rear A frustrating 1-1 draw for the US Men’s National Team With Wales heading into the World Cup opener on Monday, the exhausted American players circled the field to thank the adoring fans who trekked to the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium. Christian Pulisic walked cautiously around, almost staggering, battered by his 100-minute punishment from the burly Welshman.
America’s star forward made the difference. He was Christian Pulisic and the Americans were desperate for him to play in his first World Cup match. This is your best last chance to break through the stocky defenses you encounter at the top of international matches. Pulisic poked, poked and annoyed Wales, running at them at every opportunity. He teased and pierced to find his seams and cracks. He was the author of some of the most threatening moments the Americans have managed to whip up in the game.
As long as the two teams were close in a game that ended in a draw, Pulisic wasn’t far behind either. Not mathematically, anyway. For everything Pulisic has accomplished, his team needed a little more from that golden boy. Another pass to find teammates positioned for goal chances. Found many strong headers in the team on any of his set pieces. It wasn’t good enough. Or maybe it was too much. As usual, I forgot to pass the ball to my open teammate. Pulisic has previously said he feels he has more to do with the national team than Chelsea, a club team where he is a role player who often comes off the bench. I admit that sometimes I overdo it. He no longer attacks plans A through Z like he did when he first appeared. The team now has several other creators, but continues to play for Pulisic. It makes Americans more predictable than really necessary or perhaps recommended.
Monday’s results left the US in a somewhat precarious position in Group B. We can’t afford to lose to the deep and talented England on Friday. Much more effort is needed to keep this World Cup campaign on track. Originally from Pulisic. from everyone.
“There are a lot of positives from the whole game,” Pulisic said after the game against Wales. “The team looks good. Now we have to figure out how to put it together for 90 minutes … and start winning games. We have to move forward and learn from this.”
As for the glaring strain Monday’s game put on the Americans, head coach Greg Verhalter hopes they’ll bounce back soon. . “We’re going to play England. That’s where the recovery is. We can play him against one of the teams that we think are the favorites of the tournament. I don’t think there are many players who are tired on Friday.”
I have good news for you. The United States went on her two-game unbeaten run against England in the World Cup, winning 1–0 in 1950 and drawing 1–1 in 2010.
The Bad: Since 1950, the USA has won only 5 of 27 World Cup games. To make matters worse, he has scored 26 goals in that span.
”It’s hard to score goals at this level, unless you’re in England,” said Verhalter. ‘All the other teams, goals are difficult’
His team will soon need a few people. Americans can really use Pulisic games.
I was previously told by a parent of a current USMNT player that Pulisic was known to be hilarious by his teammates. It was also a surprising discovery for someone who has followed Pulisic for almost seven years, since he joined the senior national team in 2016 at the age of 17. Pulisic has been very wary of the media. He is open about topics he cares about, like his struggle with depression During the early days of the pandemic and his zeal to help remove the stigma of mental health. Pulisic is a compelling speaker in these examples. But in press conferences and other interview settings, he’s mostly a boring quote.
But in recent weeks, Pulisic has shown a different side. A more outgoing side. The other day, at a press conference, he was asked the same old challenging question about the potential of him and his team. On changing the way the world sees the USA national team, yadda yadda yadda. Pulisic knows athletes so well that he sometimes sounds like an automated voice menu when he calls a doctor’s office. When you press the number, the reply fixed form is displayed.
But he actually smiled as he said it. Surrounded by good faces, it’s a good smile. strong tail. Symmetry. An enviable hairline. Madison He has the kind of smile that excites advertisers on Avenue. rarely seen.
Later, after teammate Yunus Moussa answered a question in Spanish, Pulisic joked that his answer was “Oh, that’s what he said.” Then he told another joke, implying that he didn’t understand it at all.
joke! From Pulisic! As far as comedy goes, it probably won’t lead to a stand-up special, but it’s worth noting that it was voiced at all.
Pulisic appears to be making a concerted effort to break down his innate suspicions about his celebrity. his World Cup. After all, that’s what superstars do. They put their best moments to good use and annex tournaments like the World Cup. And now there is just such an opportunity. On Friday, America’s legions of British footballers will face a team that speaks forcefully to the imagination of his fans.
It’s time for Pulisic to show it all.
