With less than ten days until the start of the World Cup, United States star Christian Pulisic remains cool, calm and collected before leading his team into battle.
In an interview with GQ, the Pennsylvania native was seen posing in various fashionable outfits while discussing the upcoming tournament.
Pulisic says he has been receiving ‘texts from my family and close friends – they’re definitely all excited about it, for sure.’
But it seems his time playing in major European competitions with Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea and AC Milan has somewhat numbed his nerves for large tournaments like the World Cup.
‘I mean, I feel like I’m constantly playing in big games,’ Pulisic told the outlet. ‘For me personally, it’s not like all that much is changing. It’s just another big tournament, to be honest.’
He doubled-down on that feeling, adding that ‘a lot of people are trying to make it even more than it is.’
American soccer star Christian Pulisic opened up on the World Cup in an interview with GQ
Pulisic opened up on the tournament and his attitude towards playing in the competition
Pulisic says success in the World Cup ‘can only help grow the sport in America… I’m gonna give everything I can to make that happen… I hope people watching can see that.’
However, he still knows how serious the event is for American soccer as a whole: ‘I’m gonna try to enjoy the moment as best I can. Obviously, the more success you have, the more attention it gets, and that can only help grow the sport in America.’
He added, ‘I’m gonna give everything that I can to make that happen. That’s all I can do. I hope people watching can see that.’
As for his own leadership style, the normally mild-mannered Pulisic says he’s grown to be more vocal in the locker rooms he inhabits.
‘I think with time I’ve been more comfortable,’ he told GQ. ‘That’s not really my personality type at all, and it was really difficult for me at the beginning.’
All this comes within the context of his season at AC Milan. While he finished with the most combined goals and assists of any of his teammates, Pulisic didn’t score a goal since last December.
This drought at the club level was coupled with one for the national team. Pulisic hadn’t scored for the United States since a match against Jamaica in November 2024 – until cashing in early in Sunday’s 3-2 win over Senegal.
Reflecting on his scoring woes before finally ending them, Pulisic said, ‘I just keep doing what I’m doing, putting extra reps on things that I want to work on. I believe that at the end of the day my time will come, because I put in the work.’
He also told the outlet, ‘I’m not trying to completely reinvent my game. When people look at you as if you’re not playing well, a lot of times that can just mean you didn’t score, and there’s so many other good things that you can do [on the field].
The winger, who struggled in the back half of his season at Milan, ended a USMNT goal drought Sunday when he scored the team’s first goal in a 3-2 win over Senegal
‘Times where the media might portray me as in a bad moment, I might actually feel really good, which is interesting.
‘Sometimes it’s the other way around: You score a tap-in, but you’re really not happy with your game. That’s just how it is. You’ve got to live with the ups and downs.’
Pulisic will hope to continue his positive scoring momentum in a clash with Germany in Chicago this coming weekend.
It will serve as the United States’ final test before opening World Cup group stage play against Paraguay in Los Angeles on June 12.
