Christian Pulisic will be the central figure leading the United States Men’s National Team through the 2026 World Cup on home soil, a tournament that has the entire country buzzing with anticipation. But a prolonged goal drought has become a mounting concern heading into the competition, and head coach Mauricio Pochettino moved to address it directly on Thursday, declaring that “Pulisic’s going to score in the World Cup.“
After a bright start to his time at AC Milan, the second half of the 2025-26 season was a difficult one for the American star. The Rossoneri fell out of Champions League contention on the final day, and across 19 appearances in 2026, Pulisic managed just two assists without finding the back of the net, a drought that has extended across the two USMNT internationals as well back in March and now stands as the longest of his career at 21 games.
In a session with reporters on Thursday, Pochettino made clear that his faith in Pulisic is unshaken: “For me, he is a special player. I mean, it’s a pleasure that we are going to try these three weeks to recover his confidence, and we really trust in him and we have the confidence that he’s going to perform.“
Addressing the scoring drought directly, Pochettino remained firmly in Pulisic’s corner. “Of course, OK, he didn’t score in the last, I don’t know, six months. He’s going to score in the World Cup. Yes, I really trust on that. I really trust (him). I have confidence on him. He has very good attitude, very good. He’s trying so hard to get his best level, and I think he will achieve it for sure,” he added.
During Pochettino’s tenure with the USMNT, Pulisic has featured in 11 of the 24 matches the Argentine has overseen, with injury limiting his availability throughout the stretch. Despite his status as the fifth-highest scorer in USMNT history, he has contributed just one goal and three assists under Pochettino, numbers that reflect a player still searching for the form he has shown at his peak.
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Pulisic on his goal drought and form
After missing the 2025 Gold Cup, Pulisic returned to the fold for friendlies against South Korea, Japan, Ecuador and Australia, before missing the wins over Paraguay and Uruguay and coming back for the difficult defeats against Belgium and Portugal. Across those last six national team appearances, he has produced just one assist, well below the standard he has set throughout his career.
At the press conference following the World Cup roster announcement, Pulisic was asked about the scoring slump and pushed back against the notion that goals are the only measure of his impact: “There’s so many ups and downs in this sport. People will just look at goals and say, ‘If you haven’t scored, you haven’t played well as an attacking player,’ but I don’t feel that way.“
Shifting the focus to what lies ahead, Pulisic was upbeat about where his form and fitness stand heading into the tournament. “I feel good in a lot of ways, so I’m really not concerned. I’m excited for what’s to come, and I see the World Cup as an opportunity. It’s going to be a big opportunity for everyone. I can go in there and have a good performance, and people will talk in a different way,” he stated.
