da bwin： The midfielder is on a pitch count, but USMNT's Gregg Berhalter will have to unleash Tyler Adams at Copa America

da poker： Tyler Adams wanted more, as he usually does. You can't blame him. After spending the better part of a year-and-a-half on the sideline, the U.S. men's national team's star midfielder is back healthy just in time for the Copa America, and seems eager to make up for lost time.

If it was up to Adams, he'd be out there kicking ass for all 90 minutes. But, in these initial moments of this tournament, it isn't up to Adams. It's up to Gregg Berhalter and the USMNT coaching staff and they have a primary job to do: protect their midfield star.

That's why Adams came off a bit earlier than he expected in the USMNT's 2-0 tournament-opening win over Bolivia. Was he frustrated? Yes. Did he want to stay on? Yes. But did he understand? Begrudgingly, also yes.

"That was the plan," Adams said when asked if he hoped to play into the second half, "but he [Berhalter] changed the plan. He's the coach. He said, 'We'll check in at halftime and see how you feel.' I told him that I felt fine. He still took me out, so that's his plan."

Adams' response wasn't a shot at Berhalter. The USMNT midfielder wasn't rocking the boat or looking to make a headline. Again, he was just frustrated to not contribute more. Those moments are coming, though, and they're coming fast.

As the USMNT marches through this tournament, continuing with Thursday's group stage match with Panama, they're going to need Adams. If the U.S. wants to achieve this summer's aims, the 2022 World Cup captain will need to be a key part of it all. He's arguably the team's most important difference-maker, and when he's at his best, so is the USMNT.

On the field and off of it, Adams remains a USMNT leader – and his teammates are eager to follow. And, as the bigger battles loom, how often Berhalter deploys Adams is a key to this USMNT's run.

GettyInjury hell

It's been more than a year and a half since the USMNT's 2022 World Cup dream ended. Adams was the captain that day, but was unable to save the USMNT in a 3-1 loss to the Netherlands. And that was the most recent image of Adams in a USMNT shirt: slumped on the field in sadness on a hot evening in Qatar.

Injury issues kept him away from the team for over a year. First, it was a hamstring injury at Leeds. Then, it was another at Bournemouth. The USMNT marched on through all of 2023 without their World Cup captain, who made his triumphant return in the CONCACAF Nations League earlier this year with a stunning goal against Mexico.

Shortly after, another injury. Back spasms this time, putting Adams back on the shelf. In total, he played just four times for Bournemouth all season. That was tough for the notoriously competitive Adams, a player who has always been supremely reliable for club and country.

During his time away, he learned. The birth of his son gave him a new worldview while helping ease the frustration that came with being away from the game.

"It's been tough," Adams told GOAL ahead leading into the Copa America. "A lot of ups and downs in the past year or year and a half, just dealing with injuries, obviously. You go from being a player who can obviously play every game to just having to find this patience and learn how to build up the body in the right way in order to withstand the intensity of these games.

"For me, I'm always positive, man. I just welcomed the son into his world and that changed my perspective a lot, to be honest with you. Having him to come home to every day, there's something bigger for me, so I'm able to do what I do on the field with ease now. Whenever I have the opportunity to do what I love, I just enjoy every moment. I'm working hard to get back to full fitness, and I know it will come."

AdvertisementGettyBuilding up fitness

Despite his enthusiasm, Adams is a realist. He's played just 261 minutes since March 2023, and jumping straight into a tournament as physical as the Copa America is a big ask.

That's why Berhalter is building him up slowly. That's also why these last few weeks of training have been key to Adams' road to recovery.

"I went from playing 90 minutes every game to not being able to play 90 minutes," Adams said ahead of the Bolivia game. "Eventually I'll be able to play 90 minutes again. It's just a waiting game right now.

"I was probably in a better spot in March because I was training with [Bournemouth] for a really long time before they let me play my first game. Right before that March window, it must have been like eight or nine weeks, which is almost like a mini-preseason for me.

"This time around I've obviously only had two or three weeks after this season, so it's a little bit different, but I'm going to continue pushing."

GettyStarting against Bolivia

It was something of a surprise, then, to see Adams named to the starting XI for the Copa America opener against Bolivia. It was expected Adams would play some part if needed, but many assumed it would be in a substitute appearance designed to stretch the legs out once the game was, hopefully, long over.

Instead, Adams played the first 45, showing signs that he was getting closer to his old self. The energy was there, as was the defending as Adams helped marshall the field in a dominant U.S. win. Bolivia were never going to threaten the U.S. simply based on talent, but Adams helped make sure there would be no slip-ups in the first half.

At the start of the second, though, he was out, replaced by Yunus Musah. According to Adams, he was planning on playing a bit deeper but, according to Berhalter, that wasn't ever his intention. Berhalter can respect Adams' frustration and his desire but, at the end of the day, he had to make the call.

“Guess what he said at halftime?" Berhalter said. "Want to take a guess? ‘Coach, can I play more?’ And I was like, ‘Dude, we’ve been down this road, man. We don’t need to have this conversation right now. I’m trying to get clips ready for halftime and trying to get some analysis done.'

“Of course, he wants to stay on the field…that’s Tyler. How much he means to the team, you see his attitude and his intensity, and he’s a guy that we want on the field, but we just have to be careful. And the plan from the get-go was 45 minutes, and we stuck to the plan.”

Getty'He has that aura'

For members of the USMNT, having Adams in the XI matters. He's a security blanket for everyone on the field, someone who can be relied on to do the dirty work many other players aren't willing, or able, to do.

You can add leadership qualities, too. There's a reason Adams was selected as USMNT captain in Qatar, making him the youngest American man to wear the armband at a World Cup. Adams is a player who commands respect, and one who knows what it takes to motivate and lead.

"I think it's one of the reasons that he's considered one of our captains is because of his aura that he has, whether it's him leading from the sidelines or him leading on the pitch," said U.S. defender Chris Richards. "I think he's looked sharp over the last few weeks and we're hopefully looking forward to him contributing."