World Cup 2026: Tyler Adams, the USMNT's unsung hero, knows Americans are chasing history against Belgium

Though the United States men's national team has stayed cool in the run-up to Monday's matchup against Belgium, the players know that they're on the verge of something big. After earning their first knockout win in 24 years on Wednesday, the USMNT is a win away from matching its best modern World Cup finish with a trip to the quarterfinals.

It's a moment midfielder Tyler Adams said the team is fully embracing.

"You need to embrace the moment, that's for sure," Adams told reporters on Friday. "It was nice to get a little bit of a taste of what it feels like to play with something a little bit more on the line in the last game. I think that's good preparation."

"I think advancing, [it] doesn't matter if it's signature or not. I don't really care," Adams said. "I think advancing and taking this thing as far as we can is the most important thing. I think we have a good opportunity here to do so."

The goalscorers and goalkeepers usually command the spotlight. But some of the best players on the field are the ones who do their job without any fanfare.

That's Tyler Adams.

Watch Adams play for five minutes and you'll understand the often unnoticed actions he takes to control the game. Across three matches in the U.S. lineup, Adams has played the full 90 minutes; he's intercepted the ball eight times and won four tackles, per FBRef, but he's also cleared the ball in key moments. (Notably, Adams didn't play in the USMNT's loss to Türkiye, one of multiple starters that was sorely missed.)

Adams is in a unique position at this World Cup: The 27-year-old midfielder is returning to the World Cup after leading the team as captain in 2022, where the team advanced to the knockout round but fell to the Netherlands. But this summer, under a new manager, the captaincy was passed instead to veteran defender Tim Ream.

Adams hasn't shown any signs of complaint about losing the armband, and has continued to be outstanding for the U.S. throughout the 2026 tournament — and consistently underrated. Adams spoke a bit on the attitude and grit that have come with getting to this point.

"I think that's kind of what Americans are built off of, and it's nice to see that in our DNA, the way that we compete every single game, the way that we believe that we can do something special," he said. "We've put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this thing. It's been a lot of time on the road, and you wanna make it all worth it."

Case in point is Adams, a stabilizing force for the team from the midfield, where he plays as a defensive or central midfielder. However, Adams, who has previously praised the USMNT for their humble, selfless approach to the team, would never draw attention to the role that he plays on both sides of the ball.

"It's not about any individual performance," he told reporters after the USA's win over Paraguay. "We obviously have so many talented players, but if it doesn't all come together, then you're never gonna win a football game."

The best unsung players are the ones who affect the game on all parts of the field. Take this sequence in the 51st minute of the U.S.'s 2-0 win over Australia: Adams blocks a shot, intercepts a dangerous run at the top of the box and feeds the ball to striker Folarin Balogun for a very dangerous chance on the other end — all in the span of about 10 seconds.

Adams' position gives him a good view of the team's performance across the board, and it shows in how he talks about the USMNT's game.

"I feel like tactically we've been really sound in this tournament so far. I think we've done a lot of good things defensively, made a lot of tweaks," he said on Friday. "I think we've again shown the flexibility, versatility of the team, guys playing different roles, managing different situations really well. So I think against Belgium, we'll be well-equipped."

Adams' attitude heading into the game, which will be the USMNT's biggest challenge yet, is one that is focused on both the small details and the big picture. The game-by-game mentality was on display when the midfielder was asked to compare this summer with the USMNT's disappointing run in 2022.

"I think a lot of it has to do with experience, and understanding what the circumstances are, how to manage those moments throughout the game, understanding that you don't need to win the game in the first minute or the 90th minute, there's a lot of moments in between that," he said. "It's the details of the game, and I think you can just see the maturity of the team in those moments, when you go up one-nil, when you go down one-nil, understanding how not to concede, how to score goals in the biggest moments. Really putting finishing details on a lot of things, I think you're seeing it start to come to life a little bit more."

But the big picture piece comes with trying to make history, as the USMNT tries to make its mark in a country that hasn't always embraced soccer as its top sport.