There may be awkwardness behind the scenes, but Pulisic is involved again, which means the U.S. can finally focus on soccer

Finally, someone made the correct decision.

It has taken nearly three months, a bombshell podcast, countless social media posts, a chorus of criticism from former national team players, calculated clap-backs from a documentary series and a thorough inquiry into the psyche of American soccer, but finally, irrefutably, definitely, the USMNT have put the pieces in place to move on. 

Christian Pulisic is back. This drama should now end. 

And the prevailing sense is one of relief. There was speculation in some corners that Pulisic might not be involved for the USMNT’s September friendlies, if only because manager Mauricio Pochettino – famously “not a mannequin” – might want to send a message. Some suggested that Pulisic could continue to sit out, a manager flexing his boss muscle, showing the world that he is not to be messed with. 

Yet, after skipping the Gold Cup and creating seemingly endless distractions for the USMNT, Pulisic is on the roster for friendlies against South Korea and Japan. Pochettino, for his part, batted away questions on the topic, saying on Tuesday, “Now we need to look forward.”

There may yet be awkwardness behind the scenes, or criticism in the media. High performance podcast bros and USMNT “legends” still have airtime to eat up, after all. But with every second that passes, every single comment becomes less important. Pulisic is involved again, which means that the U.S. can finally focus on the soccer.

And after an exhausting summer in which no one really learned anything, that’s an enormous relief.Â