Following their fantastic start to life in the Premier League, Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson have been selected in Gregg Berhalter’s squad for friendlies against Japan and Saudi Arabia.
Aaronson shot to acclaim almost immediately, with a three-assist haul against Cagliari in pre-season and a goal against Wolves that was officially given as an own-goal, and has since his quality on the ball consistently and his relentless attitude that allowed him to snatch the ball from Benjamin Mendy to score his first official goal for the club.
On the other hand, Tyler Adams has been doing the nitty-gritty in the defensive midfield role, which is only truly appreciated by many when you look at the stats.
He has successfully defended the most dribbles in the Premier League this season (11), made the second-most tackles (28) and finds himself fourth-highest for successful pressures. He’s largely seen by Leeds and USMNT fans alike as undroppable, so his place was never in question.
Adams during a FIFA World Cup Qualifier / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
He’ll likely find himself alongside Kellyn Acosta in midfield, but Juventus’ Weston McKennie may try to make his case for a World Cup spot also.