— (Reuters) With years of high expectations from his American fans, “Captain America” Christian Pulisic is under pressure to deliver a superheroic performance in his World Cup debut in Qatar.
Six years ago, at the age of 17, he played as the youngest player to represent the United States in a World Cup qualifier. Unfortunately, he was unable to advance to the 2018 tournament, which was a sad loss.
However, the Chelsea forward has become the most recognisable figure on a U. S. team that is hungry for respect and atonement.
On November 9, head coach Gregg Berhalter will announce his final roster, and Pulisic, who has already scored 21 goals in 52 international games to rank sixth all-time, will undoubtedly be one of the first names on the list.
The U. S. will be praying that he avoids getting hurt before the World Cup because Chelsea will be engaged in so many games.
“We play a game every couple of days, and I have no idea how many games I have in front of me.
So I have to be as ready as I can be, take it game by game, prepare, and take care of myself,” he stated following the final warm-up match’s tie with Saudi Arabia.
And once the World Cup arrives, things will start to fall into place.
Although Pulisic’s role with the national team is certain, his position in the Chelsea lineup has occasionally seemed less assured.
His disappointing deployment as a second-half substitute in the London club’s first five Premier League games this season raised concerns that his performance in Qatar might suffer from a lack of match practise.
American citizens should be concerned, according to former England and Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher. Going into the World Cup, it doesn’t seem like he’ll be at his peak in terms of fitness, vitality, sharpness, or rhythm.
“Pulisic’s situation appeared to improve after Chelsea hired Graham Potter as their new manager to succeed Thomas Tuchel in September. Pulisic started and scored in the team’s 3-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers last month.
But to the surprise of the crowd, he sat on the bench against Aston Villa a few days later. He has made 11 Premier League appearances overall this season.
Pulisic has emerged as American soccer’s best hope for a genuine worldwide superstar in the men’s game, especially in the United Kingdom, where the “big four” men’s leagues—NFL, MLB, NHL, and NBA—dominate advertising revenue and television viewers.
Christian is the supreme rival, according to Berhalter. “He appears to have been playing football for the past ten years. He’s seen it all, done it all and I think the World Cup will be a great moment for him. “.
‘Captain America’ Pulisic will be held to extremely high World Cup standards.
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