Pulisic lands Time cover ahead of 2026 World Cup

Christian Pulisic is not experiencing the best moment of his career. Still without a goal in 2026, concerns are beginning to grow around the United States men’s national soccer team. Even so, he remains the team’s leader heading into the World Cup, a fact highlighted by his selection as the cover star of Time.

The AC Milan winger opened up and insisted he is “not worried”. He doesn’t shy away from responsibility. He embraces it.

“Going at the goal, creating attacking actions, for me, that’s why I play the game,” he said. “You obviously have to do all the other parts, defend and run, different things. That’s fine and all. But what gives me joy and excitement is creating ways to score, and scoring goals and finishing them.”

He shows some tension when reminded of comments from Mauricio Pochettino, who said the United States does not have a top-100 player in the world. Pulisic doesn’t agree, but he doesn’t dwell on it either. He prefers to focus on what matters most: a dream he has carried since childhood.

Unlike the Argentine coach, he makes no bold promises. That’s not his style. Still, nothing takes that dream away from him. “I can sit in my bed at night and picture holding up the World Cup trophy. I did that as a kid. I’m not going to stop. You have to believe. Why not?”

Some may call it unrealistic. In Mexico, similar dreams were once questioned in the case of Javier Hernández. Others will say it’s about mentality. The reality, though, is that the current situation isn’t encouraging. The United States is coming off two defeats that exposed their weaknesses, against Belgium and Portugal.

Still, Pulisic insists that “if we go in and have a good World Cup, it’ll be all forgotten.” He speaks with the confidence of someone who believes there’s a plan in place.

McKennie backs Pulisic

Pulisic’s form may be a concern, but he has the full support of his teammates, especially Weston McKennie, who even joked about the situation, saying Pulisic is “saving his goals for the World Cup.”

“I don’t think any of us are worried whether he’s going to be firing on all cylinders,” McKennie said. “Because at the end of the day, he always wants to do his best for us, for him, for the fans, for the country. It may not be clicking for him right now. But I have no doubt it will be at the World Cup.”

The United States still believes in their captain. Four years ago, he delivered a decisive goal against Iran to secure a place in the Round of 16 with a 1–0 win. This year, he hopes to step up again, especially with the tournament being played on home soil.

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