Tyler Adams was named captain of the U.S. team before their first World Cup game against Wales on Monday. Head coach Gregg Berhalter said that the midfielder was “mature beyond his years.”
“We’re happy to say that Tyler will be the World Cup captain,” Berhalter said on Sunday. “He leads by what he does and says, and we’re proud to have him as a captain.”
The head coach said that the team was involved in the decision. He started a vote among the players in September, and about 35 people took part.
“Tyler is the kind of guy who is just so wise for his age, and you can tell that as soon as you talk to him,” Berhalter said. “And, you know, I could go on and on about Tyler’s strengths, but I think the other thing about him is that he’s humble, and his teammates know what to expect from him,” Berhalter said.
“They know he’ll go out on the field and compete, and they know he’ll be thinking about the game. They know that he won’t just be a competitor but also interested in the details of the game. He’s also good at making plans. I think that helps the group because, you know, he calms people down. And he’s the guy everyone backs.”
Adams was a big part of the USMNT in the years before the World Cup. He played in the Concacaf qualifying cycle, which helped get the USMNT to Qatar. He has played 32 times for the United States and scored one goal. His first game was on November 14, 2017, against Portugal.
He is now one of the youngest players to be given the captain’s armband in a World Cup. At age 23, he is younger than Clint Dempsey (31), Carlos Bocanegra (31), Claudio Reyna (28 and 32), Tony Meola (25), and Mike Windischmann, who were all captains before him (24).
Adams said, “Obviously, being named captain of this team is a huge honour for me.”
“This is a very young team, but I give a lot of credit to my teammates because anyone in our leadership council can wear that armband and represent us with pride and in the right way…. We’ve agreed that we all lead in different ways, so anyone can stand in for us on any given day and do a good job.”
The USMNT will play their first World Cup game on Monday against Wales. They will then play England and Iran, who are also in Group B.
Tyler Adams was named captain of the U.S. team for the FIFA world cup 2022.
