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All footballers around the globe dream of playing in the World Cup — it’s the ultimate chance at glory for generations to come.
However, playing a World Cup in your home country is something entirely different, and the United States men’s national team will get to experience that one month from now when they kick off the 2026 FIFA World Cup at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
Tyler Adams, the USMNT’s captain, got to experience his first World Cup in 2022 when he traveled to Qatar with his teammates and coaches. They had some success but ultimately fell to the Netherlands in the Round of 16.
It may not have been the result the U.S. wanted in Qatar, but now on home soil, Adams knows the entire squad is ready to show out for everyone supporting them across the country.
There’s more than enough patriotic pride to go around for this group.
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“I think when we’re pulling up to a game, and you see the Stars and Stripes and the red, white and blue — just gets you in that patriotic mood,” Adams told Fox News Digital in a recent interview while also highlighting his work with Scotts ahead of the World Cup. “That’s the honor of representing the country.
“Everyone really comes together, whether they watch soccer or they’ve never watched it before, there’s one thing about hosting an event in America. They always do it right. I can’t wait for our fans to turn up.”
The U.S. will begin its World Cup journey in Los Angeles against Paraguay on June 12 for Group D play. For some veterans like Adams, the pressure of the World Cup is something he’s gotten used to now. But as a team leader, he knows that those who are green to such matches will need some advice.
“You don’t want to get too ahead of yourself,” he said. “I feel that since we were a little bit young and naive going into that first tournament, it was like, ‘Ah, what’s coming next? How do we get to the next stage?’ You can’t worry about that because it’s not in your control at the moment. It’s game by game, moment by moment, pass by pass where you can have an impact. I think, for us, it’s focusing on the details of every single game, but taking it one game at a time.”
Of course, every player wants to soak in the moment of playing in a World Cup, whether it’s their first or last time on the pitch for the tournament. Adams admitted it’s hard to do so because of the attention to detail and heated competition, telling his teammates, “it’s over in a blink of an eye.”
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But there’s no doubting how special this one will be for those representing the Stars and Stripes. They will play in Los Angeles and Seattle during their group stage matches, but they also want to make it through to the elimination stage, which will take place in other cities throughout the U.S.
“I think it’s nice because we’ve played in both of those environments before, and both of those cities have unbelievable fan bases just in sports in general,” Adams said about looking forward to seeing the U.S. faithful in L.A. and Seattle. “So, I think the support is going to be there. I hope it’s a U.S.-heavy crowd, as it should be for a home World Cup. Just excited to play in front of friends and family.”
GROWING THE GAME WITH SCOTTS
Speaking of growing the game, Scotts, North America’s leading lawn care products brand, partnered with Adams for its “Keep It Real” initiative, which is aimed at expanding access to youth sports and green space, funding over $432,000 while partnering with “Every Kid Sports” to aid over 2,000 kids across 48 states.
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As part of the effort, Scotts and Adams, who are spotlighting the value of natural grass in terms of safer play, helped restore natural grass fields where the next generation can grow the game. One of those was even his hometown field.
“When they came to me with this idea and this initiative, it was quite simple. I think one of the biggest things I need to do as a professional athlete now is give back to my community. That being said, I am giving back to my community with the partnership where we did a field day last summer and we’re restoring the field I played on as a kid. It was pretty cool to go back home and see that a brand I’m working with supports the ideas I have and give back to that community. Really, really grateful for that and the partnership. We’re starting to do really good things.”
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