Christian Pulisic has insisted that he is happy with how he feels heading into the World Cup, despite a difficult 2026 so far.
Pulisic is hoping to take centre stage at the World Cup that the United States will host in front of their home crowd. The Milan forward is one of the players that the fans expect a lot from, given he has been the face of the USMNT for years now, since he became a star in Europe.
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The former Chelsea man is ready to tae on the responsibility of representing an entire country in a home tournament, but he does so after an up and down season. After being the Rossoneri’s top scorer in the first half of the campaign, he didn’t net a club goal after December 28.
Pulisic got back to scoring in the recent warm-up friendly win over Senegal, also getting an assist and issuing a defiant interview after. Mauricio Pochettino hopes that will unlock him, but in the meantime for ex-Dortmund man spoke to GOAL to preview the tournament.
Does this feel like a lot of added pressure in a difficult moment?
“I feel like I’ve dealt with this my whole career, in a way. Maybe the moment is a little bit bigger, of course, but honestly, it doesn’t change my preparation. It doesn’t change much at all for me.
“Going into it, like, yes, it’s a World Cup. Everyone has pressure, if that’s what people want me to say, but it’s also like… This is what I’ve trained every day for. This is what I’ve dreamed of, to have this pressure.
“I want to be in this position, so I wouldn’t change it for the world. It’s a privilege, honestly, to have it. I’m trying to live in this moment and do the best I can. Hopefully, people realise that.”
What is it like being the centre of attention as a more shy person?
“Sometimes it can be hard, for sure. I feel like it all moves and happens so fast. In some weird ways, it feels like I’m just a kid starting out with the national team, but it’s crazy to think that I’ve played for the national team for 10 years now. It’s insane.
“I’ve played in a World Cup. We’ve been through all of this. I’ve been through so much in my personal life. It’s just constantly trying to grow and trying to live and be in this moment.
“Now we’re here, and yeah, sometimes I let it slip by and take these moments for granted, but I really want to try to take this moment in, because that’s what it is.”
What did it feel like when you arrived at Dortmund and rose to prominence?
“At the time, it’s like so cool. You’re just a kid. You’re like, ‘Wow, this is everything I dreamed of’, but then there are tough things that come with it, for sure.”
Are you used to all the attention yet?
“It doesn’t seem normal, but I guess, in some ways, it’s become the norm for me. When you have all these amazing events and opportunities and you get to play representing your national team in these big tournaments, all this stuff is going to be around.
“I think I would say I’ve gotten used to it, absolutely, and I try to do my best to deal with it, but there are constant things I’m dealing with. There are struggles that I have, just like everyone does, for sure.
“I still learn how to deal with these things today, but, again, I wouldn’t change it for the world. I feel like I’ve always wanted this, so if this is what it means, that there’s extra pressure, extra attention, then that’s great, because this is exactly where I want to be.”
Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams, two longtime friends, are, for example, far more open to the spotlight…
“I’m also just figuring it out, just like all of us. These are all new experiences for me. Obviously, I’ve gotten better at it throughout time, that’s for sure.
“I’ve played in and experienced similar things, but we still go through things, and for me, when times get tough, it’s just calls with my family, having people help me through it, because I don’t have to do this alone. It’s talking with my teammates and coaches and dealing with it all together.”
That celebration against Senegal showed a lot of emotion…
“I don’t think much for a second about what other people might think of me. It’s more so like: can I leave this with zero regrets? I already know that I’m going to give everything.”
You have a lot of different sponsorship deals…
“It’s definitely a lot. There’s been, for sure, a lot on my plate, but I wouldn’t trade this moment for the world. I get that it’s all part of it. I’m lucky to have partners like Degree. It’s a lot of work, of course, at times, but I just feel grateful.”
In the last two weeks you have been from Milan to New York Atlanta, Charlotte, back to Atlanta, Chicago and, finally, Southern California, where the USA will face Paraguay…
“It’s a lot of course,” he says, “but this is part of it now. It’ll definitely start to slow down and be much more World Cup game-focused, which is what I’m looking forward to most.
“I get to do what I love the most, and try to live and enjoy this moment, but it’s fun. It’s all part of the experience. I get to do it alongside my team, so yeah, I guess, while it’s a lot, I do get to enjoy it.”
What do you want your legacy to be?
“A lot of the time I’m so locked in. It’s hard to let your mind wander and know what I’m really thinking about. I think, for me, I think a lot about, like, ‘What is the opportunity that’s in front of me?’ I try to imagine that there’s such an incredible game and it goes the best it ever could.
“I just think about how you have this opportunity to do something so special. You’re representing your country and can create something amazing, you know, chase history and do things that will be remembered in time.
“I guess those are some of the things that just run through my mind, and yeah, other than that, it’s just game time. I’m locked in and focused. It’s not really anything else.”
You keep having these ‘biggest game of your career’ moments…
“That’s just the way that careers go. Obviously, that’s the way you want it to go. You want the next game to be the biggest game. That’s why we play. We want to continue to take steps forward and have the opportunities to play in these games. It’s what we all dream of.
“The feeling going into a game now, I mean, in some ways, yeah, maybe it’s a bigger game, but also I feel more relaxed because we’ve done it on the biggest stage.”
Of the 26 players in the USA squad, 13 played at the last World Cup. Among the other 13 are six who have played in European continental competitions…
“We’ve played in the high-level games before. So it gives us a bit of confidence and calmness going into the moment. We’ve all done it before. We’ve seen success before, and now, now we can trust that we’ve worked hard enough and prepared well enough to get the job done.”
Will you stop to appreciate the moment a bit?
“I’m not necessarily a big picture taker, but I’m going to try to just take in the moment, for sure. I’m going to try to look around a little bit more.
“I realise that it’s not an everyday thing that you get to play in a World Cup, let alone play in two World Cups, and represent your country in the biggest event in the world. It’s something really special.
“I’d literally give everything for this team and for this moment and I hope that people will be able to see that. I hope I’ll be able to say that when it’s all said and done. That’s really all I can do: just give everything that I have, try the best that I can.
“I feel like, if I can walk away from the tournament saying that, then I’ll have no regrets, and people will hopefully look back, and hopefully it’ll be a successful tournament.”
Will you experience this World Cup in your own, laid-back way?
“That’s just the kind of person that I am. I love being around my family and my closest friends, and I love to play soccer. I love to compete. That? That’s me in a nutshell.
“There’s so much more about me that a lot of people will never know, and I’m just okay with that. That’s kind of how I want it to be, I guess. That’s just where I’d leave it.”
You’re a good kid Christian. We’re all behind you. Here in the States, at least. Go get ’em!
As if the usa are gonna do anything at the tournament 😂
For the USA just getting to the knockout round is a successful World Cup. If we can get a little luck and momentum, we can get to the quarterfinals which would be a raging success for us. As long as Christian is his normal energetic, creative self and has the confidence to dribble at defenders, then win or loose I’ll be satisfied.
Yeah, group stage is the new qualifications. Shi**est tournament in history. Until the next one that will have 64 teams. They should just have everyone play at the world cup.
I have been following Puli since he arrived at Dortmund. European players have been given priority over Puli on hundreds of occasions,
however, he stuck it out. I admire how he handled the hundreds of times he sat on the bench, especially at Cheslea, when he should have been playing.