Is Christian Pulisic playing at the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup?
The United States, who are hosting this summer's CONCACAF Gold Cup, are aiming to win the tournament for the seventh time.
Christian Pulisic will play no part in the United States men’s national team’s 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup campaign, as head coach Greg Berhalter has opted to give the Chelsea forward and other key players some time off.
Pulisic was joined by the likes of Barcelona’s Sergiño Dest, Juventus’ Weston McKennie and Borussia Dortmund’s Giovanni Reyna in being left out of the US’ preliminary 59-man roster for the Gold Cup, which was announced on 18 June.
Pulisic rested after helping USMNT to CONCACAF Nations League win
Pulisic was involved for the US as they won the CONCACAF Nations League earlier in June, scoring an extra-time penalty to earn a 3-2 final victory over Mexico, but Berhalter had warned back in February that two summer tournaments would be too much for the 22-year-old.
Speaking to Extratime, he explained that the player would need to be given the chance to recharge his batteries ahead of the 2021/22 Premier League campaign - with Chelsea’s pre-season preparations due to kick off in July - and the start of the USMNT’s 2022 World Cup qualifying bid in September.
“One thing I can guarantee you is a guy like Christian Pulisic is not going to be playing Nations League and Gold Cup - it's not going to happen,” Berhalter said. “These guys need a break, so I can imagine them playing one of those tournaments and then getting rest."
During the 2020/21 season, his second as a Chelsea player, Pulisic made 43 appearances in all competitions for the Blues, scoring six goals and appearing as a second-half substitute as the West Londoners beat Manchester City 1-0 in May’s UEFA Champions League final.
2021 Gold Cup gets underway on 10 July
The 2021 Gold Cup, which is being hosted by the US, runs from 10 July to 1 August. The USMNT, who are six-time winners of the tournament, will face one of Haiti, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Bermuda or Barbados in their opening Group B match on 11 July. Berhalter’s side will also face Canada and Martinique in the group stage.
You can check out the USMNT’s preliminary Gold Cup roster here. Gold Cup teams have until 10 days before the start of the tournament to submit their final 23-man squads.