Christian Pulisic is poised to make a monumental impact if he leads the United States to an unprecedented World Cup success this summer, says former American striker Landon Donovan.
The U.S. men’s national soccer team is gearing up for its opening match against Paraguay, who aim to challenge the hosts in Los Angeles this Friday night.
With Mauricio Pochettino, a coach of international repute, guiding the team and the enthusiastic support of home fans, expectations are high for the USMNT. They are determined to surpass the Round of 16, a feat they haven’t achieved since 2002.
Pivotal to this ambition is Pulisic, the AC Milan forward, who is entering the World Cup stage with an impressive record of 33 goals in 86 appearances for the national team.
Despite a challenging year, where his goal during last week’s friendly against Senegal marked his first for either club or country since December 28, the former Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund standout remains a key player.
Yet after finally breaking his duck at the perfect time, Donovan expects Pulisic to be firing on all cylinders at this World Cup on home soil.
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.