Why is Tyler Adams not playing for USMNT vs. Belgium?

Atlanta — When the U.S. men’s national team kicks off against Belgium on Saturday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the squad will be without the player who normally anchors its midfield. Tyler Adams, the 27-year-old who captained the Americans at the 2022 World Cup, was left off Mauricio Pochettino’s 27-man roster for the March friendlies after suffering a hamstring injury in training with English club Bournemouth.

Adams pulled up during a session on March 13, the eve of a Premier League meeting with Burnley, and missed the Cherries’ subsequent 2-2 draw with Manchester United on March 20. Bournemouth medical staff informed the U.S. set-up that the midfielder faces an estimated two-to-three-week lay-off, effectively ruling him out of both the Belgium encounter and Tuesday’s follow-up match against Portugal.

The timeline means Adams could return for his club’s next Premier League assignment at Arsenal on April 11, but it arrives too late for the two-game U.S. camp. Adams, who has 52 caps and two international goals, featured 10 times for the national team in 2024, last appearing in September friendlies against South Korea and Japan. His absence leaves Pochettino to restructure the engine room for a pair of high-profile tests that open the new World Cup cycle.