Pulisic recently published a book. Specifically, the book on the coffee table. It is heavy and feels like a bundle of paper. It costs $40 and has 240 pages filled with action shots and childhood photos of Pulisic. The images are interspersed with a series of agonizingly unedited Q&As of his with witty interviewers rather than prose or actual stories. (“Do you like cheeseburgers?” “I love cheeseburgers and had them last night.”
Aside from a very mild criticism of former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel, who promised him a starting line-up for the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid after Pulisic scored in the first leg, only to change. There isn’t much newsworthy in this book. Pulisic was “stunned and very disappointed”.
We already knew that Pulisic had amazing recollections of his old games, loved playing chess and guitar, and loved burritos. We don’t know at school that he was good at math, kept Bible verses in his locker, and sang Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA” as the entrance song. I did. Join Chelsea. I also live like a retired baby boomer if I leave it to my convenience. Retired to his home in Florida, drinking his morning coffee on the deck overlooking the ocean, playing his online chess, jet skiing in the afternoon, and heading out on the boat before heading out to dinner at a restaurant called U-Tiki Beach. take a ride
All of this reinforces the impression that Pulisic, who has a habit of turning down most interview requests, prefers to keep reporters and fans away from his deepest thoughts and feelings. in the first place. Still, if he manages to get past his sponsor’s plug, one verse becomes clear. In it, he talks about how he struggles with the public’s desire to know him.
Pulisic told an interviewer, “This whole shift from being a quiet guy who cares about himself to having to be a football player who talks about everything in the media is still not easy for me.” In terms of privacy, when you look at the overall spectrum that puts Messi on one end and flamboyant figures like Neymar on the other, I’d definitely be on Messi’s side.
“What I found challenging was the pressure to be public about aspects of my life and the expectation that celebrities would have to speak up and speak out.”
This is in line with what Pulisic told me a few years ago, shortly after he left his contract with Borussia Dortmund. He said at the time that he was overwhelmed by the impact of his sudden fame. That’s exactly what I am.… In Dortmund I don’t really like going to the biggest, most crowded restaurants with Dortmund fans.Most of the time I either stay local or stay home and be myself Build something I’m not the type that likes attention I like my peace I don’t like it when people say “hey it’s him” I don’t enjoy it much.
More attention was given to Pulisic’s recent Volkswagen commercial. In it, he stands on the spot and prepares to take a penalty kick. “Under pressure, this is the man you rely on. This is what makes your difference,” says the announcer.
We cut into a flashback to his soccer career, where the Sports Desk anchor proclaims he’s “America’s next big export!” The real-life Clint Dempsey sitting next to Anchor replies, “No pressure, right?” Then they both say put a lot of pressure.
Next, Pulisic is on the therapist’s couch in full uniform. “So where do you think this pressure is coming from?” she asks him.
“Everyone,” he replies in an anguished tone.
That pressure has been there since 2013, with a skinny little 15-year-old Pulisic leading the U.S. under-17 team. Sensational 4v1 victory Defeated Brazil in the final of the Nike International Friends. He was named his MVP of that tournament, but Golden his boot-winning fellow Worlds his cup varsity, Hajiright, had perhaps the more dominant performance in the final. (This is ironic, Dortmund discovered Pulisic and signed him shortly after that tournament, which led them to scout Wright who went to arch-rivals Schalke 04 instead.)
The game was a turning point, commemorating Pulisic’s tattoo showing the date and launching him into a battle between the world’s biggest teams to acquire him from a small club in rural Pennsylvania. When he pushed into Dortmund’s first team, and then the national team much sooner than he expected, he created a practical problem in American football discourse. How can I avoid the mistake of
Freddy Adu was so lavishly praised and filmed in a commercial with Pele that he made suggestions so subtle that no one stopped growing and no one understood the nuances of the game. didn’t even notice. Juan Agdero turned out to have a much lower ceiling than many had hoped for, and he achieved it at the age of 18.
Pressure was not Pulisic’s problem. he coped well. He became the superstar American football wanted with his move to Chelsea in 2019 for his record $73 million. But unlike the charismatic Adu and the telegenic Altidore, Pulisic was an aspiring star with no interest in stardom.
It seems he’s finally reconciled with the other side of his fame. Now it’s just a matter of figuring out how he’ll do his best for the national team. And show me something memorable.
Leander Schaerlaeckens covers this World Cup. Ringer, his third. He has written a book about the US men’s national team. He teaches at Marist College.
