Tyler Adams confirms the USMNT's Copa America participation
By Chris Smith
Tyler Adams has confirmed the United States Men's National Team will have the chance to compete at Copa America ahead of their 2026 World Cup campaign.
The USMNT returned to the World Cup stage in Qatar this winter after missing out on Russia 2018, making it through Group B unbeaten before losing 3-1 to the Netherlands in the round of 16.
Attention now turns to the 2026 edition of the tournament, which the United States will co-host alongside Mexico and Canada.
Getting their best players on the field at the same time was one of the USMNT's biggest problems in preparation for Qatar 2022. With no qualifying campaign, that could prove even more difficult in three-and-a-half years' time.
However, alongside their Concacaf Nations League and Gold Cup campaigns, it has been rumored the USMNT will not only compete in the next edition of Copa America, but also host the tournament.
Speaking to Tim Howard and the rest of NBC's English Premier League studio team at Elland Road following Leeds United's 3-1 defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday, Adams - who captained the Stars and Stripes in Qatar - all but confirmed the USMNT's participation alongside South America's best.
“It's very, very important that now we use these upcoming tournaments and upcoming games to continue to build this chemistry together,” Adams responded when asked how the USMNT can improve on their 2022 campaign. “One of the things that we've lacked going into this first World Cup [since 2014] is, it took us a long time to get our best players on the field and in camp together. Some of us were injured, some of us were not healthy. We missed out on the opportunity to maximize our time together.
“Now leading into this World Cup, we have some big tournaments, we have the [Concacaf] Nations League, we're going to have the opportunity to play in Copa América, which is going to be huge for us,” added the defensive midfielder, who was suspended for Wednesday’s match due to a red card in LUFC’s last game before the World Cup break.
“And if you can have your guys healthy in tournaments like that, you gain experience, and hopefully some more young guys are coming through the pipeline right now.”
Should they compete at Copa America, the USMNT will come into intense competitive contact with reigning world champions Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay et al - a level of competition just not accessible in the Concacaf region.
Watch the story of Charlotte FC's journey to MLS in 90min's The Making of Charlotte FC, presented by DoorDash, on 90min channels now. Subscribe to our new US YouTube channel.