Christian Pulisic was one of the 26 men selected by head coach Mauricio Pochettino to represent the USMNT at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Pulisic primarily plays as a winger for the Italian club AC Milan, scoring eight goals on 54 shots to go along with four assists during the 2025-26 Italian Serie A season.
The Pennsylvania native started off strong for his club team but struggled to end the season, having not scored a goal since December 2025. The 5-foot-10 winger is also entering the 2026 FIFA World Cup on an 18-month scoring drought for the U.S. men's national team. Despite the scoring struggles, the man nicknamed "Captain America" has high expectations for himself and the United States in the upcoming tournament.
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On Wednesday, while speaking with Kyle Bonn of The Sporting News, the 27-year-old made a strong statement when discussing the upcoming FIFA World Cup tournament. Pulisic gave perspective on his scoring drought, his belief in himself and his U.S. squad, and how people's perspectives will change following the tournament.
"There's so many ups and downs in this sport," Pulisic said. "People will just look at goals and say, 'If you haven't scored, you haven't played well as an attacking player,' but I don't feel that way. ... I feel good in a lot of ways, so I'm really not concerned. I'm excited for what's to come, and I see the World Cup as an opportunity. It's going to be a big opportunity for everyone. I can go in there and have a good performance, and people will talk in a different way."
The United States will open the 2026 FIFA World Cup against Paraguay on Friday, June 12, at Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood, California, with kickoff expected at 9 p.m. ET.
