The Captain presented by Verizon: Tyler Adams on Bournemouth’s Expectations, USMNT Gold Cup Lessons, and Mauricio Pochettino’s Culture 08/14/25

18:00Those are world class players in their positions, and we get to add them back into our team leading into a World Cup. They're going to be fresh, they're going to be ready, and they're going to give us a completely different outlook

18:07Tyler Adams:on how we're going to be able to play. But was it frustrating for you to experience that summer without the best possible players to get battle-hardened together? You said afterwards, to be quite frank with you, I was happy I was even able to make it through the tournament. Was my body in a position to play at the highest level come Gold Cup? No chance. But I know I have to be there and try and support these boys. Listen, that's my personal situation that I was in. That was one of my first full seasons in a really, really long time. But those guys are some of my best friends, guys that I grew up playing with.

18:37If they have to take a rest for their body to put them in the best position, we're going to get the best version of them come a World Cup, and that's what matters. For me, again, we're going to build something throughout these next international windows that we have coming up to be able to build confidence going into the World Cup. And I'm confident now that even after the Gold Cup as well, that we're going to have depth more than ever. We've built a competitive nature within the team to fight for spots, to fight for positions. They trust in themselves, the coaches trust in the players that were there.

19:03And I think it's going to be special.

19:04Tyler Adams:The US get back together September on October for four more friendlies. Do you feel like a clock is ticking? There's the World Cup being 11 months away. In football terms, does that feel like a lifetime? Because there's so much to come between then? Or is it starting to creep in and the reality, the pressure is starting to build? Feels so far away. People asked me that about when we were going to play in Qatar as well before in the lead up to Qatar. And that was in the winter and I said it felt so far away. So I can't even think about the summer right now. It's amazing to think and I think people are really excited about it obviously coming to the US.

19:36But it's just so far away still. Like so much can happen between now and then. You're going to see players break through that that weren't even in the national team picture that have a chance of making the World Cup squad. Some players might not even make the World Cup squad. You don't know how it pans out. So many things can change. So I'm fortunate to be in a great situation here at my club. That gives me the best chance to play well, hopefully, come a World Cup. But there's just so much time between now and then.

19:57Tyler Adams:Been almost a year since Mauricio Pochettino took over the US squad. From the inside, how has his approach changed over the last 11 months? What's changed since he began? Obviously, when he first took over, I wasn't a part of the first two or three camps. So I didn't really have an opportunity to work with him. And then this past March, I had the opportunity to work with him the first time while we were in California for the Nations League, which was great to start that process. But now after Gold Cup, I have a completely different outlook. After you work with someone for five or six weeks, the relationship becomes stronger.

20:26You start to create bonds with not only him, but the assistant coaches, the athletic coaches that he brings with him and create real relationships. So now the communication is there. The relationship is there. There's something to build off of seeing how he works on the training pitch every day and how much time he puts into the team is amazing. And he's just a personable person. So he's really relatable. You can have talks about your family, walking the dog, whatever it is, because that's what he enjoys doing. He loves talking about going to Whole Foods and finding different things in Whole Foods, you know, just like typical things, which is which makes you realize, oh, he's he's normal, too.

20:57So, yeah, we shared a lot of similarities throughout this camp. And I think we've grown to become a lot closer.

21:03Tyler Adams:Well, shout out to Elsa, the dog. What have you learned about him or from him over the last 11 months that you didn't know this time last year? I've learned how important the culture is of the teams that he manages, how that's by far the most important thing that you treat everyone, not only in the team, but the support staff, the people that are around you working at hotels that you go to all with the utmost respect. And it's not something that I didn't know to do, but it's something that he really, really values from every single player in the team. And I think that's why so many people around the world respect him, especially off of the field.

21:37And then on the field, his attention to detail. You'll do something over and over and over again until he likes what he sees. And I think that challenges you to be at your best every day. You know, even when you don't feel good or you had just played or you need to get ready, it's the preparation which is going to breed success. And he's definitely emphasized that. Conversely, what do you hope or think that he's learned about you? I hope he's learned that I'm a leader, someone that he can depend on. Obviously, I know that he trusts me. We had a relationship before even, you know, the national team, just because of the chance that I was going to go to Chelsea and the conversations that we had.

22:07So I know that that's there. But now he challenges me every single day and I know that he's pushing me to try and take that next step, which for me is super important in my career.

22:16Tyler Adams:One of the most challenging storylines of the summer was the fan turnout, which was extremely poor for the early games. And then the sellouts down the stretch were because of the Guatemalan Americans coming on to cheer their team. You already said 70 ,000 Mexican Americans there for the final. You know, there's no doubt that US soccer has lost its connection to the fan base. You're out. The energy level should be kind of Savannah Bananas-esque. Do the players feel that? Do you get back to the locker room after warmups and think, woof, where is everybody? And how do we get it back? Oh, without a doubt.

22:50You want fans to come out and support. Obviously, you want to win games because that's going to attract people to come out and be happy with the product that's on display. At the same time, I would say that in the lead up to 2022, when we had a qualifying process and people knew what was on the line, every stadium we played in was sold out. Whether we played in Cincinnati, whether we played in Columbus, when we played in Minnesota and it was freezing outside. All of those games, because they knew if we don't win, we might not have the opportunity to play in a World Cup. They were coming out and supporting because they wanted to push us.

23:21Now it just seems like because we've kind of already qualified and there's no qualifying process that people just probably believe that the games don't mean as much. I don't know. I'm just speaking out there, but that's just what it feels like. So I hope that through these friendlies, we're able to build something a little bit more special and show the fans that they have something to root for. Because we already know that come a World Cup, there's going to be fans in the stand because it's a World Cup. But obviously you want to build that for just every game in general, just to build that culture.

23:51Evening.

23:51Tyler Adams:Buyer's remorse. Buy a new car? I'll be moving in. Let's get started. Sorry, I think there's been a mistake. I bought it from Carvana. You what? Yeah, great price. I even have seven days to love it or return it. So there's no... No, no buyer's remorse. More like buyer's rejoice? I guess I'll let myself out. Congratulations. I mean it. Buyers rejoice. Buy your car today on Carvana. Limitations and exclusions may apply. See our seven-day return policy at Carvana.com. Let's talk about the Premier League. Bournemouth, your Golden War cherries, just wrapped the pre-season, including the Summer Series stage in America.

24:30Tyler Adams:Matches against Everton, West Ham, and tournament winners, Manchester United. Oh, champions of the Summer Series, you'll never sing that. Tyler, this time last year, you were recovering from back surgery. You missed out on the entire pre-season. How are you feeling? What are you trying to learn about yourself and from the team in these early stages? For me, it was one of the most special things to be a part of this preseason, even though I came a little bit late because they gave me a little extra time off. Missing out on last season and having to be there as a fan while the team was playing in the US was a bummer.

24:59And then now being here this season and being able to see the support that we've gained and the growth of Bournemouth and how there's fans around the world now is something truly special. And I love to be able to play a role in that. So, you know, showing the guys around Chicago was just a fun feeling. You know, looking up in the stands, seeing jerseys with your name on the back of them. That's a Bournemouth jersey, something I would have never imagined. So it's a proud moment for me. I feel like I've come a long way since last year, obviously not just with the amount of games that I've played, but just the level that I'm able to play at now is something that I'm really happy with.

25:29Yeah, I mean, you're all feeling that. The preseason allows you to do what? Yeah, people don't understand that playing friendly games going into a season where there's not the pressure to necessarily perform at your best, but to get your body in the best shape possible. gives you the complete run-in to perform at a high level come Premier League season. So for me, that's the most important thing where you don't have to be flying into tackles. I mean, I do still, but you don't have to be flying into tackles in preseason. You don't need to necessarily be putting your body on the line. You need to get your body primed to do that during the season.

