Christian Pulisic was easily the best player on the pitch for the United States in a scoreless first half against Trinidad and Tobago, but that lack of goals for the team meant that it didn’t matter how good he had been. The USMNT came into the match in a must-win situation, and they couldn’t win without goals.
Christian Pulisic scores two crucial second-half USMNT goals
The United States have an important lead over Trinidad and Tobago thanks to their best player.
Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
So who else would step up to get that crucial, much-needed opening goal than Pulisic?
Pulisic may still be just a teenager, but every time he steps onto the pitch for the U.S. he shows us once more why he’s probably the national team’s best player. His pace and ceaseless motor helped him get to the end of that sequence to score — but the goal was created by a fantastic team effort.
It started with great ball pressure by Michael Bradley, was turned into a dangerous chance by a fantastic bit of movement and decision making from Darlington Nagbe, and the assist was created by a perfect pass from DeAndre Yedlin. It was the exact kind of goal that we need and want to see more of from the United States, and it’s one that hopefully we’ll see a lot more of from Christian Pulisic and the team as a whole over the next several years.
Of course, he wasn’t done there.
This one was more straight up, using his pace and a good ball over the top from Jozy Altidore to beat the entire Trinidad and Tobago defense and get his brace, and likely secure three crucial points for his country. It was Pulisic’s seventh goal in just his 15th senior cap for the USMNT, absolutely remarkable numbers for an 18-year-old player. He is special, and should be treasured by U.S. fans for a long, long time to come.
