Saturday marked 494 days since Christian Pulisic last scored a goal for the U.S. men’s national team and while the star attacker hopes to end his drought before the FIFA World Cup, it hasn’t fully rattled his confidence.
Pulisic’s USMNT goal-less drought extended to seven matches on Saturday after the Americans suffered a 5-2 home friendly loss to Belgium. The 27-year-old played 71 minutes at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, starting as a left-sided midfielder in Mauricio Pochettino’s 4-2-3-1 set up.
Although Saturday marked one of his better defensive performances, Pulisic struggled to get much going in the final-third. He missed three shots, including a wide-open header in the first half, and created just one offensive opportunity.
Pulisic vowed to continue working hard ahead of the summer tournament, believing things will turn around soon enough.
“It’s frustrating for me, it’s been a tough patch. But I feel confident in the way I’m playing,” Pulisic said postmatch Saturday in a mixed zone with reporters. “And I feel good. And I’m creating chances. So I just have to stay positive and keep going.
“I know a ball will hit off my knee and go in, and then things will change,” he added. “So I’m not going to panic. Better now than this summer. Things are going to change.”
Not only have the goals dried up for Pulisic with the USMNT but also at club level in Italy. The AC Milan attacker has failed to find the back of the net in his last 12 outings, with his last goal coming back on December 28 against Hellas Verona.
Massimiliano Allegri has continued to rely on Pulisic though, starting him in each of his last five appearances with the Rossoneri. He’s played 60 minutes or more in each of those five shifts, even going the distance in a 1-0 defeat to Lazio two weeks ago.
Pochettino admitted that goals haven’t come easily for Pulisic of late, but still backs him to lead the USMNT going forward based off of his overall commitment to the squad.
“Christian is playing. And of course, he’s not scoring; but for me, it’s not only [about scoring] goals,” Pochettino said earlier in the week during a press conference. “For me, I am happy with him in the way that he’s performing, in the way that he’s committed with the team, and in the time that he’s playing.”
Pulisic and his USMNT teammates will have a quick turnaround ahead of Tuesday night’s date with Portugal. After suffering one of their worst defeats of the Pochettino-era on Saturday, the USMNT will be trying to do whatever they can to rebound with a positive result against another Top-15 opponent.
Similar to the USMNT’s positive 1-1 draw against Brazil in 2024, four days after enduring a 5-1 hammering at the hands of Colombia, Pulisic expects the performance to improve regardless of who is on the other side of the field.
“[We got to] See where things went wrong, I guess, and work to improve them,” Pulisic said. “And come up with a plan. And fight to get a good result and put it behind us.”