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New United States Men’s National Soccer Team head coach Mauricio Pochettino paid a massive compliment to U.S. soccer star Christian Pulisic on Friday.
According to Fox Sports’ Doug McIntyre, Pochettino said the following regarding Pulisic: “I think he’s a fantastic player, one of the best offensive players in the world.”
Pochettino was officially named the USMNT’s head coach last month, and the success he enjoys during his tenure will likely rest heavily on the shoulders of Pulisic, who is Team USA’s best and most accomplished player.
The 26-year-old Pulisic made his USMNT debut back in 2016, and he has since gone on to score 31 goals in 73 matches, ranking him fifth on the all-time Team USA scoring list. He is also tied for seventh among USMNT players with 16 career assists.
Pulisic signed with Borussia Dortmund at the age of 16 and went on to appear in 90 matches for the club, followed by 98 matches with Chelsea and 43 matches with AC Milan, his current club.
Pochettino and Pulisic just missed out on overlapping at Chelsea, as Pulisic departed the club in the summer of 2023 at around the same time Pochettino was hired as manager.
While Pochettino only lasted about a year at Chelsea, he has an impressive managerial record overall, having also managed Espanyol, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain.
Managing so many elite-level clubs has allowed Pochettino to coach up some of the best players in the world, and the fact that he puts Pulisic in that conversation is significant.
Pulisic won the UEFA Champions League with Chelsea in 2021 and has had plenty of individual accolades, including being the four-time U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year, but he is still trying to get the USMNT into the conversation as one of soccer’s elite teams.
While Pulisic has helped the USMNT win the CONCACAF Nations League three times, they fell to the Netherlands in the round of 16 at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and didn’t make it out of the group stage at the Copa América over the summer, which led to the firing of previous head coach Gregg Berhalter.
U.S. Soccer decided to go out and get a big name to replace Berhalter, and while Pochettino fits the bill, he now has to prove that he can take the USMNT to the next level.
The United States does not have the pressure of having to qualify for the 2026 World Cup since it is hosting the event with Canada and Mexico, but there will be a ton of pressure to perform well on home soil.
That starts with Pulisic, but Pochettino must also get the most out of other high-end talent, such as Timothy Weah, Weston McKinnie, Gio Reyna, Tyler Adams and Sergiño Dest.