USMNT, Christian Pulisic (Photo by Paul Childs / Pool via Getty Images)
Christian Pulisic scored a shocking solo goal against Manchester City on Thursday. Perhaps the USMNT can take the Premier League by storm after all.
When Chelsea spent £ 58 million on Christian Pulisic 18 months ago, there were many questions about the price. The star of the US men’s national team was highly regarded at Borussia Dortmund. But once Jadon Sancho came and got over it, Dortmund no longer needed him.
It felt strange, then, that Pulisic would cost £ 58 million. Yes, he was a young player with a talented skill set, but the figure seemed inflated, to say the least. Some questioned whether it was an economic decision, not soccer. Pulisic provides Chelsea with a foothold in a booming American market. They may have overpaid in a footballing sense, but commercially, Pulisic would easily get their money back.
Head coach Frank Lampard, who arrived at the same time as Pulisic, six months after the transfer was made official, has always protested that Pulisic is at the club for his footballing ability, not for shirt sales or commercial potential. . And this week Pulisic could have shown it.
It started with a substitute goal against Aston Villa. With Chelsea one goal less and desperately needing an offensive spark, Lampard turned to Pulisic from the bench in the 55th minute. Five minutes later, he scored the equalizing goal before Olivier Giroud scored the winner two minutes later.
Later, Lampard greeted his hunger, declaring reporters through Yahoo Sports The USMNT winger will be a ‘great player’ for the team’s future:
“I know Christian was very hungry. He has trained well and the ability he has to get to the box is a great thing that I have talked to him about all season. <…> He was really satisfied with it and the impact it had when he entered. He will start the games for us, of course, and I think he will be a great player for us. Not only in this meeting, but obviously in the future ”.
Pulisic tried the same thing four days later. He started against Manchester City and produced the moment of the game, picking up a loose ball on the midline, adrift by Ilkay Gundogan, then exploded alongside Benjamin Mendy, before shooting a lovely finish in the far corner around stranded Ederson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EasWagnJvSI
It was a terror throughout the game, even being back behind the City backline before Kyle Walker cleared his effort off the line in the last second. Then, speaking on the club’s official website, Lampard announced his qualities once again:
“I always planned to start it against City because I know what it can bring to these types of games. He brought it in and did it very well. He is a young player, he is very talented and he needs to keep working. He can improve and improve. “
Quietly, Pulisic has had an excellent first season at Chelsea. Seven goals and two assists in 1,198 minutes are excellent. It occupies a prominent place in the Chelsea team in terms of expected goals for every 90, expected assists for every 90, shooting creation actions for every 90, progressive ball transport and successful pots for every 90.
It is proving that an American can conquer the Premier League. Brilliant days are ahead for both Pulisic and USMNT.
