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“More and More Mature”- Former USMNT Coach Heaps Praise on Christian Pulisic Ahead of 2022 World Cup

Published 04/22/2022, 10:30 AM EDT

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Any young American who wants to become a professional soccer player is familiar with the name Christian Pulisic. He plays as a right-winger or an attacking midfielder for the Premier League club Chelsea FC. Chelsea was expected to challenge for the PL title after their UEFA Champion’s League triumph last season. However, they are currently ranked third behind Manchester City and Liverpool FC.

Jurgen Klinsmann appreciates Christian Pulisic

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Pulisic has had a rather unimpressive season this time around. Frequently out with injury and featuring mostly as a substitute, he hasn’t had a lot of playing time this season. And, he has mostly featured in a right wing-back position as opposed to his natural playing position. Although Pulisic hasn’t had too much to show this season, former US Men’s National Team coach, Jurgen Klinsmann has shown his appreciation for the 23-year-old.

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The former USMNT coach says Pulisic has grown a lot and has matured into a genuine leader as he heads into his first World Cup.

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Klinsmann gave Christian his debut at 17, making him the youngest American player to feature in a World Cup qualifier. “I think he’s done fantastic,” said Klinsmann. “You could see how he got more and more mature, how he took on more responsibility onto himself,” Jurgen added. Klinsmann also mentioned that Christian already has a lot of experience under his belt at such a young age.

Christian played in the Champion’s League with Borussia Dortmund. He later joined Chelsea and won the UCL with them, last season. Seeing all this and his past performances, Pulisic has become the lead figure for soccer in the US.

Pulisic is unhappy at Chelsea

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While Pulisic had a good first season with the club, he hasn’t quite had the same success in the second. Often out injured, Christian usually comes on as a substitute. Pulisic once commented on his lack of form this season as he told why he hasn’t been able to perform as well as the fans hoped.

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Pulisic said that he prefers playing at the right-wing or as an attacking midfielder, but the current Chelsea boss, Thomas Tuchel plays him as a right wing-back which doesn’t come naturally to him. Christian has been vocal about his disappointment along with other Chelsea stars such as Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian forward is also unhappy at the club and has publicly said that he wants to return to his previous club, Inter Milan.

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Watch this Story: USMNT and Chelsea Superstar Christian Pulisic Hits NFL’s Viral ‘Griddy’ Celebration After Scoring First Champions League Goal

It will be interesting to see if Tuchel changes his tactics to keep Pulisic at Chelsea or not.

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Written by:

Naman Gopal Srivastava

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Naman Gopal is a US Sports Writer at EssentiallySports. Naman is an Undergraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, with a minor’s degree in Cinematography from the Maharashtra Institute of Technology. An ardent fan of basketball and soccer, Naman was once a national level soccer player himself.
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Edited by:

Deepakshi Chaudhary