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United States men’s national team captain Tyler Adams returned to the Bournemouth starting XI Saturday afternoon, playing his first match since December after spending two months out with a knee injury.
The midfielder managed 66 solid minutes in a central role as Andoni Iraola’s side battled to a tough away draw with surging West Ham. He could be on track to make the U.S. squad for a duo of March friendlies.
Adams returns
Adams made his return earlier than expected from a meniscus injury sustained in mid-December. Original prognoses suggested that the American could face at least three months out, and was in question for the U.S.’s friendlies at the end of March. However, he was shuttled into the Cherries’ starting XI on Saturday for a tricky away game at West Ham. He was named to the bench but did not feature in last week’s game with Everton.
A solid runout
The American wasn’t quite magnificent, but turned in a solid showing for the Cherries. He managed 66 minutes, completed 91 percent of his passes, and was a buzzing midfield presence as West Ham looked to dominate play at home. All said, he missed 68 days due to injury, some three weeks less than he was expected to be out.
Questions to be asked about USMNT availability
Still, questions remain about Adams’ availability for both club and country. The midfielder has only recently returned from injury, and while he is working his way back into Bournemouth’s lineup, it remains to be seen whether that will be enough for Mauricio Pochettino to include him when the USMNT face Belgium and Portugal at the end of March.
The immediate future
Adams might be helped, though, by Bournemouth’s relatively light schedule in the coming weeks. Iraola’s men are out of all competitions except the Premier League, and have just one midweek fixture in the next month. They will take the field next against Sunderland next Saturday, giving Adams a full week to prepare before being back in contention to start.
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