Christian Pulisic, once the USA's 'next big thing,' has arrived as a player and leader

ARLINGTON, Texas — Christian Pulisic played a short corner to Tim Weah, then received the ball back just inside the penalty box. He took one touch, then let it rip, blasting a beautiful shot through a crowded box and just out of reach of Bolivian goalkeeper Guillermo Viscarra, before it hit the inside of the crossbar and landed across the goal line.

It was just the third minute of the U.S. men's national team's opening Copa América match, and in the quality start they wanted, Pulisic had his side up 1-0. The Americans scored again just before halftime and won 2-0.

After he scored, Pulisic ran to the sideline with his arms wide, wearing a massive grin. He pointed to his teammates and specifically to Gianni Vio, the set piece coach who designed the clever play and who was sitting in the stands. TV cameras caught the winger asking — amid teammates jumping on him and hugging him — "Hey, where is Gianni?" He wanted to give credit where it was due.

Even though it looked like it, Pulisic said after the match that there wasn't any added emotion after that particular goal. "It's Copa América, it's a major tournament," he put it simply. 

But perhaps deep down, there was a little. Wearing the captain's armband, Pulisic set the tone for the USMNT as it prepares not only for its second group-stage match against Panama on Thursday in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (6 p.m. ET on FOX Sports and the FOX Sports app), but a deep run in this summer's tournament and beyond.

"He's a selfless leader," coach Gregg Berhalter said. "He goes out and just competes and works really hard and that helps the team. And then you add to the fact that he's highly skilled, and he can make plays on the offensive end and create chances on the offensive end, and it's a great combination. And then when you see him supporting his teammates, him backing guys, him pushing guys, you know, to me, it was an outstanding performance." 

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Pulisic's first major tournament playing for the U.S. was at the Copa América Centenario in 2016. He made his senior national team debut earlier that year, though he was already playing overseas at Borussia Dortmund. Then just 17 years old, he was breaking into the team and didn't play much in that Copa América, but a few months later he donned the No. 10 shirt against Mexico in a World Cup qualifier. It was a stunning honor to bestow on such a young player.

"I don't think he wasn't willing to embrace it, I think that we just labeled a 17-year-old the next big thing," said Tyler Adams, who has been friends with Pulisic since they were 14 years old. "I mean, you had to give the kid some time to grow and mature, and he moved overseas when he was 15. We were talking about it the other day. He's already been in Europe for 10 years. I mean, that's a big change for anyone to go through in their life, and sometimes it just takes time to adapt."

The Americans lost that game to Mexico at home, but that match felt like the moment things changed. Pulisic could be the first American global superstar, even though that wasn't a title he ever chased.

Growing up, Pulisic did not dream of being captain of the USMNT. He just wanted to be part of the national team and play in a World Cup. And while the early years of his career were accessorized with expectation, as he's matured, the 25-year-old has come to terms with his role and responsibility in the program. Sometimes against his better judgment, he now embraces being the face of the team — even if that face is currently plastered all over billboards in the U.S.

"What is normal?" Pulisic said, letting out a small chuckle. "I don't know anymore. It's still cool. I appreciate the support, it's awesome. I don't take it for granted for a second. I feel like I've given so much to this team, and truly, no one wants it more than me, I promise you that. So it feels great to have the support.

"The whole face thing," Pulisic continued, "I feel like I get asked that a lot. I don't even think of it like that at all, especially now with the team that we have. I don't need to be the superstar for us to win games. It's not like that. I want to put in good performances and help the team, but the team has my back always."

Pulisic enters Copa América fit, in form, healthy and exuding all kinds of confidence. He's fresh off his best European season, contributing 15 goals and 11 assists in 50 appearances across all competitions for AC Milan. Pulisic joined the Italian club last year after struggling to find consistent playing time at Chelsea. The move was critical given what lies ahead for the USMNT in the next couple of years co-hosting the 2026 World Cup alongside Mexico and Canada.

"I've grown a lot as a player," Pulisic recently told FOX Sports. "Physically, I've learned a lot about my body by playing more. Just growing in confidence, finding my feet again, finding my form, and feeling really good about that. The main thing is just appreciating and loving the game a bit again. That's something that's changed a lot for me this season."

