Pulisic invited pressure, but if he can perform, it might serve as evidence that skipping the Gold Cup was actually the right call
Christian Pulisic is no stranger to pressure. The outside world has put it on his shoulders since he was a kid. From the moment he broke onto the scene, Pulisic has had the weight of American soccer on his shoulders. An introvert at heart, he never really sought it out; it was thrust upon him.
This summer, though, was different. For the first time, Pulisic, willingly or unwillingly, invited that pressure. Now, as the Serie A season begins, he has to answer like never before. For the first time, Pulisic is under pressure of his own making.
All of that stems from this summer. Pulisic's controversial decision to skip out on the Gold Cup prompted a generation-splitting war of words. Former USMNT players accused him and his teammates of being soft. The current squad fired back, with Pulisic barking at those who would question his commitment and Tim Weah accusing those critics of being "evil" and just "cashing checks."
It's overshadowed just about every aspect of the U.S. men's national team one year out from the World Cup and, as the face of the team, Pulisic is facing that heat, fairly or unfairly.
From the start, Pulisic has shown that he doesn't like answering challenges with words. It's what made his PULISIC docuseries on Paramount + – episodes of which continue to add fuel to this fire – so out of character for him. Since he burst onto the scene, Pulisic has been largely uncomfortable with the idea of talking, particularly about himself.
Now, it's all anyone wants to talk about. Pulisic will look to answer the criticism the only way he really knows how, and it turns out it's also the best way to extinguish this particular fire. The face of the USMNT may have to mend some fences, but his best approach is to just play his way through it.
And his ability to do so – or not – will help define the USMNT's road to the 2026 World Cup.
Pulisic made his decision this summer. Whether it was right or wrong remains up for debate. The man himself now has a chance to silence that discussion – or at least turn down the volume. He's put pressure on himself but, if he can perform, it might serve as evidence that he did, ultimately, make the right call this summer.
AFPInviting evil
Tim Weah has taken some flak for his description of the prior generation that seems so glad to take aim at him and his teammates. "Evil" may have been a step too far, but it does offer some insight into the mindset.
“I think those guys are chasing checks,” Weah said in a clip posted by “And for me, I just feel like they're really evil, honestly, because they've been players and they know it's like when you're getting bashed and those are the same guys, that'll turn around and shake your hand and try to be friendly with you at the end of the day.”
The USMNT, of course, has been hit hard for not winning anything of late. Since the 2022 World Cup concluded, it would be hard to argue that this team has taken any significant step forward. The Copa America was a missed opportunity, the Nations League was an embarrassment and the Gold Cup, one without most regulars, featured five straight wins – but then a loss to Mexico in the final.
Since taking over as manager from the fired Gregg Berhalter last fall, Mauricio Pochettino has won just nine of 16 matches. But not winning is only part of the issue. The critics – Alexi Lalas, Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Herculez Gomez, Tim Howard, Kasey Keller and others – have been most vocal about simply showing up.
Pulisic's decision not to play this summer has been discussed ad nauseam. What began as a simple choice to rest turned into a debate about commitment, attitude, entitlement and, more than anything, how much the current players actually care about all of this. Pulisic resents that, and he's fired back against it. He does care, and he's disappointed in anyone who would believe otherwise.
"It's frustrating," he said. "We haven't had as much success as we like, I think we've had some really incredible moments, but we're out here fighting. I think if people knew what it actually meant to me and what it meant to our team and all the players, they would never question us. Come after whatever you want, you know? Come after my performance, whatever you want to say, but to talk about my commitment? The commitment that I've given to this game? That I've given to my national team for 10 years?
"I have paid the price. That's the only thing that starts to get on my nerves. But to be honest, it just fuels me to get back on the field and just shut everyone up and show everyone what I'm about at the end of the day."
That process began last weekend, and it began with a goal.
AdvertisementA bright start
Cup goals against lower-division Italian teams are not a panacea. Pulisic's finish last weekend was a start, though. Perhaps, too, it was a sign of things to come.
Pulisic scored the second of two goals in Milan's Coppa Italia win over Bari, netting his first goal of the season in his side's first competitive game. After receiving the ball from Santi Gimenez, Pulisic pirouetted and picked his corner, placing his shot into the back of the net. There was no emotional celebration, no catharsis; this was business as usual.
Inside, though, Pulisic certainly felt something. He'd provided the right response to the critics. Yes, the goalposts are still centered around national team performance but, until he next puts on that shirt, all he can do is score goals for Milan.
Milan, too, will need him to score goals. Pulisic isn't just facing pressures at home, but also in Italy, where those who follow Milan demand better than what they got last season.
Getty ImagesThe weight of the Rossoneri
Massimiliano Allegri arrived in Milan, or back in Milan, it should be said, with a reputation. He's a serial Serie A winner, one who has managed some of the best teams this league has seen. He's also done it with a defense-first mindset. What would that mean for Pulisic? How would this look going forward?
According to reports in Italy, Allegri determined early that Pulisic would be one of his key pieces. Against Bari, playing in Allegri's trademark 3-5-2, Pulisic started up top alongside Rafael Leao, who suffered an injury a few minutes in. In this setup, Pulisic has some measure of freedom. He also has plenty of responsibility to directly lead to goals and goal contributions.
Pulisic, of course, is no stranger to those. Since moving to Milan in 2023, he's the only Serie A player with 30 goals and 20 assists in all competitions. He hit the double-digit mark in both of his two seasons. Pulisic has been as reliable as he has been prolific for a Milan team that, in truth, has been neither.
That's the challenge this team faces this season. Pulisic has been great, yes, but he's been great for a poor Milan team. They finished eighth last season, which is why they turned to Allegri in the first place. That is nowhere near good enough for a team of this size and, heading into this Serie A season, there will be a demand for much, much better.
Pulisic, like all of his teammates, will feel that demand. It'll be normal to him by now. Having played at Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea previously, Pulisic has lived with that demand on the club level since breaking through as a teenager. When he heads back to the USMNT, though, there will be a different type of weight, and different level of scrutiny on games that will be more than just friendlies.
ImagnUSMNT response needed
Pulisic's next USMNT appearance won't be the most pressure-filled games of his international career. He's played in a World Cup, remember. Copa America games, the CONCACAF Nations League final, vital World Cup qualifiers – Pulisic has faced USMNT pressure before.
These friendlies, though, will undoubtedly be different. The USMNT will play both Korea and Japan early next month. And with a fanbase divided and all eyes on him, Pulisic will head into camp knowing that there will be expectations to perform.
That's the challenge that Pochettino has laid out, not just to Pulisic but to every player in the pool. His now-famous "mannequin" quip was a reminder to everyone that he is, in fact, the shot-caller. There are no free rides or passes, no resting on past achievements. Pulisic, like everyone, will have a point to prove.
“The communication is good with him, just like with any other,” Pochettino said this summer of Pulisic. “I have the same communication with him as with others. I do not prioritize. You can say he’s the best player and, yes, he’s a good player, but he needs to perform. And I’m not going to treat him differently than, say, Diego [Luna]. If he performs well, then he’s the best and he’ll have a place with the national team. But it’s not that players are here because they want to play, or want this or want that.”
As Pulisic said, his commitment to the national team shouldn't be questioned. In hard moments, he often has been the one to step up dating back to his early days as a teenage star. Now 26, Pulisic is on pace to smash USMNT records before it's all said and done.
In the here and now, though, his actions have consequences. His decision to skip out on this summer hangs over everything, and it will until he gets back onto the field and proves that he made the right choice.
