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Christian Pulisic is benched AGAIN by Chelsea boss Graham Potter but impresses in a 13-minute cameo in 2-1 win vs. Dinamo Zagreb with the World Cup just two-and-a-half weeks away
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USMNT’s Christian Pulisic was relegated to the bench once again for Chelsea’s final Champions League group stage match against Dinamo Zagreb, but shone once he got his chance.
With the World Cup just two-and-a-half weeks away. Pulisic can hardly afford such little playing time but he did impress during a 13-minute cameo.
The American came on for scorer Raheem Sterling in the 83rd minute before creating two credible chances for his teammates to score.
Ultimately they could not, and yet Chelsea still took home all three points in a 2-1 victory, which extended their lead in Group E.
Christian Pulisic impressed off the bench for Chelsea during a 2-1 victory vs. Dinamo Zagreb
The USMNT star caught the eye in a 13-minute cameo which pleased many Chelsea & US fans
The Blues now advance to the Round of 16 where they will face one of Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Club Brugge or Eintracht Frankfurt.
Coach Graham Potter put his faith in seven players who didn’t start at the weekend in the team’s 4-1 loss to Brighton at the Amex Stadium.
Pulisic, who started in the embarrassing defeat to the Seagulls, also featured in the Blues’ last European game in the 2-1 win against RB Salzburg.
So far this season, Pulisic, nicknamed ‘Captain America,’ has featured in 11 Premier League games, scoring once against Wolves in a 3-0 win on October 8th. On the matchday prior, he registered an assist in an away win (2-1) against Crystal Palace.
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Pulisic arrived at Stamford Bridge with a mask on prior to the Blues’ last Group E matchup
In total, he’s played 358 minutes in England’s top tier, while he’s played three times in Europe for the Blues, registering an assist in Austria against Salzburg.
USMNT Gregg Berhalter wouldn’t have been too pleased to see his star miss out from the start on Wednesday.
However, the performance off the bench should give him encouragement ahead of the Star and Stripes’ first group B game against Wales on November 21st in Doha.
Pulisic failed to make an impact in the US’ last match against Saudi Arabia (0-0) in September and hasn’t scored for his national team since March in a 5-1 CONCACAF 2022 World Cup qualifier against Panama. In that game, he scored a hattrick, consisting of two penalties in the first half.
‘Captain America’ has only scored once so far in Europe this season against RB Salzburg away
Berhalter will be hoping to see his captain get some more game time before the race for the FIFA World Cup Trophy starts on November 20th.
Chelsea host London rivals, Arsenal on November 6th, before taking on Manchester City in the EFL Cup third round fixture.
The Blues then travel to the north-east to take on an in-form Newcastle side before the month-long international break.
The U.S. plays England in a Black Friday matchup on November 25th in its second World Cup game and closes group play on November 29 against Iran.
USMNT’s Christian Pulisic was demoted to the Chelsea bench vs. Dinamo Zagreb Wednesday
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