There is a new Captain America of the U.S. Men’s National Team in the wake of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. But the new captain is actually an old one as midfielder Tyler Adams was appointed to the position after previously wearing the captain’s armband at the 2022 World Cup. Adams will again be captain when the USMNT faces Mexico on Saturday.
Coach Mauricio Pochettino announced the news Friday, three days after the team’s 4-2 victory over Chile. Before the game, captain Tim Ream announced his retirement from international competition.
“I think [we’re] so happy to announce and for everyone to know that [Adams] is going to be our leader and our captain,” Pochettino said during a press conference.
“I think we’ve been [in] a very good relationship in the last two years. I think we were talking a lot, and I think he knows what I expect, and he’s a perfect role model for everyone in the way that the philosophy, the future, representing that amazing country. I think he’s the player and the person that can lead that period that we have ahead. And I [say] congratulations.”
Adams, 27, will be captain for the rest of this four-match international slate—which featured wins over Peru and Chile, continues with Saturday’s match, and concludes Tuesday against Canada—and is expected to remain captain for the next World Cup cycle, meaning he should keep the armband for the next four years.
The current roster for the USMNT was informed of Adams’s appointment on Thursday during a training session. Pochettino said he consulted with his staff about who should get the honor, but the final decision was his. The coach also informed the U.S. Soccer Federation Board of Directors, which includes one of Adams’s USMNT teammates, goalkeeper Matt Freese, a voting member of the board.
“I’m extremely honored and grateful for the opportunity,” Adams said. “I think that, like Mauricio said, we’ve obviously built an amazing relationship over the past two years with all the staff, with my teammates here, going into this past World Cup. And I think as we start a new cycle, I’m excited to be able to help my teammates and the staff in any way possible in order to win, grow the federation and ultimately take that next step. So I appreciate it.”
Adams’s first stint as captain came in Qatar at the 2022 World Cup under then-coach Gregg Berhalter. At just 23, Adams was the youngest captain of any nation at that year’s World Cup and the youngest American captain since 1950.
Under his stewardship, the United States advanced from the group stage but fell in the Round of 16 to the Netherlands.
Following that World Cup, Adams dealt with injuries that sidelined him for both club and country for a few years. That led to the U.S. using vice captains—Christian Pulisic and Matt Turner—from 2023 to 2025. Then Pochettino made Ream, who at 38 was the oldest player to ever feature for the USMNT at a World Cup, the captain for the 2026 World Cup.
Adams made his debut with the USMNT in 2017, when he was just 18. The defensive midfielder has 60 caps with the senior team, scoring two goals, the last being the game-winner of the 2024 CONCACAF Nations League Final versus Mexico.
His current club team is Bournemouth of the English Premier League, with whom he has been since 2023. He previously suited up for Leeds United of the EPL, RB Leipzig of the German Bundesliga, and the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer. Adams got his professional start with the Red Bulls’ reserve team, which is his home club, as he hails from the New York Metro.
The 2022 U.S. Soccer Player of the Year, Adams remains the last midfielder to win that award. He was also an MLS All-Star in 2018 and has twice been named to the CONCACAF Nations League Finals Best XI.
After the upcoming friendlies with Mexico and Canada, the U.S. will dip back into competitive action as the 2026-27 Nations League kicks off—for the Americans, at least—in mid-November. The tournament has already officially started, but the United States got a bye directly to the quarterfinals thanks to their FIFA ranking. The team will play a pair of legs, on Nov. 14 and 17, versus the best-ranked group runner-up from those currently competing.
If Adams can captain the team to victory on aggregate from there, the United States will make the four-team Nations League Finals. That will take place in March 2027, and regardless of the result from that tournament, all four teams that advance to it will automatically qualify for the 2027 Gold Cup.
