The United States captain explained how qualifiers for the World Cup require a different mentality than even the Champions League games
United States men’s (USMNT) midfielder Tyler Adams says he would rather play England or France than El Salvador, as he explained the circumstances facing any traveling team at CONCACAF after the opening of the Thursday’s World Cup qualifier.
Adams captained the USMNT on Thursday in El Salvador in a match that saw the United States play 0-0 at a hostile Cuscatlan Stadium, with the hosts frustrating the visitors in front of a emaciated crowd.
The midfielder, who has played in a Champions League semi-final at RB Leipzig, says outsiders do not fully understand how difficult it is to navigate these games as he looks to perform much better after a disappointing draw on Thursday.
Editors’ selections
What did Adams say?
“I talk to my teammates in Leipzig all the time about what games I have during the international window,” he said. “They sit there and laugh because they have to play against England, France, obviously some great, very talented countries.
“I tell them, ‘Trust me, I prefer to play against France or England in these games where the conditions, the fans, the pitch and the ball and everything is an ideal situation.’ For us, it will never be an ideal situation in the road.
“The energy is completely different. You have to get into the game with the right mindset and be prepared for battle. That’s the best way to describe it. They’re intense, heavy, sandy. I can’t get into these games naively. “So yes, I think the energy that goes into these games has to be right.”
The general picture
The general belief is that teams should aim to get one point on the road and all three at home at CONCACAF, so by this measure the United States has started well.
However, with El Salvador among the weakest in the eight-team field, many expected the U.S. to start qualifying with a blast, including Adams himself, who called for the team to prepare for a game before the week again. points.
That’s already out the window, adding a little more pressure ahead of Sunday’s game against Canada. After that, the United States will face another difficult road test when they play Honduras next week.
“The standard is obviously to get three points in every game, but we know this isn’t always going to be the easiest, especially after a game like this,” Adams said.
“So by Sunday we know that having our fans on our backs and taking that momentum will be very important because it obviously puts us in an even better position to get back on the road for the Honduras match.”
He added: “I have the same feeling as the team that the standard is high, the bar is high. We want to win as many away matches as possible.
“We know that tangibly it won’t be the easiest and we knew we had the first experience before, but now, after having that first experience, I think we know we need to dig a little deeper into the final stages of the game.
“When we continue to create these half opportunities, we just have to overcome them, we have to finish and put these games aside.
“We know we have the quality to do it, but again, these games don’t depend on quality; these games are based on your mindset and how deep you can go and really give it your all.”