{"id":856683,"date":"2026-09-22T14:40:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T14:40:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/856683\/"},"modified":"2026-09-22T14:40:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T14:40:12","slug":"christian-pulisic-issues-emphatic-response-to-usmnt-snub","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/856683\/","title":{"rendered":"Christian Pulisic Issues Emphatic Response to USMNT Snub"},"content":{"rendered":"

Star forward Christian Pulisic will make Mauricio Pochettino think twice about not selecting him for the fall international window.<\/p>\n

Last week, the U.S. men\u2019s national team<\/a> manager named his 28-player roster<\/a> for the expanded September\u2013October camp that kicks off Monday and includes four international friendlies. U.S. Soccer\u2019s poster boy was a shocking omission. <\/a><\/p>\n

Pochettino even had the chance to name Pulisic as a last-minute addition<\/a> this weekend after striker Ricardo Pepi was withdrawn from the roster due to injury. The Argentine boss nevertheless doubled-down on his snub of the 28-year-old, selecting forward Damion Downs as Pepi\u2019s replacement instead of the USMNT\u2019s all-time goalscorer (33) and most-capped player (90) among all actives.<\/p>\n

Pochettino had made himself perfectly clear: A player\u2019s past with the USMNT has zero value<\/a>. Only their present performances count. And, frankly, Pulisic hasn\u2019t been up to par.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s a completely different approach than it was in the past,\u201d Pochettino said after his roster announcement. \u201cThe World Cup is in four years. We need to work with different objectives and goals, and for different reasons, this roster is the best roster that we can design for this camp.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pulisic came into Sunday\u2019s match with club team AC Milan as a man on a mission, determined to prove to Pochettino that his present self is still as dominant as any past iteration of the illustrious \u201cCaptain America.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pulisic Dazzles in AC Milan Victory \"pulisic<\/p>\n

Pulisic was named \u201cPlayer of the Match.\u201d | Giuseppe Cottini\/AC Milan\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

In his first start of the new club season, Pulisic put on a brilliant display.<\/p>\n

The winger got the nod on the right flank, finally cracking into new manager Ruben Amorim<\/a>\u2019s lineup after going three matches as an unused substitute and another two as an off-the-bench reinforcement. Despite the giant chip on his shoulder weighing him down, Pulisic got on the scoreboard just 14 minutes into the Serie A clash with Lecce.<\/p>\n

Tracking a long ball pass from center back Strahinja Pavlovi\u0107, Pulisic dashed behind Lecce\u2019s backline and into the 18-yard box, perfectly settling the bouncing ball and firing it into the corner of the net, all without breaking out of his sprint. <\/p>\n

Throwing his body into the air in celebration, it marked not only Pulisic\u2019s first goal of the new season, but his first goal for Milan since December 2025, finally ending a 21-game drought that certainly played a role in Pochettino\u2019s decision to exclude him from the USMNT roster this fall.<\/p>\n

Pulisic \u2728 pic.twitter.com\/VWrUWJZ4w3<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Lega Serie A (@SerieA) September 21, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Pulisic had not only been struggling at the club level, but also at the international level. He put together a disappointing performance<\/a> this summer at the 2026 World Cup<\/a>, racking up more injuries (two) than goal contributions (one), and in the round of 16 against Belgium, he couldn\u2019t pull the Stars and Stripes out of misery when they needed their talisman most.<\/p>\n

Needless to say, Pulisic was due for a personal win, and he didn\u2019t let Sunday\u2019s excitement end there. He continued to be the most dangerous player on the pitch, darting in behind the hosts\u2019 backline on multiple occasions. His antics actually stymied Lecce\u2019s ability to get in on attack, as they were reluctant to push their backline up higher. Pulisic exited the pitch in the 69th minute with a game-high five touches in the opposition\u2019s penalty box and earned \u201cPlayer of the Match\u201d honors for the ultimate 3\u20130 victory.<\/p>\n

\u2022 The Curious Case of Christian Pulisic: From American Phenom to USMNT Outcast<\/a><\/p>\n

Pulisic\u2019s performance this weekend won\u2019t change his place on the USMNT bubble, and he\u2019ll still be forced to watch his teammates from the couch next week. Although, it may make Pochettino re-evaluate him for the future. <\/p>\n

Pulisic will need to be consistent though. Periodic brilliance has become the norm for him in recent years, and it means absolutely nothing, as Pochettino has made abundantly clear. <\/p>\n

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