ORLANDO, Fla. — Tyler Adams was the de facto captain of the US men’s national team during this World Cup qualifying cycle, but when the US players emerged from the tunnel on Sunday, Christian Pulisic was at the helm, the armband wrapped tightly around his sleeve.
It was fitting too. On the night USA nearly secured their place in this winter tournament, Pulisic – one of the few members of the team that failed so spectacularly almost five years ago – led from the start.
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Pulisic scored twice from penalties in the first half. Shortly after the hour, he scored again with balletic footwork in front of goal that sent American fans into feverish dreams. He had to be restrained by Gregg Berhalter as he attempted to run toward a horde of Panamanian players in a small crash near the touchline. He received a yellow card for yelling at (and charging at) the referee after the official called a fairly harmless foul in midfield, despite USA being in full control.
In a game where USA needed everything from their stars, Pulisic was a frothing ball of fire – exactly what Berhalter thought when he approached Pulisic as captain.
“I think because of the trip,” Berhalter said. “They have a guy who’s been there before. He was on the field when we didn’t qualify and we said to him, this is a new group, this is a new team and you are a leader. We wanted to show that.”
Nothing could ever retrace what was lost in Trinidad in 2017, but that game, and that performance from a player whose ebb and flow so often drives the sentiment of American football in general, was as sweet and special a salve on the scar as one could have can imagine.
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“It was a great honor to be captain tonight,” said Pulisic afterwards. “We can definitely enjoy tonight but the work isn’t done yet. We still have a really important game and we take it very seriously.”
Pulisic’s reluctance was understandable: there is still a lot to do. Combining results from other games this weekend means USA can’t finish worse than fourth in this CONCACAF qualifying table, which would put them in a playoff game for a World Cup spot. (If the USMNT goes that route, they’ll face either the Solomon Islands or New Zealand for a spot in Qatar in June.) The USMNT secures one of the three automatic spots with a win, a draw, or even a loss worse than a five-goal -Lead against Costa Rica on Wednesday in San Jose. And while history tells us that the strangest things can (and sometimes do) happen, even by Couva standards, that would be a stretch.
Six years after making his international debut as a 17-year-old prodigy, it seems all but certain that Pulisic will finally get a chance to represent the United States on the greatest stage in his sport. In many ways, Pulisic’s transformation from what he was last cycle to what he is now tells the story of this US soccer team’s rebirth.
CONCACAF table
| gp | PTS | DG | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 – Canada | 13 | 28 | +17 |
| 2 – United States | 13 | 25 | +13 |
| 3 – Mexico | 13 | 25 | +7 |
| 4 – Costa Rica | 13 | 22 | +3 |
| 5 – Panama | 13 | 18 | -3 |
| 6 – El Salvador | 13 | 10 | -8th |
| 7 – Jamaica | 13 | 8th | -11 |
| 8 – Honduras | 13 | 4 | -18 |
| 1-3 qualify; 4 in the decider | |||
He was a diamond in the rough back then, one of the few newcomers in a group of veterans trying to claim one last turn in the arena. Now he’s a relative veteran (even at 23) surrounded by a slew of emerging American talent who have made USA a team no one would want to face in a single game. Berhalter, of course, deserves credit for putting this group – which has consistently fielded some of the youngest starting lineups in US World Cup qualifying history – together and bringing it to the brink of achieving its first goal. But the players have evolved this cycle whenever they needed it most and they did it again against Panama.
Pulisic was the engine. Five years ago, in the game before the ill-fated trip to Trinidad, Pulisic scored a goal in eight minutes to defeat Panama, ran to the corner flag and fell to his knees with joy. On Sunday, playing against Panama at the same stadium, he put the USA ahead in the 17th minute by coolly leading the penalty after Anibal Godoy fouled Walker Zimmerman in the box. This time, his exuberance took him more to the sidelines, where he was surrounded by his teammates while the packed stadium roared.
Six minutes later, Pulisic’s nifty pullback pass led to a perfect cross from Antonee Robinson and a header from Paul Arriola to put the two Americans ahead. A four-way sequence of passes resulted in Jesus Ferreira scoring the third goal half an hour ago. Pulisic then added his second from the penalty spot in first-half injury time, after which he begged his teammates for some space and dropped to the ground before attempting a (very, very) short rendition of “The Worm.” dance move.
The Panamanians were already on their feet at this point. The stadium was chaos. And Pulisic’s face was full of joy and gloating.
“I’ll give it a solid 8,” Ferreira said of Pulisic’s attempt on The Worm. “Can’t give a 10 because he didn’t go back down.” Arriola, who appreciated the spirit of the choice, said: “I would probably give it a 5 just for the flexibility. He could have been a bit more flexible.”
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In truth, the final goal of Pulisic’s hat-trick was the real prize. A cushion touch and spin around two defenders resulted in a whipping shot past the keeper, reminding everyone that whatever the pressure on Pulisic – whether he’s playing for Chelsea or the USA – there is incredible talent behind it. When he’s on form, Pulisic’s sheer skill and momentum is at the highest level.
With about 20 minutes to go, Berhalter sent Gianluca Busio into midfield and the fourth official raised his board with Pulisic’s No. 10 in red on it. Pulisic took off the captain’s armband and passed it to Tyler Adams, then began a slow trot to the touchline as applause – including from Jordan Morris, who was waiting to get into the game – poured down.
It was an ovation for a star. For a power. For a player who, while not the day-to-day leader of the team, still remains their face. In 2017, the tears that streamed from Pulisic’s eyes after the final whistle in Trinidad were representative of the tears of so many US fans.
Now, five years later, all that remains is the finish he’s dreamed of ever since.