Рет қаралды 506
In the coldest game ever in the history of the U.S. men’s national soccer team, in St. Paul, Minnesota, and at 19 degrees below zero, the U.S. men's soccer team beat Honduras 3-0 to earn a much-needed World Cup qualifying win, which eventually helped them reach the 2022 World Cup, after they had surprisingly missed the one before in 2018 in Russia. The game was so cold and not just for the poor Honduras players, who 2 of them were taken off the field and treated for hypothermia, but even American goalkeeper Matt Turner said his boogers had frozen during the game. Red hot Christian Pulisic, however, didn’t seem to mind the freezing temperatures and less than three minutes after coming off the bench, he secures America’s vital win by scoring the 3rd and final goal.
But Christian Pulisic, at that time, had been really struggling, especially at club level, where he was getting very little play time. So not just playing but captaining the American team was vitally important for his career. And captain America did not disappoint. His struggles with Chelsea didn’t stop him from winning the CONCACAF Nations League in 2021 and 2023, scoring his first international hat-trick in the win over Panama in the World Cup qualifiers, receiving his first FIFA World Cup Man of the Match award in the draw against England and scoring the winner in the United States' 1-0 win over Iran to help America qualify to the World Cup knock out stages.
So, the player had potential. And that’s why even when Chelsea were no longer interested in keeping him in London, Italian giants AC Milan gladly signed him for only 20 million dollars, which was a steal because Chelsea had bought him from Borussia Dortmund for 63 million dollars. And despite criticism of the player’s form and of the signing, it turned out to be a match made in heaven. He scored in his debut, scored in his second game, was named the club's Player of the Month for August and scored a last-minute winner in a dramatic 1-0 win over Genoa. But even off the field, and in a very short period of time, Pulisic has helped Milan see the commercial benefits of signing him, where the club’s popularity has really grown in America, with an astronomical increase by 713% in Milan’s Jersey sales.
But for a player who had really struggled at Chelsea, why is Pulisic suddenly playing good with Milan? Well, first of all, it kind of seems that failing at Chelsea and moving to Italy is a great recipe for success. Mo Salah had failed miserably at Chelsea and when he moved to Italy to play with Fiorentina and Roma he came back to the Premier League as an absolute legend of the sport. So Christian Pulisic could pull off another Mo Salah and revitalize his career in Italy. Second, Pulisic joined ex Chelsea teammate Olivier Giroud who AC Milan also signed from Chelsea and it seems that it’s not just the friendship, but Giroud’s striker or centre-forward position that attracts the defenders to him, is helping with Pulisic’s style of play as a winger who often needs some space to get comfortable with his play. And along with Rafael Leao, the team’s attack is looking as sharp as they’ve looked in a long time.
But Pulisic can’t get too comfy neither with Milan nor with America. Milan were grilled from their fans just last season for a string of bad results. And whether he likes it or not, he has become the face of the country that is hosting the next world cup in 2026. So, Captain America … must … step up … for the occasion. But will he be able to do so?