Tyler Adams said it's completely fair to criticize the U.S. men's national team after a rough pair of games at the Concacaf Nations League.
The USMNT was stunned 1-0 by Panama in the semifinal last week before falling 2-1 to Canada in the third-place game, failing to win the Nations League for the first time in four editions of the competition.
The results naturally led to criticism of the team and head coach Mauricio Pochettino, who now has a 5W-0D-3L record since taking over last fall.
As a fans, media and former USMNT players take the team to task, Adams admitted that his side's performances in the Nations League were worthy of critiques.
"The criticism is probably fair with where we're at right now," Adams told USA TODAY's Mackenzie Salmon. "Obviously people want to see results. With a World Cup around the corner, there's no better time to hit your stride than right now, with not many games left. So it's understandable."
With just over a year until a World Cup on home soil, Adams is hoping to see his side eventually garner support from the public ahead of a major moment for the sport.
"At the same time, we're trying to grow the sport in America and have more people playing the game and continue to put the U.S. on the map on the international level, then of course we want people to support [us] and be positive about the situation," the Bournemouth midfielder said. "But listen, criticism is everywhere in professional sports, and that's the reality of it."
The USMNT's Nations League defeats will pile the pressure on the team ahead of this summer's Gold Cup, its final chance to play competitive matches before the World Cup. Adams is hopeful that with an extended period together, the USMNT can build some better connections on and off the pitch.
"Going into Gold Cup, I think we need to put ourselves in a good position to be confident in what we're doing, believe in the system and build that chemistry over the time because we have a couple new players," he said.
"There's going to be plenty of time to prepare for the Gold Cup. Finishing our seasons right now at our club level is key and then hopefully we hit our stride at the right time."