USMNT: Christian Pulisic explosion distracts from real issue
Christian Pulisic exploded into life with a hat-trick for Chelsea this weekend. But his success distracts from the real issue for the USMNT: supporting talent.
As Christian Pulisic himself admitted after a sensational hat-trick for Chelsea on Saturday, it has not been the easiest start to life in the Premier League for the young American.
Speaking to the media, Pulisic revealed:
"“The first few months were definitely hard. I had a few starts, then I fell out a bit and I was just trying to get any minutes I could.”"
But after working hard to impress manager Frank Lampard and earning his fourth Premier League start of the year, Pulisic took no time to establish his talent. His hat-trick was superb. The second goal might have required a deflection to squirm past Nick Pope at the near post, but it was electric, injecting dribbling before the strike that was so exciting to watch.
Similar to his opener, Pulisic showed terrific speed and directness in his play. He squared defenders up before searing past them, earning the crucial yard of space to unleash a shot on goal. And on Saturday, unlike in previous performances, they invariably went in.
After the match, Pulisic was noticeably overjoyed — and slightly relieved — with his performance:
"It’s my first professional hat-trick so I nearly forgot the match ball, luckily my team-mates helped me out <…> I just want to be on the field, help the team and make an impact. I didn’t think it would be super easy. But I have come on a few times the past few weeks and was happy to start today, it was a special day.”"
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Naturally, there is a growing buzz in U.S. Men’s National Team circles. Pulisic is the USMNT’s best player. He is the heart and soul of the team, the most important element of Gregg Berhalter’s system, the one player that everything revolves around. There are very few outcomes in which the USMNT have success and Pulisic does not play a key part in it. So his playing well for Chelsea and earning first-team minutes at the highest level is obviously a very encouraging sign.
But this excellent performance, and the furore that has exploded as a result of it, distract from the real problem: the USMNT are overreliant on Pulisic. There is very little supporting talent to ease the burden of creative and goalscoring burden.
Weston McKennie scored four goals against Cuba in the international break, Josh Sargent is starting to break through at Werder Bremen and score goals on a consistent basis, while Tyler Adams will hopefully return from injury soon having only played 64 Bundesliga minutes for RB Leipzig since March 30th. But not only are these three players uncertain at the international level, either through a lack of proven success or growing injury concerns; they are meant to be the other key players for the USMNT. And if that is the case, when competing against the likes of Mexico and South American and European giants, many of which have players shining in all of the best domestic leagues in the world, that is not enough.
Next. USMNT: Christian Pulisic hat-trick a defining moment. dark
Pulisic is a great player. And Saturday’s performance was a great performance. But even if Pulisic plays to the best of his ability, without help alongside him, it will be enough for the USMNT. Extolling his brilliance, then, while justified, distracts from the real issue.