Tyler Adams calls USMNT rift between players ‘strangest thing’

Tyler Adams became the latest U.S. Men’s National Team player to comment on the growing rift between current and former players. 

The USMNT captain addressed the topic during an interview with The Athletic that was published this week, calling the disconnect “the strangest thing.” 

Former players who have become pundits have been critical of the current national team amid struggles by the program in recent years. 

Things took an uglier turn recently after star Christian Pulisic decided to skip the Gold Cup this summer, drawing the ire of USMNT alumni, including Landon Donovan. 

“I can’t even explain it,” Adams said about the rift between the current and former players. “I’m not a social media guy, so I don’t follow anything, but when people bring up some of the things that are being said and some of the stories that are being created, it feels weird, because it feels like not long ago that every single one of those people were on board with, like, the direction that the federation was going and how well the players were doing. And it feels like any setback, is [treated] like a disaster is happening. Do you know what I mean?

“And that happens in football. I get it. Some people have jobs where their job is to speak about the sport, and if that’s their opinion, that’s their opinion. My goal is to try to create an environment, especially within our team, where guys feel like they can go out, be themselves, be comfortable. We’re all on the same page and want to grow the sport in America. People’s opinions are people’s opinions at the end of the day.”

Adams also defended Pulisic for the decision that he made and pushed back at the notion that he had anything to prove to the group.

The comments came the same week as comments by Pulisic and Timothy Weah caught attention in a Paramount+ documentary, which featured an episode where the two USMNT players slammed critics for their comments surrounding the Pulisic drama. 

Alexi Lalas, a former USMNT player and current Fox Sports soccer pundit, responded to Adams’ comments this week on his “State of the Union Podcast,“ calling Adams “immature and naive.”

“This was a strangely immature and naive and weak kind of take,” Lalas said.  “Not that he’s defending Christian Pulisic, because we’re all going to do that. But the way he seemed to think that there should be no criticism and we should all be kumbaya.”