Christian Pulisic scored an outrageous solo goal against Manchester City on Thursday, Maybe the USMNT can take the Premier League by storm after all.
When Chelsea spent £58 million on Christian Pulisic 18 months ago, there were plenty of questions regarding the price tag. The U.S. Men’s National Team star was highly thought of at Borussia Dortmund. But once Jadon Sancho came along and outperformed him, Dortmund no longer needed him.
It felt strange, then, that Pulisic would cost £58 million. Yes, he was a young player with a talented skill set, but the figure seemed inflated, to say the least. Some questioned whether this was an economic decision, not a football one. Pulisic provides Chelsea with a foothold in a booming American market. They may have overpaid in a footballing sense, but commercially, Pulisic would easily make his money back.
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Head coach Frank Lampard, who arrived at the same time as Pulisic, six months after the transfer was made official, has always protested that Pulisic is at the club for his footballing ability, not the shirt sales or commercial potential. And this week, Pulisic might just have proven it.
It started with a substitute goal against Aston Villa. With Chelsea one goal down and in desperate need of an offensive spark, Lampard turned to Pulisic from off the bench in the 55th minute. Five minutes later, he scored the equalising goal before Olivier Giroud scored the winner two minutes later.
Afterwards, Lampard hailed his hunger, stating to reporters via Yahoo Sports the USMNT winger will be a ‘big player’ for the future of the team:
"“I know Christian was very hungry. He’s trained well and the ability he has got to arrive in the box, it is a big thing I’ve spoken about with him about all season <…> I was really pleased with him and the impact he had when he came on. He will start games for us, of course, and I think he’s going to be a big player for us. Not just in this run-in but obviously going forward.”"
Pulisic proved as much four days later. He started against Manchester City and produced the moment of the match, picking up a loose ball on the halfway line, drifting by Ilkay Gundogan, then bursting past Benjamin Mendy, before rolling a lovely finish into the far corner around the stranded Ederson.
He was a terror throughout the match, including getting in behind the City backline again before Kyle Walker cleared his effort off the line at the last second. Afterwards, speaking to the official club website, Lampard heralded his qualities once more:
"“I always planned to start him against City because I know what he can bring in these sorts of games. He brought it and did really well. He’s a young player, he’s got so much talent, and he needs to keep working. He can get better and better.”"
Quietly, Pulisic has enjoyed an excellent first season at Chelsea. Seven goals and two assists in 1,198 minutes is excellent. He ranks highly in the Chelsea squad for expected goals per 90, expected assists per 90, shot-creating-actions per 90, progressive ball carrying, and successful dribbles per 90.
He is proving that an American can take the Premier League by storm. It is bright days ahead for both Pulisic and the USMNT.