Sometimes, all it takes is a change of scenery for players to find that next level of their game. And that's what moving to Italy has been for him. Pulisic has immersed himself in the culture, is learning to speak the language, the fans love him, and he has gotten to know club legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic and signed a jersey for him.

When asked about that moment, Pulisic downplayed it, saying of Zlatan: "He's been great to me, learning from him. He's honest, he'll tell you how things are, and I really appreciate that about him. He's been a good guy and a good help."

Additionally, Pulisic built trust and bonded with former AC Milan coach Stefano Pioli, who moved him from left to right wing, offering another dimension to his game. 

"He's trying way less on the field," Adams told FOX Sports. "He simplified his game so much more, and we always talk about it, like, you have to evolve your game constantly. And him going to a new league and playing on the right side of the field made him simplify his game.

"He's used to playing on the left side and dribbling inside trying to create, whereas on the right side, his thought process seems a lot clearer when he's attacking. And I think that's why he's been so efficient in front of goal."

This past season has been the next phase of Pulisic's evolution following the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where he scored a heroic and memorable goal against Iran in the group stage to advance to the knockout round. And between now and 2026, those close to him believe he will only get better.

"I think everyone always saw the potential that he had to be able to take that next step, and to do it consistently is a different thing," Adams said. "His play throughout this year in Milan was one of the best in the world. He's one of the best wingers in the world. Not just numbers-wise, but when you watch him play, the effect that he has in the game, taking players out of positions and people always having to double-team him. He's a top, top player, and he's an amazing person as well."

Those intangibles have also helped cement him as a core leader of the national team. If Adams is the one who can dig into guys and Weston McKennie is the one who can pick up the team's energy and Tim Ream is the one who can be a wealth of experience, then Pulisic is the one who leads by example. He's not a vocal person on or off the field and is soft-spoken during interviews with the media.

But when he does have something to say, everybody listens. Like when he tells guys in training that it's not good enough, and when he became the first USMNT player to publicly support Berhalter being rehired by U.S. Soccer last year.

"For me, it's really important to lead by just the way I conduct myself every single day in training, around the hotel, around the guys, also what I do on the field in the game, and show them that way," Pulisic said.

"I mean, if you ask anyone, I'm not the most vocal person on or off the field at all. So when I need to say something, I hope that I have a voice that people will listen to. That's my goal. I don't say much. I try to just put my head down and work and work, and I hope that people around see that and that can have a domino effect in that way."

It does. And that work was on full display in Sunday's match against Bolivia. A few minutes after he scored the opening goal, Pulisic was tracking back on defense, trying to win the ball near the Americans' left corner flag. Later, when Ricardo Pepi missed a quality scoring opportunity, Pulisic went up to him, offering words of confidence and support.

"You would think a player like that, who has so many eyes on him — like Neymar or [Cristiano] Ronaldo, for instance — sees their main role as attacking and they don't really come back on defense," McKennie told FOX Sports. "And that's one thing I value about Christian, and a lot of people do as well on the team. He doesn't put himself above anyone. Work is work, whether that's offensively or defensively.

"It may be something that people don't see as a leadership quality, but in the football world and around us and what we do and the players that we've played with and through our careers, that's something that's difficult to find."

Or as Berhalter put it, "When your best player is also your hardest-working player, you know you're doing something well." 

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Copa América serves as a dress rehearsal for the 2026 World Cup. Expectations are as high as they are clear, which is to galvanize a nation while doing something this team has never done before. The U.S. reached the quarterfinal at the 2002 World Cup with a roster that included Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, Claudio Reyna, Brian McBride and Berhalter, but that remains the program's best finish in the last 90 years.

This group wants to push further. And Pulisic understands his role within that. He can handle the spotlight as the most recognizable face of the national team. He's the most capped player on this roster (69), the one kids look up to, and has enough influence and respect to say that it's time for this team to prove itself to the rest of the world.

And that's what he plans on doing.

"He's done a lot of things people will never do in their career," Adams said. "And I think you have to kind of give credit where credit's due sometimes. I know what he's capable of, and I think this year really showcases his ability. And if he can just continue to do that week in and week out, he'll continue to be labeled as one of the best wingers in the world.

"So I'm really happy for him and he represents what Americans can be on a daily basis."

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of "Strong Like a Woman," published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.