25:59So you use those games to build confidence in yourself and be ready to perform come the season.

26:03Tyler Adams:My favorite part of the summer was watching you go to the home of the Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears. It was amazing. Hopefully they win a Super Bowl soon. I mean this season baby you're a Bears fan oh my god it's crazy watching you with QB1 I know it was good it was fun genuinely it was like so much sporting joy for me in that room I'm slowly being converted into a Bears fan are you really? I mean everyone's trying god bless everyone yeah including me this is by the way this is my favourite part my favourite conversation we ever had what's it like when you meet Caleb Williams oh it was cool what do you guys talk about when you're there we just talked about life he talked about how he used to play soccer We talked about a little bit about his time at USC and what that was like.

26:45But it's just fun being able to like be in the U.S. and actually make like network with people and make connections with people. Because like when you're in England, like people don't really understand like the Premier League is everything. You know what I mean? And when you're a Premier League player, like you play against those players. It's not like you're meeting them and doing everything. Whereas when you're in the U.S., like you can meet baseball players, basketball players, football players, like other athletes and like listen to their stories, their lives, which have a lot of similarities but are also very different.

27:10And it's just like fun to have that exposure. So, you know, to meet someone like that, who's like you said, QB1 for the Chicago Bears and just like dealing with different pressures and what he's going through and looking at their schedule, it's like similar, but a little bit more rigorous than our schedule.

27:25Tyler Adams:Did he really used to play football? Yeah, he did. What was he, a striker? He was a striker, I think, back in the day. Caleb Williams, right? Caleb Williams. Yeah, he said he was a favorite footballer. Yeah, yeah. Was. He said he could be. I don't like to say he may be the number nine of America's footballers. Oh, no. We just found him. This is amazing. But I'd get so excited when you were there. It was like me watching a 2026 Super Bowl winner talk to a World Cup winner. Have you been there or no? Yeah. Oh, it's amazing. I've kicked field goals. Did you? Yeah, man. Oh, man. We didn't get a chance to do that.

27:5670 yards, piece of piss.

27:58Tyler Adams:I know, you should not be there. I'm just an insurance season. Let's talk about Bournemouth. Season of transition over the summer. 20-year-old centre-back Dean Housen going to rail Madrid after just one season on the south coast you know that energizer left back Milos Kerkhez heading north to Liverpool at the same time zero people were talking about Dean Housen being one of the best centre-backs in the league this time last year for the inside how does it feel when these players leave are you just like I trust the recruitment guys they're going to replace and replenish for me it's not even about the recruitment guys I'm just so happy for my teammates.

28:34Do you know what I mean? Because you build relationships with these guys and to see Dean blossom as he did this season, kudos to him because he worked extremely hard this season and he deserves every bit of it. But it's a dream of any player to go to Real Madrid. And when you see it come true for him, a Spanish kid who grew up in Spain, supported Real Madrid as a kid. Now I'm a fan of Real Madrid because I want to watch him succeed. So that's really special to see. And for Milos, obviously I played the past two seasons with him and we knew the potential that he had and last season just showed that potential.

29:05And he's going to go on to do amazing things. He's a top player and he's just an amazing person. So as people, you just want to see them succeed. But yeah, our recruitment is incredible. I mean, they recruited those players. They brought them in knowing that eventually maybe they would leave. So you trust the recruitment to bring in players of similar stature, so to speak, that have the potential to go on and do the same thing. So we've brought in a few players already that are top players. And yeah, everything takes time, but it's a transition period. We'll be all right.

29:30Tyler Adams:We are less than a week away from that first game, which is against Liverpool. You'll be playing against Milos. How will that feel? Yeah, a little bit weird. Hopefully we get a chance to tackle each other.

