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SBI USMNT Man of the Match: Christian Pulisic

The U.S. Men’s National Team needed a big game from its rising star and they got nothing less than the best international performance of his young career.

Christian Pulisic announced himself early with a stellar goal within eight minutes of play. The finish showed off his deft first touch, breakneck pace, and precise finishing ability. Speaking of his precision, his pass to pick out Jozy Altidore for the second goal of the match was picture perfect, earning Pulisic honors as SBI USMNT Man of the Match.

Pulisic was the target of Panamanian physical abuse all night long and was subbed off in the 57th minute to save him for Tuesday’s massive away clash at Trinidad and Tobago.

But Pulisic didn’t thrash Panama all  by himself. Jozy Altidore had a pair of goals. Bobby Wood had one of his own to go along with some fantastic movement both on and off the ball. DeAndre Yedlin and Paul Arriola were fantastic out wide, as well.

What do you think of Pulisic’s standout performance in Orlando and who else made their presence felt in a much needed USMNT?

Share your thoughts in below.

Comments

  1. I will say Pulisic seems to be the complete package. His soccer IQ is off the charts, he has a tremendous first touch, is strong on the ball, his speed with the ball is amazing, his passing is perfectly weighted and his finishing is precise. As long as he doesn’t get hurt and keeps improving I can’t see why he will not just be the best American player to date but has the potential to be a truly world-class player. I’m usually pretty conservative about getting on the hype train, but wow this kid has it all.

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    • Nick, I think all your observations are correct. If there is one criticism one could make, it is that sometimes he holds on to the ball too long and tries to do too much. But, he is a budding super star.

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  2. I hope Pulisic is good to go for Tuesday. He was hobbling on the way back to the locker room. I heard that he said he would be good to go, but I’m sure the medical staff will want to be sure.

    The interesting thing will Arena do what he has done before and bring in a lot of changes for the game on Tuesday or will he stick close to the starting lineup against Panama.

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  3. for once the USMNT was running at their opponents instead of the other way around. I don’t think Costa Rica is 6 goals better than Panama yet Costa Rica’s mindset was to dominate the USMNT and they did, handily. it would be great to see this kind of aggression going forward.

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  4. Was great to see the team play as well as they did. This attacking setup is perfect for a team like Panama, and should be used again at Trinidad. It won’t work against the more elite teams however. Mexico would’ve dominated us in the center if we lined up like that against them. Arriola certainly brings a needed spark on offense, but didn’t drop back defensively until later in the game. Nagbe didn’t defend at all, that I could see. A pretty awesome showing offensively masked the ongoing problems we have defensively in midfield.

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  5. This article is about Pulisic, not Bradley, yet people go out of their way to criticize MB. He should not have taken on an enforcer roll; he is carrying a yellow card and the sorts of “hard challenges” to punish the opposing players would be foolish, childish even. Apparently MB has more maturity and self-control than many commentors on Ives have.

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  6. Wood deserves mention. Started the 1st goal sequence, drew the penalty, and scored 1 himself. He could have had a hat trick if he were just a bit more clinical in his finishing.

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  7. “EVERYTHING TONIGHT WAS SIGNED PULISIC” 🙂 ……wow, creativity, passing, speed (oh my goodness what speed on the field does #PulisicandYedlin!!!!), the kid was amazing

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  8. This team takes off when the team is centered around Pulisic and not Michael Bradley. Michael Bradley should be all-over the Panamanian defenders making it known that he has Pulisic back, instead once again he allows this to happen. Pure Jealousy? if not, then Michael Bradley is no longer the player he used to be and is riding on the old golden boy network all the way through the world cup.

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    • -Reply for Keeping it Unreal
      That would have been the stupidest thing to do. The US was clearly prepared to withstand the shenanigans of Panama and not retaliate. It was probably as mature of a game I’ve seen us play in a while. If Bradley sticks up for Pulisic and picks up a yellow he’s gone next game leaving Acosta (who’s been average for FCD since the GC and McCarty). The same for Arriola, Besler and Yedlin so if you want to criticize someone for not taking a knock on someone blame Nagbe. Once down 3-0, Panama’s strategy was to commit yellow card offenses hoping to draw a red card retaliation, have you forgotten Ecuador and Paraguay last Summer holding on for dear life after needless red cards.

      Reply

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