Apple TV) in a game where anything but a win in 90 minutes would certainly eliminate them.

“I think we go into every game with the belief that every game is a must-win for us, so that doesn’t really change much. We know now that there’s more on top of that, we have even more reason to win. We’re just focused on ourselves tomorrow. We had a long travel day yesterday, so it’s all about recovery now and setting a game plan that puts us in the best position to win.”

Having started against the Fire at Soldier Field in 2024 and facing former youth national team teammates Chris Brady and Sergio Oregel, Cuevas will hope to give something extra in this game and help keep Santos alive in the tournament.

“Any tournament that this club steps into, we always have that goal in mind of wanting to bring that trophy back to Mexico, back to Torreón with us. We’re a competitive club. We’re one of the best clubs, history-wise, in Mexico, so we know what this badge carries.”

USYNT Hero

Coincidentally enough, the U.S. U-20s advanced to a fifth consecutive CONCACAF final on Friday, setting up a date with hosts Mexico at Estadio Azteca on Sunday. The semifinal win also qualified the U.S. for next year’s Pan American Games in Lima, ensuring qualification for back-to-back editions.

In addition to being a central figure in the last U.S. U-20 CONCACAF victory in 2022, Cuevas was part of the last Pan Am Games team in 2023; the U.S. finished fourth in an unusual competition that included several intriguing names like Sergio Oregel, Brooklyn Raines, Danny Leyva, and a then-relatively unknown Alex Freeman. For Cuevas, that tournament was a special memory, and one he remembers fondly.

“I remember the whole trip, to be honest. I made a lot of great friends and met a lot of great people on and off the field, from the staff to the players – people I’m still in contact with. There are some that are in Liga MX as well, Nico (Carrera), Antonio (Carrera), Danny (Leyva).”

“Every player from that age group and that camp has been doing great. It’s lovely to see, to be honest, seeing everybody shine.”

On the immediate horizon for the U.S. is Sunday’s U-20 final (6:00 p.m. Eastern Time on FS2). The Americans will be hoping that this year’s final is more reminiscent of Cuevas’ age group (a 6-0 final win over the Dominican Republic) than the 2024 edition (a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Mexico). As is often the case, the U.S. and Mexico will be without many of their top youth players for the tournament due to its concurrence with club games, but that has opened the door for others.

“We have two players from (Santos) that are representing Mexico, so congrats to them,” Cuevas said. “Huge shout out to (LA Galaxy’s) Ruben Ramos as well and Dylan Vanney, who are with the U.S.; they’ve been killing it. I’m just happy for all those guys. Proud of those guys.”