29:43Tyler Adams:What's it? I mean, you think, God, that is some test for the first game. Is it like tactically, you're just hoping they're still hungover from the Ibiza trip? Yeah. For me, it's the best game to play for the first game of the season. Just in terms of, for a lot of the new players, it's like, okay, this is what the Premier League is. Like you come to the Premier League to play these games, to play against the best of the best. You see the players that they've brought in, the money that they've spent. Like this is what we're playing against and what we're dealing with. And it's a game that everyone will be able to get up for.

30:12I think if you play against a team that you're 100 % expected to win and you don't necessarily win, then your season starts off a little bit bumpy. Whereas you go into this game fearless, nothing to lose and anything can happen.

30:23Tyler Adams:I adore Bournemouth. I love the story. I love the ethos of the team. I love the fan base. I love the whole big picture journey. Last season, ninth place finishing at Ty's a club's record points haul in the Premier League. What are your expectations for this season ahead for both yourself and for the club? I think from a personal level, it was good to play so many games last season, but I was like nowhere near the level that Tyler Adams is supposed to be at. Do you know what I mean? So now it's about getting to the level that I know I'm capable of playing at over the 40 games this season. Which is what, Tony?

30:57last season it was like you'd have a good game you'd have some some average games never never a bad game necessarily but not so many great ones and I'm capable of playing a lot more great ones so already this season after having three weeks off my body just feels in a good spot being able to have some preseason games now I just think that you'll see a different version of me this season I'm confident to be able to give that to the team and be an important part of the team and from a collective I think yeah finishing ninth place last year was great we need to continue to try to build off of that.

31:25But we just need to be consistent throughout the season. I think that's the most important part. You know, even last season we had, we struggled a little bit throughout a period and that probably could have changed a lot of things. Whereas I think if we're just more consistent and stay kind of even keel, then we'll be able to continue to be ninth and better or finish even to achieve more things.

31:41Tyler Adams:So this is hard to believe it's your third season playing with Andoni Erola, the two of you as manager and player, right within a couple of weeks of each other, summer 2023. What's his message been to you, to the team this preseason? What's he said about the season together? One of the first things he said to our team was, we finished ninth last year and we've sold a player to Real Madrid, a player to Liverpool, and look how hard we had to work in order to finish ninth in the Premier League. And I think that's just a little bit of a realization and a wake-up call to a lot of players that are now coming into the Premier League for the first season.

32:13So we need to work extremely hard this year, even harder than we have, in order to achieve the same, if not more. That's sort of been his message to us. We have the ability to do that, but we need to continue to work hard.

32:22Tyler Adams:What will make this season a success for you? It's so hard to say. I think the goal for the club in general needs to continue to try and build progressively. To finish ninth or above the season would be another good season. And it's laying the foundation of what the team should achieve every season. So listen, we have the players to do that. We now have the infrastructure to do that where we're at a world-class training ground. So now it's about, yeah, for me finishing ninth and above. The last few questions were all submitted by users in the Men in Blazers Discord channel. We're building a community of fans who won't have a place to talk about the game when they're up in the house at 2 a.m.

32:58Tyler Adams:and no one else is awake. Tyler, by the way, don't worry. The username WappingersWarCherry is available. We're keeping it for you. But the first question comes from Charm City Toffee who wants to know, Tyler, who's the most American non-American that you play with at Bournemouth? Lewis Cook, by far. He loves the U.S. It's so funny. He'll talk to me and be like, oh, do you go to Whole Foods when you're home? Or like, do you do? I'm like, yeah, yeah. Like I go to Whole Foods and he just like, he like travels. He's a tourist of the US. He loves being in the US, but he knows more about America than I do probably.

