Pochettino: Pulisic, the Messi of the USA for talent and leadership

Pochettino: Pulisic must be the Messi of the United States

The coach of the United States men’s national soccer team, Mauricio Pochettino, has expressed his opinion on Christian Pulisic, suggesting that the player should be considered as the Lionel Messi of the United States, due to his talent and recognition.

“I think Christian, in the last year, has shown great quality. He’s playing well in Europe and also with the national team. He’s a very talented player who can help us win,” Pochettino stated.

Mauricio Pochettino

Pochettino made these statements during an interview on the “Unfiltered Soccer” podcast, where he shared his views with former USMNT players Landon Donovan and Tim Howard.

The coach highlighted Pulisic’s importance to the team, saying: “In this country, Pulisic should be our Messi, because he is an iconic player. The kids in the street, if you ask them about a footballer, will surely mention Pulisic.”

Pulisic, 26, is a key player for the USMNT, with 32 goals and 18 assists in 76 appearances since his debut in March 2016. He has captained the team on several occasions and led the team to win the Concacaf Nations League in 2019-20, 2022-23 and 2023-24.

At the club level, Pulisic has played for Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, and currently AC Milan. He is coming off his most successful season at the club level, with 17 goals and 12 assists in all competitions.

Despite his active role in the team, Pulisic decided, in agreement with the United States Soccer Federation, not to participate in the June friendlies nor in the Gold Cup, after an exhausting season in Europe. Pochettino defended Pulisic’s decision not to play, confirming that they both spoke before the decision was made public.

“Christian is a very nice guy, he is very committed to the national team and wants to help, and of course, he is desperate to play in the 2026 World Cup and arrive in the best conditions,” Pochettino said. Pulisic joins the list of experienced USMNT players who will not participate in the 2025 Gold Cup, including Antonee Robinson, Timothy Weah, Weston McKennie, Giovanni Reyna, and Yunus Musah.

Despite these absences, Pochettino emphasized that every American player should desire to play for the national team.

“People need to prioritize the national team selection,” Pochettino said. “We were talking about Argentinian, Brazilian, English or Spanish players, they are desperate. Even Messi, even Neymar, even Mbappé for France, these guys are desperate to go to the national team.” The United States will face Turkey and Switzerland in friendlies before playing against Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, and Saudi Arabia in Group D of the Concacaf Gold Cup.