Christian Pulisic Issues Emphatic Response to USMNT Snub

Star forward Christian Pulisic will make Mauricio Pochettino think twice about not selecting him for the fall international window.

Last week, the U.S. men’s national team manager named his 28-player roster for the expanded September–October camp that kicks off Monday and includes four international friendlies. U.S. Soccer’s poster boy was a shocking omission.

Pochettino even had the chance to name Pulisic as a last-minute addition this weekend after striker Ricardo Pepi was withdrawn from the roster due to injury.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’s replacement instead of the USMNT’s all-time goalscorer (33) and most-capped player (90) among all actives.

Pochettino had made himself perfectly clear: A player’s past with the USMNT has zero value. Only their present performances count. And, frankly, Pulisic hasn’t been up to par.

“It’s a completely different approach than it was in the past,” Pochettino said after his roster announcement. “The 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.”

Pulisic came into Sunday’s 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 “Captain America.”

Pulisic Dazzles in AC Milan Victory

pulisic holding trophy — Pulisic was named “Player of the Match.” | Giuseppe Cottini/AC Milan/Getty Images

In his first start of the new club season, Pulisic put on a brilliant display.

The winger got the nod on the right flank, finally cracking into new manager Ruben Amorim’s 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.

Tracking a long ball pass from center back Strahinja Pavlović, Pulisic dashed behind Lecce’s 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.

Pulisic ✨ pic.twitter.com/VWrUWJZ4w3
— Lega Serie A (@SerieA) September 21, 2026

Throwing his body into the air in celebration, it marked not only Pulisic’s 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’s decision to exclude him from the USMNT roster this fall.

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

Needless to say, Pulisic was due for a personal win, and he didn’t let Sunday’s excitement end there. He continued to be the most dangerous player on the pitch, darting in behind the hosts’ backline on multiple occasions. His antics actually stymied Lecce’s 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’s penalty box and earned “Player of the Match” honors for the ultimate 3–0 victory.

Pulisic’s performance this weekend won’t change his place on the USMNT bubble, and he’ll still be forced to watch his teammates from the couch next week. Although, it may make Pochettino re-evaluate him for the future.

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.

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