It has been a couple of months since Mauricio Pochettino took charge of the USMNT, but it feels like much longer. So far, beyond managing two camps and four matches, we can assume the Argentinian tactician is familiar with everyone on the team. However, that’s not the case with Tyler Adams, who is yet to have a tête-à-tête with Pochettino. “As US boss, so I haven’t had a conversation directly with him yet,” admitted the Bournemouth star during his exclusive chat on the Men in Blazers podcast. Well, the surprises don’t end there; the way Adams found out about his snub may have caught many off guard. But don’t worry, it wasn’t in a bad way.

“I had a conversation with his assistant Jesus previous to this camp right now,” shared Adams, before noting what he discussed with Perez: “It was such a good conversation and honestly was a breath of fresh air because we got on the call and he said, ‘How do you feel…good minutes against Man City…’ and right away, we just both said it doesn’t make sense for you to come into camp right now, and I said I couldn’t agree more.”

Having a word with Perez also seems fair, considering the Spaniard’s special chemistry with Pochettino. He has been working for the 52-year-old since the Southampton days, and when Mauricio had his first-ever meeting with US Soccer’s Matt Crocker, Perez was also present alongside the former PSG and Chelsea boss. Even though it’s hard to digest why Pochettino has yet to address Adams, the USMNT boss did send some sort of message to the midfielder!

Precisely, after the former Tottenham boss had announced the squad for this month’s doubleheader fixtures against Jamaica for the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals, he addressed Tyler’s absence, even though the 25-year-old had recovered from his injury. “I consider him a very important player for the future of this team.” Pochettino emphasized that the most crucial aspect he wants to see in Adams is ‘progression.’

Expressing satisfaction with his development so far, he also acknowledged the importance of carefully managing Adams to ensure he is in the ‘best condition’ for the 2026 tournament. Interestingly, this is something that Adams didn’t take negatively and has rather resonated with his manager’s demands.

Tyler Adams echoes Mauricio Pochettino’s ‘consistency’ claims

After hearing his snubbing from Jesus Perez’s mouth, even Tyler agreed with his assistant manager and stated, “I didn’t want to be the person to say it, but I’m happy that you thought you thought the same thing because for me it was just about building this consistency that I haven’t had,” clearly repeating Mauricio Pochettino’s words.

Adams confidently acknowledged that rather than getting substituted in the middle of the game or halftime, he wants to be in a position where he not only becomes a regular starter but plays the full game. “I want to go to the national team and have an impact. I think come March, I’m going to be in a great position,” Adams concluded.

Looks like USMNT fans are in for a treat from Tyler Adams!