For club and country, Pulisic is proving that when you're playing at an elite level, it makes life easier for everyone else around you
ST. LOUIS – "I appreciate you giving me credit for that!"
Christian Pulisic may have appreciated the question, crediting him for opening up space on an eventual U.S. men's national team goal against Jamaica, but he wasn't really willing to give that credit to himself. It was his run that opened up the space Ricardo Pepi needed to score the USMNT's third goal on Monday night. If not for Pulisic occupying the centerbacks, Pepi likely wouldn't have had that extra half-second or so to pick his spot in the back of the net.
Pepi, of course, deserves most of the credit. It was a fantastic finish, one that only a confident striker can provide. Pulisic – who had already accounted for the first two goals in the USMNT's eventual 4-2 win over Jamaica Monday night – played his part, and he did so to perfection by manipulating the defenders in front of him.
But looking back at the sequence, Pulisic had a confession to make: he didn't make that run for Pepi, he made it for himself.
"I did," Pulisic said with a laugh when asked if he really wanted the pass for himself. "I wanted that hat trick."
Regardless, that moment showed the power and impact Pulisic has in games. It was the type of sequence that perfectly encapsulated what an in-form player can do. When you're playing at an elite level, it makes life easier for everyone else – including manager Mauricio Pochettino, who continues to implement his tactics on this USMNT, with Pulisic at the center of it all.
And as Pulisic continues to ride that form for club and country, Pepi's goal showed how having a superstar such as Pulisic in the team can make everyone else better.
gettyPulisic's ridiculous form
It doesn't matter what jersey Pulisic is wearing the moment, if he's on the field, you can expect him to create goals.
In 15 matches for Milan this season, Pulisic already has seven goals and four assists. He's established himself as one of the most dangerous players in Serie A, while his goals against Liverpool and Real Madrid continue to further the narrative that he genuinely a big-game player. He's been in the best form of his life and he looks happier than he's ever been on the club level.
That's carried over to the USMNT, too. In five appearances since the Copa America, Pulisic has two goals and two assists while creating a Jamaica own-goal. There's been no slowdown when he's crossed the Atlantic. In fact, you could argue he's been even better in the red, white and blue than the red and black since the Serie A season started.
Prior to his first game in charge in October, Pochettino praised Pulisic plenty, pointing to that initial run of good form. Pulisic has sustained it and, thus far, he's likely even exceeded his new coach's expectations.
"I think he's a fantastic player," Pochettino said in October. "One of the best offensive players in the world."
Pulisic certainly made that case in St. Louis on Monday, as he tore Jamaica to shreds.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesSuperstar in St. Louis
Pulisic's second goal was eventually taken from him and called an own goal, unfortunately for him. Still, it's worth hyping up Pulisic's first against Jamaica given the quality of finish.
The moment Weston McKennie received the ball on the right-hand side, Pulisic knew what to do. He darted towards goal, breezing past Jamaica's defense. McKennie picked his head up, saw the run and pinged a pass in Pulisic's direction. Controlling it was no easy feat, but Pulisic did more than that; he flicked it on the half-volley, leaving Reggae Boyz goalkeeper Andre Blake helpless as the ball trickled into the back of the net.
"When Weston gets the ball and he picks his head up, I feel like I might be his first target," Pulisic said. "He floated that ball in perfectly."
Pulisic, though, deserves credit for the finish. It was one few players could provide. To have the confidence, the decisiveness and the quality to find the back of the net in that situation – that speaks to Pulisic's level.
And, when playing at that level, Pulisic makes life better for others, which leads us back to that Pepi goal.
IMAGNMaking runs for others
Pulisic won't get credit for an assist for Pepi's goal in St. Louis. He didn't directly set it up in the same way that he did in Kingston when his through-ball into the path of the PSV star led to the USMNT's only goal in a 1-0 victory.
The AC Milan star sure helped, though.
As Pepi receives the ball, Pulisic runs right past him. Jamaica defender Richard King spots that run and, for a split second, focuses on Pulisic. His feet shift towards the winger before he sees Pepi lining up to shoot. At that point, it's too late. Pepi lines up his shot and picks out his corner, making it 3-0 to the USMNT with a fantastic finish from just outside the box.
"I think he's a super important player for a team with how he scores," Pepi said. "The defender went and he stepped towards Christian, and he left me a lot of space. You also can't leave me that space, you know! I see that space, and then I can just shoot and score that goal."
All Pepi needed was that half-second. He's good enough to take advantage of it, as are a number of Pulisic's USMNT teammates. When a player with Pulisic's skill is making runs like that, he buys them that half-second because he puts defenders in an impossible position. Do they focus on Pulisic, the most dangerous player on the field, or the player with the ball? Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
"I think I try to do that a lot," Pulisic says. "I think it's really important: creating space for others. Sometimes you make runs that are not for you to get the ball and that's just normal for me. I have to do it and create space for him in that moment."
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Getty Images SportThe gravational pull
Superstars are often measured by how they make those around them better, and Pulisic is showing that. Most importantly, he's showing it in ways that are indirect.
Yes, the goals and assists are great, but, unless you're Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, there will be dry spells there. You can't always control those. You can always control effort and energy, though, and, if Pulisic continues to make runs like he did on Monday, it'll be a huge lift for club and country.
Back in Milan, all eyes are starting to shift towards Pulisic. It's been like that for years with the USMNT, but it's a relatively new phenomenon for Pulisic on the club level. At Milan, he's surrounded by talent, and every eye on Pulisic is one less on Rafael Leao. It's one less defender not fully accounting for Samuel Chukwueze's pace. It's one split second that allows Alvaro Morata, Noah Okafor or Tammy Abraham to slide into space that wouldn't have been there otherwise.
It's what makes the game's greats so powerful: that gravitational pull. The more Pulisic scores and assists, the stronger it gets, and the stronger it gets, the more his teammates benefit. If becoming a leading goalscorer was the next step for Pulisic, this is the next, next step – creating space, excelling with and without the ball, using his growing reputation and elevated form to now help others.
We saw an example of that in St. Louis, and we'll likely see more of it for Milan in the coming months. Pulisic won't be back in a USMNT jersey again until March, which means the focus is entirely on lifting his club back to old heights. Milan clearly believe Pulisic can be one of the pieces to lead that charge, whether by doing it on his own or making the game easier for others.