33:30Tyler Adams:He's down to like, he's down to his like fruit and veg aisles at the supermarket. Without a doubt. He's in deep. That boy is in deep. Without a doubt. He's the guy. You need something in the US, he'll probably have a connection more than me. NBA fan as well. Is that like a big draw? I think he's, I don't know if he's a huge NBA fan. NBA, NFL. He follows a little bit of everything. Is it big in the locker room, the NBA? Huge. All the players love NBA. The French guys love NBA too. I mean, you have Victor Weminiama, why wouldn't you? But yeah, they love it. They love it. And it is. Since you've been here, have you noticed that?

33:59Tyler Adams:It's the NBA going from like a periphery curiosity to like 18. Yeah, a little bit. But I think also having the games in Europe now, they have some games in Paris, sometimes in London. Guys try to get to go to the games. So it's just growing. I mean, it's huge right now. There's a lot of good European players in the NBA right now, so a lot of them follow it. Jack Grims wants to know, Tyler, what is your favourite British food? Sunday roast, so, yeah. It's happening right after this. Probably going today. Yeah, Yorkshire, 97 % made of Yorkshire pudding in about half an hour's time. I would have actually gone with the whole entire front page of the menu at Shea Fred.

34:35Tyler Adams:Bournemouth's iconic fish. Is that a good shout? Yeah, it's good. God, it's really... Have you been? I go every time and it's closed on a Sunday. Of course, of course. It's the spot. Here's the spot. One from I Believe That We Will Whinge. That's an excellent name. Who wants to know, what team in any sport do you believe is the boomer of the United States? I would say Rutgers. I think that they achieved probably even above and beyond what they could have. But yeah, they have a solid team. A lot of breakout stars this year. Some good draft picks as well. Look at you. To praise New Jersey, it's taken every ounce of like, Ambassadorship in your body.

35:15The only good thing about jerseys is they pump your gas for you.

35:18Tyler Adams:That's about it. That is Taylor Ham erasure. And also Port Roll erasure to the other side. I think Wake Forest, like 5 ,000, is it 6 ,000 students? Is that it? Yeah, yeah. Fighting Clemson, fighting Virginia Tech. There you are. Is it only 5 ,000? That's what they'll say about it. Is it only 11 ,000 fans they have at Bournemouth? That's what the world's going to say. Chris Paul, Tim Duncan, honestly, God bless. You better get Bill Foley to buy Wake Forest. Our Punk Koala asks, as part of the ownership group of Westchester Soccer Club, which you joined in January of this year, also God bless the Hudson Hammers, how do you see the USL's role in the US football pyramid as they add more tiers?

35:58Yeah, I think it's super important, especially that they're adopting the promotion relegation as well to add pressure in that sense. But I think the attraction for a lot of these USL clubs is now they're looking in Europe, they're looking in South America, they're looking in Central America. and it's giving these kids a platform. And USL is obviously not the furthest step in development. There's young, good players there as well. And I think the best thing about the US is we just need to give these players more opportunities to play professional football. So when you look at the English landscape, for instance, and how many tiers there are, if you're not ready, then you go to a league that's a little bit lower, develop, and then you have an opportunity to play at a higher level.

36:33So yeah, for me, investing in that was more, not only for the club in the area, but for these young kids to be given an opportunity to play at a high level. So, you know, I started somewhere. I started in New York Red Bull 2, which was in the USL at that time, then was able to develop to play in MLS. There's no reason that these other kids can't.

36:49Tyler Adams:God bless the first Hudson Hammer to Premier League journey is going to be a documentary we need to make. John Arsenic says, Tyler, you played in the US two summers in a row ahead of the World Cup. What are your honest thoughts and concerns about the playing surfaces, the weather? What do you think the organizers should do, could do to protect the players and the game? Honestly, it's, I mean, it's not a hard question to answer. Play in more soccer specific stadiums because that's what they're, they're made for. Obviously you want to sell more tickets and have, you know, larger fan bases, which is great, but then why not make soccer specific stadiums bigger so that when you have these events, you're able to actually play in soccer specific stadiums.

