Christian Pulisic Sends Warning To Mount And Sterling Ahead Of USA/England World Clash

Christian Pulisic, a Chelsea winger who was instrumental in his team’s 1-1 draw with Wales on Monday, has praised the USA’s prospects of pulling off a surprise victory against England on Friday.

In the first half, the 24-year-old provided Timothy Weah with a deft assist after the Lille striker made a cunning move to get past the Wales defense and then delivered a deft finish to beat Wayne Hennessey. The USMNT’s attacking combination seemed promising, but a defensive blunder cost them the game when Tim Ream took down Gareth Bale, giving the five-time Champions League champion the opportunity to equalize from the spot.

Bale seized his opportunity, limiting the USA’s margin for mistake as they advance in Group B. On Friday night, they will play their toughest opponent because England performed well in a 6-2 victory against Iran on Monday.

After the tie, though, Pulisic remained upbeat, asserting that Gregg Berhalter’s squad must be proactive if they are to defeat England, a possibility that the winger from Pennsylvania was hopeful about. “I think we have a good enough team to make it out of this group,” he told reporters after the game. Our upcoming challenge against England will need us to be proactive and strive to prevail.

“There’s a lot of positives from the game in general. The team looks good. Now we have to figure out how to put that together for 90 minutes. A point in the first game is better than none. We have to move on, learn from this, it’s a lot from our first game. I want to win. I’m very competitive. I love this team so much, I’m honoured to play in a World Cup for my country so the least I can do is give it all that I have.”

Pulisic will face Chelsea teammates Mason Mount in the match, with the England midfielder having impressed during the Three Lions’ win playing alongside Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice, while Raheem Sterling is also likely to be in the starting XI. Neither Pulisic nor Mount has been at their best domestically this season, with Pulisic in particular struggling for consistent minutes under Graham Potter as the Blues have struggled to produce their best form in the league.

However, the World Cup provides a chance for players to forget their difficulties at club level and Pulisic’s comments suggest a confidence which may have been lacking in his Chelsea career of late.