Tyler Adams didn’t get the end to the season he was likely hoping for.
The Bournemouth and U.S. men’s national team midfielder was held out of his side’s final match of the season on Sunday.
Following the Cherries’ 2-1 loss at Chelsea, manager Andoni Iraola told reporters that Adams did not play for precautionary reasons.
Adams ended a month-long spell on the sidelines with a 10-minute cameo in Bournemouth’s penultimate game of the season on May 11, but was not in uniform as the Cherries concluded the 2023-24 campaign.
The news is one more bit of frustration for Adams in what was essentially a lost season. Between recovery from a hamstring injury sustained 14 months ago with Leeds, a second surgical procedure on that issue, and back spasms, the USMNT midfielder played just 138 minutes for Bournemouth this season.
2023-24 largely a lost season for Adams
Adams was only in uniform six times, and his minutes came from just four appearances spread across the season. His comeback from his initial injury came in September, but after just one 20-minute appearance the 25-year-old suffered a setback, eventually undergoing surgery again.
The New York native would miss 21 more matches recovering from that procedure before being an unused substitute in Bournemouth’s 2-2 draw with Sheffield United on March 9. Adams finally made his Premier League debut for the Cherries four days later in a win over Luton Town, and had a standout showing in his one and only start (a 2-1 victory over Everton on March 30).
Between that and his unreal goal for the USMNT in the Concacaf Nations League final, it seemed like Adams was finally, truly back.
However, after being an unused substitute against Crystal Palace in early April, Adams ended up with back spasms that proved persistent. Iraola ended up having to leave Adams out of seven of the Cherries’ final eight matches of the season as a result.
With the Copa América looming, the USMNT will be hoping that Adams — who is paramount for Gregg Berhalter — will benefit from Bournemouth’s caution. The U.S. will play friendlies against Colombia and Brazil early next month as part of its preparations for its biggest test since the 2022 World Cup.
However, it’s far from ideal that the best scenario for Adams this summer is having to play games of enormous importance after losing nearly an entire season in this manner.
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