37:28I think it's great to go to MetLife and play, but when you're laying grass down, you know, two or three days before a game, it's never going to be a great playing surface and the quality of the game is never going to be that high. So I think it's a concern to some players because obviously the risk of injury goes up. I mean, you saw in Nations League, Alphonso Davies get injured. I don't know if that's the pitch or what it is, but obviously that's a factor in it and that should never be a situation that any player has to be in. So we want to give you the best product of soccer we can possibly put out there for fans, but to play on these bad surfaces isn't a great, great look.

37:58Tyler Adams:And when you played in Minnesota in minus 20, you welcome a bit of heat. I'd rather that. I'd rather that. The weather is crazy. I mean, especially the Club World Cup this year, like seeing the thunderstorms and stuff like that. that's definitely something that we probably didn't think too much about but yeah it'll be interesting i mean by the way we were getting like texts from germany uh saying it's so hot how are you playing the world cup and i'd look at the weather in germany it was like 94 degrees in berlin they have no idea it's like even everyone on our team this this summer series was like it's so hot in chicago and i was like this is just humidity this it's not that hot out it's like i grew up playing in it and it's normal so every time we go and play in like gold cup and this stuff and they're like oh the level is not that high i'm like you're also not playing in 100 to 10 degree heat every game.

38:39You know what I mean? Like, it's a little bit different.

38:41Tyler Adams:Oh my God, I've got to tell you. I'm sweating my balls off here in Bournemouth as we're speaking. US Specialist 3887 wants to know if American players view clubs with American owners differently when they're playing in Europe. Does playing a club with an American owner like you do at Bournemouth, is it something you think about or is it an irrelevancy? Oh no, I absolutely think about it. Bill Foley doesn't treat me differently than any other player, but to have that relationship with someone where he's invested in the game as much as I try to invest myself in the game and work here every day to try and grow as a player.

39:12It's just great to see that they care about the game. And I think that's going to help the growth of soccer in America without a doubt because his influence that he's having here in the Premier League is an influence that will go across the pond as well. So yeah, we have a great relationship. I'm very happy to have an American owner.

39:26Tyler Adams:Glenn says, we will not hold you to this prediction, Tyler, but if you can only choose one outcome in 2026, Would it be for Bournemouth to go full Leicester and win the Premier League or for the US men's national team to win the World Cup? I'm sorry. You can only have one. You can only choose one. I mean, winning the World Cup is without a doubt the biggest thing you can win. So winning the World Cup. Winning the World Cup with Bournemouth. Club World Cup. Like Son Hung Min's going to win the World Cup with America. Tyler, last question for you. We are 305 days away from the World Cup as we speak, a World Cup on home turf.

40:07Tyler Adams:Can this end in all seriousness by asking you, speaking to the American fan base, let us know what we should be looking forward to about all that is to come. What should we be feeling most positive about as we charge to this really once in a generation moment? Yeah, I think that, you know, what I'm most excited about personally is that, you know, especially after the summer is a fearless group. I think we're going to go out there and give it everything. And I think playing in front of home fans, on home soil, in front of friends and family is going to give us that extra push that we really need.

40:36So I think within these next 300 days, you're going to see a lot of players develop at a different level, playing regular football, everyone getting healthy again, taking the time that they need. And then I think in the summer, it's going to be a real push. I think it's going to be exciting. I think it's going to be something that everyone wants to get up for and support. I think Qatar was just a glimpse of what we were capable of. And I think we're going to be ready to push for more now.

40:55Tyler Adams:From your mouth to God's ear, to you, your family, your wife, your team, this season. Big, big love. Thank you. Appreciate it. Courage.

41:25Tyler Adams:treasure map required. Did you have to find a dragon? Nope. She bought it 100 % online from her bed, actually. Was it scary? Honey, it was as unscary as car buying could be. Did the car have a sunroof? It did, actually. Okay, good story. Car buying you'll want to tell stories about. Buy your car today on Carvana. Delivery fees may apply.