The Certainty of Christian Pulisic
It sure does feel nice to have a good soccer player and know that he is really, actually good.
Like many others, I watched this game live, and like many others, I made audible noises with my mouth when this happened.
The first noise I made was laughter, because goodness gracious that was some utter trash from Manchester City. Ben Mendy and Ilkay Gundogan just trotting along, both of them casually running towards the ball. And I do not know what, exactly, Mendy is thinking when he toe pokes the ball to the area Gundogan has just vacated, but I do know that as soon as Christian Pulisic gets to that ball itâs time to cue the clown car music.
Then the second noise I made was more laughter, this time mixed with a little surprise and anticipation, because Christian Pulisic did that thing again. There is one physical attribute that Christian Pulisic is world-class in: acceleration. His ability to change speeds both on and off the ball is up there with the best of them, and he used it to steal Mendyâs lunch money and throw his milk carton at the back of his head on this run. Pulisic isnât the flashiest player in his dribbling. He doesnât do a ton of step-overs or show off his ball skills whenever he can, although it happens on occasion. Itâs the deceptive quickness that kills defenders, that slight hesitation that made Mendy think he could get a toe poke in on the ball before Pulisic just ran right past him, and in on goal.
The last audible sound I made was a word: âwow.â The finish wasnât as picturesque as the first goal Pulisic ever scored on Ederson, in a Champions League tie between Borussia Dortmund and Benfica.
This one was less spectacular and climactic, more calm, composed, never in doubt. Ederson rushed out to meet him and Pulisic curled the ball past him perfectly, the ball gently spinning into the side netting and coming to rest. This was a little bit different than the other moments of brilliance weâve seen from Christian Pulisic, the bursts and explosions where his talent looks so evident, only to recede, for Pulisic to take a seat on the bench or be satisfied with cameo appearances. It felt like this was always going to happen. Like Pulisic was inevitable.
The last time I was absolutely positive the United States Menâs team had a player on it that was good, and definitely good, good all the time, was Clint Dempsey. His career bore that out. He scored everywhere he went, was a threat everywhere he went. Didnât matter if he was playing for Fulham and Chelsea came to town. Didnât matter if he was playing for the USMNT and they were up against Portugal. Clint Dempsey was a good player, and I had confidence in that. It was a certainty.
Christian Pulisic has the talent to be the best USMNT player to ever play so far, but much of his career has felt far less of a certainty and much more of a âletâs hope so.â Yes, heâs proved how talented he is. Iâm not saying heâs ever looked anything but talented. Iâm saying that thereâs been times when itâs felt like Pulisic hit a wall, and that maybe he wasnât as certain as we once thought he was. When Jadon Sancho caught fire at Dortmund. When Pulisic started life at Chelsea. There were moments of doubt.
Thatâs gone now. Pulisic is thriving, and whatâs more, heâs thriving as a focal point of Chelseaâs attack. He was far and away the best attacking player on the field for Chelsea against Manchester City, and Manchester City knew it. He was still cutting behind players, flicking the ball to his teammates, and flashing into the box for goalscoring opportunities. Weâre finally seeing the version of Christian Pulisic that weâve been wanting to see: the one who takes the focus on his shoulders, as opposed to the one who succeedâs most when a teamâs attention is diverted elsewhere.
This is a lot of words to say that I feel excited as a USMNT fan, and possibly too many words to talk about a goal that was mostly Manchester Cityâs blunder. But for a few minutes, Christian Pulisic was a certainty. And that felt like releasing a breath I hadnât realized Iâd been holding for five years.
It really helps me get over the fact that he still does TikTok dances.
Better than Lewandowski!
Confirmed Heat
I like these, although I do wish that Sky Blue took one single picture of a player just standing up straight that doesnât look like it was taken in Platoâs Cave. Itâs yet another NWSL kit that breaks out of the âstandard soccer kitâ box and does it successfully, in my estimation.
Now if only Seattle or North Carolina got the memo.
A Brief Reminder that Zombie Deadspin is Still a Thing
âIâve watched some soccer highlight videos,â says this headline. âI play FIFA. Christian Pughlisitch is the future.â
For the love of god, please just shut this website down already.
Aaaand Weâll Just Leave This Here
Have a good day!