USMNT: Christian Pulisic hat-trick a defining moment
By Daniel Garza
Christian Pulisic scored his first Premier League with a hat-trick against Burnley on Saturday. This could be a defining moment for the USMNT and Chelsea star.
A frustrating start to life in the Premier League has not swayed U.S. Men’s National Team superstar Christian Pulisic over the course of the last few weeks.
The American midfielder has been a contributor in both of Chelsea’s victories in the last two weeks in the Premier League and was involved in their UEFA Champions Leauge win over Ajax as well. These performances appear to be putting to rest the early struggles he experienced at the start of the 2019-20 season.`
To score his first Premier League goal and record his first hat-trick in the same match is quite an accomplishment. He becomes only the second American player to register three goals in a match in the world’s most competitive league.
Pulisic is quickly proving to Frank Lampard that he deserves to feature for the club on a regular basis. After slipping out of the matchday 18-man squad multiple times during September, he has regrouped following the international break to produce a fine run of form.
PULISIC HATTRICK AHHHHH pic.twitter.com/UPNktW4pBp
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) October 26, 2019
Saturday’s hat-trick against Burnley has the possibility of being a defining moment in Pulisic’s season and career. The Chelsea squad is full of talent and Pulisic is not guaranteed playing time by any means. He has to prove he belongs.
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Thankfully, then, for the young USMNT star, he has displayed his attacking talent since making the return to his club from the USMNT’s disppointing October international break. Questions were asked if the 21-year-old was ready for the move to Chelsea just yet, but on Saturday Pulisic showed he is right where he belongs.
His first two goals were classic Pulisic. Isolate defenders and slam home the finish. For the opener, he shifted onto his left, took an extra touch to create space for the shot and slammed a left-footed strike into the bottom corner. His second was similar but off his right side, though it came with the benefit of a deflection. And then he scored a header, quite unlike for Pulisic, flicking home a cross from the left flank after cleverly working his way clear of a defender at the front post. This was Pulisic at his very best, and it is precisely what he needed to show with his Chelsea spot under fir.
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With the November international break looming, Gregg Berhalter and the USMNT have to love what Pulisic showed here. He had a frustrating end to the October set of matches as he was affected by illness. But this performance should guarantee him starting opportunities moving forward and help progress his development, which is essential to the future of the USMNT.