USMNT midfielder Tyler Adams returned to action for the first time since December 15 during Bournemouth’s goalless draw with West Ham United on Saturday.
After two months sidelined by a knee injury, and with a still-long runway to the 2026 World Cup, the U.S. midfielder returned to Bournemouth’s starting XI and played 65 minutes against West Ham.
He was perhaps not 100% fit and back to his best, but he looked pretty darn close as he raced around the London Stadium, closing down West Ham midfielders high up the pitch and also breaking up attacks on the edge of his own penalty box.
Adams, 27, had been absent since Dec. 15, when he suffered a medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury in the opening minutes of a Premier League match at Manchester United. A few days later, Bournemouth said that Adams “face[d] two to three months on the sidelines.” Head coach Andoni Iraola called the MCL tear a “big blow” for the club.
Adams, though, recovered well — quicker than some expected. He made Bournemouth’s bench on Feb. 10. He was an unused sub in that 2-1 win over Everton, and Iraola later admitted that Adams “was not ready to play” despite his presence in the squad. Ten days later, though, he was “ready to go,” Iraola said.
So good to see @tyler_adams14 back on the pitch 🇺🇸😍 pic.twitter.com/2aPTAS97ul
— Premier League USA (@PLinUSA) February 21, 2026
“I think it’s probably risky to start him because he has been out for some time,” the Bournemouth coach told reporters Friday. “But I think he could.”
And a day later, Iraola inserted Adams straight back into the starting 11, which is where he’d been week after week, when healthy, ever since the start of this Premier League season.
“Tyler is very valuable for us and very unique in what he does,” Iraola said in December after the knee injury was diagnosed. “We do have options — Alex [Scott] has been playing there and Lewis Cook is in his natural position there — but it’s true that Tyler is difficult to replace.”
On his return, Adams showed why. He was not quite as sharp and forceful as he’d been throughout the fall, but he was active. In possession, he sat in front of Bournemouth’s center backs and took very few risks. Out of possession, he showed his value. He intercepted passes destined for the feet of West Ham striker Taty Castellanos. He went into duels and regained possession in both halves.
He was far from flawless. He was late to a challenge on West Ham midfielder Tomáš Souček. He got caught on the ball at least once. But he offered reminders of why he’s a fixture for club and country.
Adams has also been a regular starter for the U.S. men’s national team over the past eight years. His main flaw has been availability. A hamstring problem and then a back problem cost him large chunks of 2023 and 2024. So, when he went down in pain on Dec. 15, less than six months before the USMNT’s World Cup opener, American fans feared that this would be another costly episode — that Adams might not return to his best for the long-awaited tournament on home soil.
Those fears disappeared on Saturday. Adams is not only back with plenty of time to spare before the World Cup, he’s back more than a month before the March international break — and the USMNT’s penultimate pre-World Cup camp.
That should be a critical window for a healthy Adams to mesh with teammates in U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino’s system. Adams missed the October window due to the birth of his second son, and then the November window after clashing heads with a Bournemouth opponent the weekend before camp opened.
The U.S. will play friendlies against Belgium and Portugal in March. Either would be Adams’ first appearance for the national team since September, when he started two games against South Korea (a 2-0 loss) and Japan (a 2-0 win).
Adams captained the USMNT at the 2022 World Cup, and although he has not worn the armband since, he is expected to be a key figure in 2026.