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It has been eight years since the United States, Mexico, and Canada won the hosting rights to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Plenty has changed with regards to the USMNT, but one thing has remained the same: the team's hopes continue to rest squarely on Christian Pulisic's shoulders.
Ever since he left Pennsylvania for Germany in 2015, it seemed that everything was building towards Pulisic leading the USMNT to glory in the World Cup. He emerged as one of the brightest young talents in Europe with Borussia Dortmund, before becoming the most expensive North American player of all time.
Whilst he wasn't able to justify Chelsea's £58 million outlay, he did become the first American to play (and win) a UEFA Champions League Final. And after missing out on qualification to the 2018 edition, he excelled in the 2022 World Cup, assisting goals against the Netherlands and Wales and grabbing two Man of the Match awards in Qatar.
Christian Pulisic has failed to deliver in 2026
Pulisic moved to Italy in 2023, trading bench duties in London for a protagonist role in Milan. He racked up a career-high 15 goals and 11 assists in 50 appearances before scoring a goal and assist in the USA's Copa América debut, although he was subdued versus Panama and Uruguay as the hosts stumbled to a group stage exit.
He continued his fine displays in 2024/25, scoring 17 goals and 12 assists in 50 appearances, becoming the first American since Clint Dempsey to hit double figures in back-to-back seasons in a major European league. But rather than compete in the 2025 Gold Cup on home soil, he decided to extend his summer vacation and skip out on the USA's first tournament under Mauricio Pochettino.
Christian Pulisic directly addresses why he chose to sit out the Concacaf Gold Cup this summer and his reaction to the fallout of that decision 👀 pic.twitter.com/g4NDqo1doIAugust 14, 2025
Just two-and-a-half years after putting his body on the line to secure passage to the World Cup knockouts, 'Captain America' decided to skip the USA's last chance at playing competitive matches prior to the World Cup. It did not go down well amongst the millions of USMNT supporters.
He didn't let the criticism get to him - instead, he kicked off the season in red-hot form. Despite missing a month with a hamstring injury, Pulisic had racked up 10 goals and two assists in all competitions by New Year's Eve. But in 2026, Pulisic's form has nosedived.
Pulisic has failed to find the back of net (assisting twice), whilst he's found himself increasingly out of the starting XI for the first time in his Milan journey. With Pulisic struggling for form, Milan went from flirting with a Scudetto challenge to missing out on the Champions League for the first time in six years.
Some have attributed his cold streak to his recent breakup with longtime girlfriend Alex Melton; others to a lack of consistency from playing under a seventh different head coach in five years. Whatever the reason, one thing's for sure: Pulisic needs to turn things around fast ahead of the World Cup.
"Will we see Christian Pulisic from the first half of the season, or the second half of the season?" stated FOX Sports pundit Alexi Lalas to FourFourTwo. "Maybe we'll see a mixture of both," added Lalas, who played for the USA when they first hosted the World Cup in 1994.
"I do think that Pulisic is most comfortable with the U.S. team – certainly more comfortable right now – and I think he will enjoy leaving that part of his career behind, even if it’s just for the summer. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking on my part, but I think that he will be comfortable and supported in a way that Pulisic needs to be."
After suffering the worst scoring drought of his professional career, Pulisic will be looking to turn a new page in North America. Having closed out the club season with a chorus of jeers and whistles following Milan's last-day capitulation to Cagliari, Pulisic will be serenaded with applause when he takes the pitch for the USA's tournament opener on June 12.
At 27, Pulisic has already achieved feats that most American kids can only dream of, and based on pure talent, he might already be the greatest American player ever. But if he's ever going to join Landon Donovan and Dempsey in the pantheon of USMNT greats, he needs to hit the ground running and lead the Stars and Stripes to a deep World Cup run this summer.
