Captain America, Christian Pulisic, has now featured with his current club of Chelsea on American soil for the first time. In a 2-1 win over Club America at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada Pulisic came on after half time and played the second 45 minutes. He looked in good form too.
Said Blues boss Thomas Tuchel on the topic: “I think he enjoys being in his home country and to play for Chelsea and to present himself within the squad. Of course, we can clearly see the excitement around him…For sure it’s the first time in the US since I’m in Chelsea. We can see everybody is excited about Christian, he is an important player for us.”
Christian Pulisic and Kevin Garnett ?
(via kgcertified/IG) pic.twitter.com/68da4dvKEV
— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) July 16, 2022
As you can see from the tweet above, the young American forward also had a change to hang out with a basketball legend and NBA champion over the weekend. Up next for Pulisic and company is a friendly versus Charlotte FC (Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte) on Wednesday night, followed by a London derby in Florida versus Arsenal (Camping World Stadium, Orlando) on Saturday.
It’s interesting to hear Tuchel say “an important player for us,” as Pulisic hasn’t received regular first team football under the German. And Tuchelball has utilized the Hersey, PA native it’s often out of position.
His role has been questioned, and now that Raheem Sterling has arrived from Manchester City, minutes could be even tougher to come by. Pulisic was asked about Sterling, and how that could affect his playing time. The former Borussia Dortmund man made it known, he will fight for his place in the side, telling ESPN FC:
“Great quality. We’re really excited about it. The beautiful thing about being at a club like this is the competition every single day. We all thrive competing with each other in training and getting to play with each other is just another great addition to the team.
“It doesn’t change a whole lot [for me], I’m still going to have to play hard and earn my position, just like I did before, nothing crazy has changed. This is Chelsea, this is what you signed up for, this is the kind of club it is with the calibre of players that we have.”
Of course, Chelsea will probably do some more re-shaping of the final third before the summer ends. Pulisic himself has been linked with a move to Juventus while Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner may be on the trading block.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast, part of Edge of the Crowd Network. Follow him and the website on Twitter and Instagram.