Tyler Adams remembers the injury diagnosis well. In fact, he can recite it from memory so much that he can break down the exact bends and twists his legs did when they occurred, the diagnosis, the recovery time - all of it. For someone without a medical degree, Adams seems to have learned a whole lot about how his body works.
"He's had a lot of time to think about it," Matt Turner chimes in, prompting a chuckle from Adams himself.
Turner is right: Adams has had a whole lot of time that has allowed him to do a whole lot of thinking. He hasn't worn a U.S. men's national team shirt since the 2022 World Cup. He's played just a few club minutes in near year-and-a-half since Qatar, too, as injuries robbed him of his final months at Leeds and his first months at Bournemouth. That time away lead to surgery, rehab and work, but it also led to reflection.
Adams is back, though. After recently making his Bournemouth return, Adams is back with the USMNT for the upcoming CONCACAF Nations League semifinal against Jamaica. He's not his full self, not even close, but just the fact that he's back in with the team is seen as a major win by all involved.
"There was never a doubt in my mind that the moment will come," Adams told reporters. "Anyone that knows me knows that I do a lot of my work behind the scenes. I go about my business in the right way. I've been continuously working nonstop in the past months to make sure that this time would come. I'm not sure if anyone thought it would come this soon, but I was continuously just pushing myself and making sure that I was hitting my objectives in a smart way, not rushing the process, making sure I was hitting all my benchmarks.
"Now, here I am."