The RB Leipzig star says that the team will need to dig deep in preparation for World Cup qualifiers
U.S. men’s national team midfielder Tyler Adams says the group must have an “all or nothing” mentality once the international game resumes.
Like the rest of the sport worldwide, international soccer has been completely shut down as a result of the coronavirus.
The U.S. saw March friendlies against Wales and the Netherlands cancelled as a result of the outbreak, with the status of the CONCACAF Nations League also to be determined.
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With World Cup qualifying scheduled to begin in September, the U.S. will likely have little time to prepare for their push towards Qatar in 2022.
Adams, meanwhile, hasn’t featured for the U.S. since March 2019, having dealt with injuries throughout the past year that have kept him away from the national team.
Now healthy and playing for RB Leipzig, Adams is looking forward to returning, especially since he knows that there will be pressure to provide immediate results.
“I really have to prepare myself that the next time I put on the U.S. jersey, it’s all or nothing, there’s no more preparation matches,” Adams told ESPN. “It’s either you go out there and win or we’re not going to another World Cup.”
He added: “It’s unbelievably odd. For me it’s even more odd because I haven’t played with the national team in a year.”
CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani said in April that the format for the federation’s World Cup qualifiers may have to change due to the pandemic.
Those matches could also be postponed, as there is plenty of uncertainty regarding the return of international soccer.
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When those matches do take place, though, the U.S. will feature a very young squad that has been almost completely remolded from the group that failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
“I think for a lot of guys it’s going to be different because you might see guys get called into a [World Cup] qualifier that I’ve never been into camp [with] before,” Adams said, “but you have to find a way to get your best players on the field, so it’ll be interesting.”
Adams has played twice for RB Leipzig since the Bundesliga’s return from its coronavirus hiatus, with the former New York Red Bulls star featuring as a right back in Wednesday’s 2-2 draw with Hertha Berlin.
