Tyler Adams has stated that the U.S. Men's National Team (USMNT) is not paying attention to criticism coming from former players. This comes amidst a series of losses and some controversy surrounding player availability for upcoming competitions.

Adams addressed the issue during a Zoom interview with the Associated Press on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. He emphasized that the team's focus remains internal, stating, "We don't talk about that internally as a group. The noise on the outside is the noise on the outside. I think we need to focus on what we need to do as a group and continue to build."

The "outside noise" Adams refers to includes comments from prominent USMNT alumni like Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey. Both Donovan and Dempsey, who are tied for the American goal-scoring record with 57 goals each, have voiced concerns about the current state of the team and the absence of certain key players from the squad preparing for the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

One specific point of contention has been Christian Pulisic's decision to skip the June camp and Gold Cup to rest after an extended period of playing for both club and country. Pulisic has played approximately 120 games over the past two seasons. Dempsey, on the "Men in Blazers" podcast, expressed his disagreement with this decision, saying, "Whether it was Gold Cup, whether it was Copa (America), whether it was Confederations Cup, whether it was the World Cup, I wasn't going to miss competitions. For me, I don't understand it because that wasn't my mentality. I always wanted to play in those games."

Donovan also weighed in on the matter after watching Portugal's victory over Spain in the European Nations League final. On a Fox postgame show, he commented, "I can't help but think about our guys on vacation not wanting to play in Gold Cup." Pulisic himself has not publicly commented on his choice to skip the Gold Cup.

The USMNT is currently on a four-game losing streak, their worst since 2007, with a recent 4-0 defeat to Switzerland. Despite the losses and external criticisms, Adams maintains a positive outlook. "This is part of the process," Adams said. "You're going to win games. You're going to lose games. It's about continuing to build that. I think we're on the right path. We have to continue to build and try the things that we've been training. It'll take a little bit of time."

Adams himself is also dealing with an injury. He is set to miss USMNT's final pre-Gold Cup match due to a minor foot injury.