USMNT
Christian Pulisic injured: how big is the loss of the USMNT captain?
Given the loss of Pulisic for Berhalter and the USMNT, we analysed the impact this will have on the team for their upcoming games.
The USMNT are set to play the two most important games of 2023 as they take on Trinidad & Tobago over two legs in the Nations League quarter finals (Thursday 16 November with kick off at 8:00 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.). Getting through this tough pair of matches will be a key moment in Gregg Berhalter’s second stint as coach as he looks to secure a ticket to the 2024 Copa América.
One aspect of the games which has caused uninterrupted worry is the absence of Christian Pulisic from the squad list of 24 players called up by Berhalter for the games, the first of which will be held in Arlington, Texas before the match in Trinidad & Tobago.
It’s worth remembering that Pulisic was not called up due to fears over a slight injury, with the manager not wanting to risk things and choosing to back the quality spread out across his squad in order to obtain the desired result.
Pulisic’s impact on the USMNT
The statistics paint a positive picture for Berhalter’s side, showing that in all likelihood his team will not be heavily affected by the absence of Captain America, who has played 64 games under Berhalter and 58 without him due to injuries and technical decisions. In the 64 games in which Pulisic has played under Berhalter, the USMNT have won 35, drawn 13 and lost 16. As for the 58 games he has not featured in, the side have won 34 times, drawing 15 and losing just 9.
However, the importance of Pulisic goes further than that, as the ex-Chelsea winger has shown himself to be a key member of the XI in the games in which he has played. This is especially prevalent in his goal-scoring numbers, with Pulisic seeing 125 goals go in for the US with him on the pitch and 113 with him on the sidelines.
If we took into account the 58 games in which Pulisic has not featured, the North American would be in the top 3 for players with the most games (122) and at just 25-years-old. This is something that would surely increase his goal numbers (28) to a figure akin to those of Dempsey (57) and Donovan (57), two legends of the US game.
Who will play for the USMNT instead of Pulisic?
Given the absence of Pulisic, Gregg Berhalter will no doubt be preparing alternatives in his position. One of the potential ideas would be to use the typical 4-3-3 with Musah, McKennie and Luca de la Torre in the middle, with Brenden Aaronson featuring on the right wing, playing alongside Gio Reyna and Folarin Balogun.
If Aaronson is indeed chosen by Berhalter, the Union Berlin player will have a tough task filling Pulisic’s boots, as the ex-Leeds United player’s impact in Germany has been incredibly limited.
As for the numbers, swapping Pulisic with Aaronson shows the huge drop-off both in quality and output: the Milan winger has a higher number of battles won, key passes, assists and goal average (BeSoccerPro). However, something that Aaronson would bring would be a higher work rate than Pulisic, as Brenden presses more than just about any other creature on earth with two legs.
When do the USMNT play against Trinidad & Tobago?
The game between USMNT and Trinidad and Tobago will be played on Thursday 16 November with kick off at 8:00 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. After that, the return leg will take place at Hasely Crawford Stadium, on Monday 20 November and will kick-off at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT.