While there's no European football or a trophy to celebrate, progress is being made at Bournemouth—in more ways than one.
Bournemouth have already secured a record-setting points total in the Premier League since their first season in 2015. And after recovering from a back injury, Adams played a big part in the league campaign and an FA Cup quarterfinals run, making 26 appearances for the club this season.
"I think on a personal level it's been an unbelievable season for myself in terms of the fact that I've been able to play at a consistent level," Adams says. "I know that it was only a matter of time until I was able to get back to that. This has been my best campaign on a personal level from just finding that consistency. I'm very happy for that. When you play in a team that's so selfless and all has the same game plan in mind [every week] it's really easy to do that."
At the center is manager Andoni Iraola. The Spanish coach is earning plaudits in consecutive seasons for the work he's done. While players like Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez have attracted interest—the former moving to Real Madrid this summer—U.S. men's national team fans have had their eye on Adams.
"The team has had a tremendous season," Adams says. "There's been so many variables to why we've been better, but just overall I think the depth of the team has helped us a lot. We have a lot of players that have played significant roles and we've gone through periods with a lot of injuries. Guys stepped up to the plate and have grown and played bigger roles. You can just see the growth of characters within our team. Young players, veterans making massive impacts.
"Kudos to the coaching staff for finding systems and tactics that fit every single player on our team. The recruitment has been unbelievable because we bring in players and just go strength to strength."
Adams specifically highlights the impact Iraola has made on his tactical growth while looking forward to continued collaboration with USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino.
"A lot of things tactically, he gets on me, not all the time, but enough to make sure I'm thinking the right things all the time," Adams says. "Whether it's tactical positioning, or when I receive the ball to look for certain outlets. They [coaches and analysts] show me the videos, they make sure they're reinforcing these theories for how we want to play.
"I can't leak all the secrets, but he keeps things in mind for me and keeps pushing me. With Mauricio, I've only had the opportunity work under him for one camp so far, but I'm really curious to see over the summer when we have a long period of time how we can continue to push the needle."
Bournemouth look to end the season on a high note against relegated Leicester City on Sunday. Then, Adams's focus shifts toward the Concacaf Gold Cup and rebuilding confidence, belief and trust in the USMNT and their fans.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as After 'Unbelievable Season,' USMNT Star Tyler Adams Is Back—and Ready for More.
