INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Christian Pulisic didn’t score Thursday night. He didn’t set up a goal, either. The U.S. attacker wasn’t even on the field for either of his team’s strikes in the World Cup group stage finale, a 3-2 loss to Turkey that had no bearing on the standings.
Read more England captain Stokes achieves test milestone as New Zealand reaches 418-7 at lunch on Day 2
But Pulisic did play some 40 minutes of soccer. Made darting runs. Advanced the ball. Got physical. Took aim at goal, again and again.
It was far from a defining Pulisic performance. If anything, he’ll kick himself for getting beaten in the buildup to the last-gasp Kaan Ayhan tally that cost the United States an unbeaten group stage record. But the mere sight of the Americans’ inimitable catalyst on the field renders the night something of a success.
Sure, the U.S. closed out its 4-1 win over Paraguay after Pulisic exited at halftime with a left calf injury. It also didn’t require his services to swat aside Australia, 2-0, and win Group D with a game to spare. But it will need him when the Americans face Bosnia in the round of 32 on Wednesday in Santa Clara, California. And it will certainly need him if the U.S. wants to buck history and win multiple knockout matches for the first time.
The 27-year-old has been the face of U.S. soccer since he was a teenager for good reason. For all of the ways this team has shown it can flummox opponents — Folarin Balogun’s ruthlessness, Weston McKennie’s and Malik Tillman’s vision, Antonee Robinson’s and Sergiño Dest’s menace — no one troubles defenses quite like Pulisic.
“If he’s feeling well,” Robinson said, “he’s going to help us win games.”
That much was clear during Pulisic’s pulsating first half against Paraguay, when “Captain America” rose to the occasion of a World Cup on home soil and helped orchestrate a pair of goals. A propulsive dribbler with a knack for tricking defenders and tickling the net, Pulisic split double teams with ease. Executed crisp combinations and crafty moves. Seized the game and set up teammates to thrive.
So when a kick to the calf sent Pulisic to the sidelines, then ruled him out against Australia, there was reason for concern. That the Americans handled Australia — dictating possession, netting two first-half goals and cruising from there — spoke to the team’s attacking evolution.
“It was obviously a different set of emotions, for sure, not being able to play,” Pulisic said. “But I enjoyed just being on the sideline, being around the team. I wanted to be there, and just still living that World Cup game. I obviously just couldn’t be happier and prouder of how the guys handled that whole situation.”
But stiffer opposition looms in the knockout round — if not from 62nd-ranked Bosnia, then from the heavyweights standing between the 15th-ranked U.S. and a Cinderella run. As Pulisic returned to full training this week, practicing with increased conviction and confidence, it became clear he was ready for some game action. Rather than rest Pulisic again, and leave him entering the knockout round on an 18-day layoff, U.S. Coach Mauricio Pochettino committed to giving his spark plug not a cameo against Turkey but a lengthy run-out.
“One of the objectives in that game not only was to win,” Pochettino said, “but to provide Christian between 30 and 40 minutes to get the feeling to be ready for the next game.”
Read more When it comes to soccer, there is no such thing as a United Kingdom
Goals from Auston Trusty and Sebastian Berhalter had a reserve-heavy U.S. squad deadlocked with Turkey at 2-all when Pulisic came on in the 58th minute. Within moments, Pulisic did well to progress the ball through midfield, pick out a teammate, follow through on his run, connect with a pass and win a corner kick. Two minutes later, he brought down Berhalter’s chip in stride, accelerated past a defender and tested Turkish goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir with an angled shot.
Pulisic’s hunger for his second World Cup goal — and first of this tournament — only escalated from there. He rang the post when he redirected a Ricardo Pepi touch toward goal, then lashed a fizzing effort inches wide from distance.
“We look to him for a spark,” defender Chris Richards said. “We also look to him for leadership. So that’s what he did. He got on the pitch today, and I think you kind of see the shift of the game change a little bit.”
“He made such a difference,” midfielder Brenden Aaronson added. “A lot of attention, of course, goes to him — so other guys have moments.”
Aside from the final score — a meaningless result not just for the U.S. but for already-eliminated Turkey — the Americans got everything they could have wanted out of Thursday’s match. Four starters who would’ve been suspended with another yellow card never stepped on the field. Key reserves made their case for increased playing time. Bench warmers shook the rust. By match’s end, 23 of 26 U.S. players (an all-time high) had seen the field this World Cup. And the biggest game changer among them got his groove back.
“You need everybody in this tournament, and everybody has a role to play,” captain Tim Ream said. “It’s obviously great to have Christian. It’s important for him to be healthy, to be feeling good.”
That it is. Pochettino has hammered home a “Why not us?” mentality for a U.S. team that hasn’t made the World Cup quarterfinals since 2002. One reason for such unbridled optimism? The most talented player in American men’s soccer history in his prime and healthy for the home stretch.
“I just always believe that anything’s possible,” Pulisic said. “I don’t feel like we necessarily need some miracle to go far in the World Cup. I think we have a really good team. I think we can do it. Things have to go your way, just like for everyone. But I just always feel like believing is better than not.”
Read more MLB’s draft overhaul would limit choices for teen players — and be a boon for colleges
