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U.S. Men’s National Team star Tyler Adams isn’t upset about the comparisons of his team’s new World Cup kits to the “Where’s Waldo?” cartoon.
“That’s exactly what we want,” Adams tells Front Office Sports. “We want to be spotted wherever we are. You got to find us and you’ll be able to find us.”
After players famously did not like their jerseys for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Nike made it a point to bring in the team for heavy input in the process for 2026.
The finished designs are one kit with wavy, red and white horizontal stripes, and another with a dark navy base spotted with stars.
Adams says the players thought about iconic jerseys from other nations like Brazil and the Netherlands, and wondered, “what is our symbol? What is our recognition? What are you going to spot from a mile away?”
The answer came back to the American flag, Adams says, and trying to incorporate the stars and stripes on both jerseys. He says he thinks the stripes “came out incredible,” and the dark kit is “a little bit more subtle,” but will resonate with fans.
The kits also pay homage to the kits from the 1994 World Cup, also hosted in the U.S., in which the team wore one jersey with vertical red and white stripes, and another with a blue base and white stars.
“I felt like we kind of squeezed in what it is to be American in two jerseys, which I think is important,” Adams says.
The USMNT debuted their new look during friendlies in Atlanta last month, which Adams missed due to injury. During the match against Belgium, both players and fans had trouble differentiating between the U.S. team’s stripes and Belgium’s light blue kit.
Mauricio Pochettino’s squad has two more friendlies against Germany and Senegal in June in Chicago before the World Cup. The U.S. plays two matches in L.A. and one in Seattle during the group stage.
Chasing Europe
Before Adams returns to the U.S. and dons his stars and stripes this summer, there’s another historic feat he’s chasing.
In the Premier League, Adams plays for AFC Bournemouth, which is chasing a spot in the Champions League. The Premier League will either send five or six teams into the top European competition next season, and Bournemouth is still in the running for its first European position in club history.
Playing in Europe can be a massive financial win for a team. Chelsea, for example, has made £80 million in revenue from reentering the Champions League this season, The Athletic estimated.
“I think for a club like Bournemouth, when you get the surplus of money that comes in with finishing in Europe, you’re able to develop the squad more, you’re able to develop the stadium more, you’re able to develop the training ground and take those next steps,” Adams says. “And ultimately it just helps you kind of continue that trajectory of where you’re trying to go.”
