Christian Pulisic could transform his future in dramatic fashion if he leads the United States to one of the most memorable World Cup campaigns in the nation’s history this summer, former US star Landon Donovan has said.
The US men’s national team are now just hours from kicking off their tournament, with Paraguay set to test the co-hosts in Friday night’s opener in Los Angeles.
With Mauricio Pochettino in charge and strong backing expected from a passionate home crowd, optimism is building around the USMNT as they look to reach beyond the Round of 16 for the first time since 2002.
Pulisic is widely seen as the key figure in that mission, with the AC Milan attacker arriving at the World Cup having scored 33 goals in 86 appearances for his country.
The former Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund forward has endured an uneven run of form over the last year, and his strike in last week’s warmup against Senegal was his first goal for either club or country since December 28.
But after ending that drought at an ideal moment, Donovan believes Pulisic is now primed to hit top gear on home soil during the biggest tournament of his career.
Christian Pulisic could ‘change his life forever’ at the World Cup, according to Landon Donovan
Donovan, who is USA’s joint-leading goalscorer, expects Pulisic to be firing on all cylinders
‘I’ve watched very closely his last two matches for the US and, look, he was on the field against Senegal with some very, very good players. He was on the field against Germany last weekend with some world-class players and he was one of the best players on the field,’ the ex-USA international, who is his country’s joint-leading goalscorer with 57 goals, told the Daily Mail.
‘I’m not worried about him. I was worried about him hitting the net and scoring, so him scoring the goal – and he scored a great goal – against Senegal I think relieved a lot of pressure in his mind and will allow him to play more carefree.
‘I think he’s primed to have a really good tournament.’
Pulisic is a household name in both US and European soccer, having started his professional career in Germany with Dortmund before completing a $78million move to English giant Chelsea in 2019, where he won the Champions League two years later.
USA’s ‘Captain America’ has played 63 times in Europe’s elite club competition, which includes 15 appearances for current team Milan – who have won the competition seven times in their history.
Though if he lives up to his superhero-inspired nickname this summer, and the co-hosts enjoy a tournament for the ages, Donovan believes Pulisic’s star power will transcend soccer.
When asked if Pulisic can become as big of a name as the likes of LeBron James and Tom Brady, his predecessor insisted: ‘When you play a home World Cup, I’ve seen it with other countries where stars are born, you have this massive platform that will never exist again in your career. So absolutely.
The AC Milan forward recently ended his five-month goal drought for both club and country
Donovan believes Pulisic could become a US superstar that transends soccer this summer
The ex-USA forward was speaking at the opening of Raising Cane’s new Inglewood Flagship
‘There are going to be tens if not hundreds of millions of Americans watching the World Cup, or at least following what’s going on from a US perspective. And so if he has a very good World Cup he will become an absolute superstar.
‘All of these guys are aware of that, it is of course a team game, but having a good World Cup will change his life forever.’
Donovan spoke to the Daily Mail while at the opening of Raising Cane’s new Inglewood Flagship, where he by worked a celebrity ‘shift’ just steps from Los Angeles Stadium.
During his shift, he signed autographs, worked the front counter and walk up window, served super fans, took photos and participated in a press conference where he discussed the growth of soccer in America, his upcoming role as a match analyst and commentator, and his expectations for the US men’s team.
