Tyler Adams reveals heart-warming backstory en route to Leeds United and World Cup captaincy

The Whites’ summer signing and USMNT international was awarded with the United States captaincy for this year’s World Cup just last week, making him the youngest skipper at the tournament in Qatar by at least six years. Through his performances on the pitch, for club and country, Adams plays with a tenacity and a determination that belie his 23 years, leading USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter to bestow upon him the armband for his country’s campaign on the world stage.

Prior to the tournament, Adams and his teammates sat down with the USMNT’s in-house media, to conduct tell-all interviews about their journeys to the World Cup Finals. In it, Adams describes growing up without a father figure, before acquiring one – and three step-brothers – during his teens.

"I was raised by a single mother, I was very fortunate to obviously have her in my life,” Adams said. “Not having a father figure in your life is never ideal, but having a mother that was so committed to allowing me to reach my dreams and to become the person that I am today. I'm very grateful for all sacrifices she made.

"My brother actually came up to me one day in seventh grade, and we were sitting in technology class, and I had no idea who he was at the time and he tapped me on the shoulder. And he was like, ‘Are you Tyler Adams?’ And I said, ‘Yeah’, and he was like, ‘I think our parents are dating.’

"And I was like, ‘What are you talking about? My mom has not dated anyone’. I was 13 or 14 at that time, I was like, ‘Yeah, I don't think so, but whatever you say’ kind of thing. And I remember getting invited to actually go over their house and meet them all for the first time.

"On the same day that I gained three brothers, I also gained a father as well. It was weird because I never had that father figure in my life, the bond that we created, specifically off the field and how he nurtured me into becoming a young man and being a role model for my brothers. I was no longer the only child. I now had to be a role model to three brothers that were going to look up to me,” Adams said.

"He [My father] grew up in a role of coaching and playing [football] and having that influence from his parents who came over from Scotland.

"Not only did he help me grow as a man but he also helped me grow as a player as well on the field,” Adams says, crediting step-father Darryl Sullivan with a key role in his development which has led to appearances in the Premier League and at the World Cup Finals this year.