USMNT’s 2026 World Cup Plans Suffer Major Injury Setback
The U.S. men's national team’s 2026 World Cup plans have taken a hit after news that captain Tyler Adams could miss up to three months of action with a knee injury,
Adams tore the medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his left knee during Bournemouth’s 4–4 draw with Manchester United on Dec. 15, a match in which he left after just five minutes.
“Tyler is injured. He has torn his MCL. So he will be out, definitely out for some time,” Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola said at his press conference on Friday ahead of Saturday’s Burnley match.
“Normally two, three months. Two months ... optimistic, pessimistic ... three, something like this. So, yes, it’s a big blow. It’s a big blow because it’s an important player for us. But straight away, when you see the mechanism, the action, we were feeling that there could be something there.”
Adams suffered the injury after blocking a shot from Man Utd forward Matheus Cunha and was quickly attended to by medical staff, who ran initial tests on his knee on the pitch. He attempted to return to the match, but Iraola indicated after the game that further tests were needed.
So far this Premier League season, Adams has enjoyed a stellar spell of form, scoring two goals across 15 matches. He recently became the first American to win the Premier League Goal of the Month award for his long-distance effort against Sunderland, which got the better of goalkeeper Robin Roefs.
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Adams Injury Could Have Tight 2026 World Cup Timeline
One of the primary starting midfielders in USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino’s plans, Adams could now miss vital time ahead of the World Cup. Yet, he should be on a timeline to be ready for the tournament, which the USMNT kicks off on June 12 in Los Angeles against Paraguay.
The timeline, however, puts him in doubt for two critical World Cup preparation friendlies against top-tier opposition, Belgium and Portugal, on March 28 and April 1, also on home soil. Without those matches, the USMNT will have at most two games against Senegal on May 31 and Germany on June 6 to reintegrate to Adams into midfield with the World Cup roster.
Adams has been a regular for the USMNT since making his debut at the age of 18 and captained his country at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, starting four games as the team fell to the Netherlands in the Round of 16. His absence would be a significant blow to the hopes of a deep World Cup run.
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