Getty Images Sport
WHAT HAPPENED
U.S. Men's National Team head coach Mauricio Pochettino believes Christian Pulisic should aim to become the American equivalent of Lionel Messi. Speaking on the with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard, Pochettino said the AC Milan winger has the talent and profile to be the face of soccer in the United States.
“I don’t want to be disrespectful with Messi or with Pulisic… but I think in this country, Pulisic should be our Messi,” Pochettino said. “Because he’s an iconic player. The kid on the street – for sure, if you ask about one soccer player in this country, it’s Pulisic.”
Pochettino praised the 25-year-old’s growth over the past year, both at the club and international level.
“Christian, in the last year, was showing great quality, and he’s performing in Europe, and also he’s performing here in the national team,” he said. “He’s a very talented player who can help us to win.”
Though Pulisic won’t be part of the USMNT’s Gold Cup squad this summer, Pochettino’s comments make clear the level of respect the manager has for his star player.
WHAT MAURICIO POCHETTINO SAID
Pochettino further touched on whether he feels disappointed with Pulisic opting to miss the Gold Cup and use the opportunity to take rest instead after a long season.
“When you talk about if I feel disappointed or not, I think we have very good communication with our players, and Christian is a very nice guy and very committed with the national team, and he wants to help," Pochettino said. "And of course, he’s desperate to play the World Cup and arrive in the best condition. In all this conversation that we were having with the player, I think, that was the best, maybe, decision to help him because every player is in different circumstances.”
He added, "I think the teammates respect Christian and Antonee, but the thing is sometimes you need to put the interest in medium-long-term than in the present.”
The former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain head coach also talked about the March international break and his reaction to the USMNT’s Nations League finish.
“For me, after the March camp, I said ‘OK, I don’t care about nothing, I want to win tomorrow and I want to win," he said.
Although Pochettino appeared to be understanding of Pulisic and Robinson's decision to miss the Gold Cup, he acknowledged that it is challenging to determine his best squad, considering all the absences.
"I think we are all focused on the World Cup, and sometimes we need to be open and flexible in some decisions," he explained. “When we talk about this type of decision for us, I think it was a tough decision because I think we agreed because it was also our idea. It was our decision, in the end, because if you say you need to come, but I think we cannot force the players to come. But I think I need to be fair and say, it was a collective decision to try to find the best for the national team and for the best for the player.”
