adminLONDON. — For years, the United States have searched for a footballer who can shine on the biggest stage, and the evidence is now there that Chelsea winger, Christian Pulisic, could be that man.
From the moment Pulisic broke through at Borussia Dortmund, there was hope that, eventually, he would become the world-class player the Americans had been waiting for.
Over the last few months, he has become Chelsea’s most important attacking player and, since the resumption of the Premier League in June, there are maybe only one or two players who can say they have enjoyed a better return to action than the 21-year-old.
“In the first couple days, it is normal for a new guy that it is tough, not everyone is going to be your best friend straight away,” Pulisic told Sirius XM recently.
“That’s okay.
“But, I really felt once I was able to show myself on the field that I could play, and that’s when guys really started to say, ‘This guy is good. He can hang with us. We are going to treat him with a little more respect’.”
Much is made about America’s soccer culture, or, for some, lack thereof, but there is a reason big clubs are frequently investing time and resources into developing their brands stateside.
That reason is that there is unmatched potential in the United States, a country that is continuing to fall more and more love with the game, and the Premier League in particular.
But, despite early concerns that the push to sign Pulisic was one merely based on marketing and shirt sales, those perceptions have changed.
The indecisiveness in the final third is now gone.
The doubts stemming from a difficult start to the season have been erased in emphatic fashion.
And, given his form since the restart, it seems as if Chelsea may have a bargain on their hands.
After the return of the Premier League, Pulisic provided four goals, two assists and won two penalties.
Having appeared timid and bereft of confidence during his initial months in west London, Pulisic returned from the coronavirus-enforced break playing like someone that belonged.
The world has taken notice.
Since the restart, Pulisic has drawn frequent comparisons to the man he replaced, Eden Hazard.
The Belgium winger, by any measure, is one of the most dynamic widemen in Premier League history, a truly world-class talent that, despite his poor start to life at Real Madrid, has long been seen as one of the world’s best players. Pulisic, meanwhile, is getting there.
It takes time to build the kind of resume and highlight reel of a player such as Hazard, but there are also small pieces of evidence you can find along the way. It is the shoulder drop against Benjamin Mendy that left the Manchester City defender in the dust.
It is the perfectly-hit assist to Tammy Abraham at Anfield that few players in the world can pick out.
And there is the patience and poise of Pulisic’s goal against Liverpool, one that only furthered the conversations surrounding him.
“I didn’t have any exact expectations for him,” Lampard said recently. “When he came at the start of the season, he needed a break and he had to get himself acclimatised to the league.
“It is physical and it is tough for some of the greatest players we have seen in this league from the beginning.
“He got to grips with it quickly and he is playing very well. He got injured at the start of January but now he looks sharp and hungry.
“The quality is there for everyone to see at the moment.
“We have got ourselves a very, very good player and he can get even better.”
For years, America was cautiously optimistic that someday there would be a player this good, one to lead the way in the next step in the country’s soccer evolution.
Pulisic appears to be that player. — Goal.com.
Online Reporter